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For decades, country music has been defined by two opposite camps. On one side, there’s a wholesome, clean-cut crew that toe the Nashville line. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s an edgier group that sees themselves as outsiders rebelling against a restrictive system. Both are intrinsic to country music — after all, the first million-selling country albums were made by “the Outlaws,” a collection of singers that included Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, in the 1970s.
Check out our rebel-meter below to find out how country’s gritty men are separated from the clean-cut boys.
This article first appeared in the Sept. 27th issue of Billboard.