Merle.

One of my favorite artists (you might find me saying this alot since I have a list of favorites, though this one is truly a favorite) is Merle Haggard. He might not be the prettiest singer, but in a world full of pretty singers it really is the ones that sound different that are most valuable. He truly sings about real struggles and things that the average person goes through. His music is true country, country at it's purest. His songs are also some of the greatest to ever hit country music. Iconic songs such as "Mama Tried", "Fightin Side Of Me", "If We Make It Through December" and "Working Man Blues" are still being played in honkytonks today. My favorite song of Merle's is "Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Star", check it out if you've never heard it.

Modern Cowgirl is a internet boutique store that is just as the name suggests, for modern cowgirls. They have adorable jewelry (I love the earrings!) and this shirt:

The Merle Haggard "If I hear another line dance song I think I'm gonna puke." shirt. That's a bonafied Merle quote right there folks. I love this shirt! And you can buy it here and check out the rest of the cool stuff Modern Cowgirl has to offer, as well as find out about their White Horse Campaign for women.

If you're looking for a good Merle album, I'd recommend his 40 #1 Hits album, or Hag: The Best of Merle Haggard. Both are good jump-offs and have his hits which is what is usually the best thing to start with when trying a new-to-you artist. One that I hope to add to my collection SOON would be the box set: Down Every Road.