The Next C & W Legends?

Bill Ivey, executive director of the Country Music Foundation in Nashville, is optimistic about the future of country music.

“I think we are at a point of changeover in the generations of country writers and singers,” he said when asked about which artists might be found alongside Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson as country music legends 20 years from now.

“It’s a little hard to tell just who’ll define the next 10 years or 15 years of country music the way Cash, Nelson and the others defined another era. No one has done it yet, but I think someone will emerge--whether it is one of the new stars in town or someone who is still on the horizon. There is a growing eclecticism within the country music umbrella that is healthy.”

Here are five artists whose names came up frequently when country insiders and critics were asked which performers have enough commercial appeal and/or artistic dynamism to possibly shape country music in the ‘90s.

Randy Travis: He’s got the sales figures--his three albums have sold a total of more than 6 million in a genre where million-sellers are relatively rare--and he has a superb country voice. But he hasn’t established himself as a major writer, and his creative vision sometimes seems timid.

Clint Black: His 1989 debut album was a million-seller and he’s already shown himself to be a capable songwriter with something to say. Some country insiders see him as the star of the future, but he seems part of the heavily populated Merle Haggard vocal tradition rather than a trailblazer. Also: Does he have the will to lead?

k.d. lang: As unlikely a country star as you’ll find, the androgynous Canadian has been embraced by part of the country community as a cross between Patsy Cline (her voice) and a hipper Minnie Pearl (her persona)--though, as her recent country vocal Grammy shows, the former is increasingly causing people to take her seriously. But country radio still seems scared of her.

Lyle Lovett: Almost as unlikely a country star as lang, the man with the Eraserhead hair, the jazz musical sensibilities and the driest of wits has risen above cult status, as signified by his country vocal Grammy. But, as with lang, that’s probably attributable to his appeal to voters from outside the country world. He may ultimately be viewed as not a country figure at all.

Kathy Mattea: There’s no denying her singing talent and winning personality, but so far she has shown little of the vision needed to be placed in the pantheon of greats. Still, it’s her early days, and some country insiders think she has growth potential.