Her Country: How the Women of Country Music Became the Success They Were Never Supposed To Be

Nashville journalist Moss argues that women performers are never seen as “country enough” for a genre that has been dominated by the “good ol’ boys” ever since President Bill Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which resulted in conglomerates making decisions about who got played on radio airwaves. Still, Moss notes, women have continued to claw their way onto the country music scene and to lead the way for the next generation of singers. Her book explores the careers of many female country singers but zeroes in on three in particular: Maren Morris (“The Bones”; “I Could Use a Love Song”), Mickey Guyton (“Black Like Me”; “Better Than You Left Me”), and Kacey Musgraves (“Follow Your Arrow”; “Rainbow”). Moss illustrates how these artists have carved out spaces for women, including women of color and LGBTQIA+ people, who are even less represented in the country music field. Moss’s clear and accessible writing is a delight, deftly capturing the lyricism of the genre.