Top 10 Essential Country Music Box Sets

1. Johnny Cash - The Legend

The first word that comes to mind after listening to these four CD's is WOW! 'Cash, The Legend' has grouped over 100 songs on four different CD's. There is also a little flip section with an autobiography and many photos. It is almost impossible to do this awesome project justice with just a couple of short paragraphs. This is an excellent compilation of the songs of Johnny Cash from beginning to end. This is a must have for any Cash collector.

2. Merle Haggard - Down Every Road

It's hard to compress a review of a box set into a small space, but when it comes to Merle Haggard, you can at least put it in a nutshell: It's Merle, and it's great. There's not a whole lot else to say. The four discs are set up in chronological order, from Merle's early recordings, before he'd found his own distinct sound, through the deeply moving 1993 "In My Next Life," which tells its own tale very eloquently

3. Hank Williams - The Complete Hank Williams

It's remarkable to consider that Hank Williams' career lasted around five years. In that time the whip-thin young man produced a staggering amount of material and forever changed the face and sound of country music. Today when someone says "traditional" country, Hank is the voice one thinks of; but back in 1949, when he first used drums onstage at the Grand Old Opry, he was quite the radical. This set of 10 CDs brings together a complete picture of those five amazing years.

4. Loretta Lynn - Honky Tonk Girl

This 3-cd box set was released in 1994, including many tracks appearing on cd for the first time. It covers her early hits, "Honky Tonk Girl," "Blue Kentucky Girl," "You Ain't Woman Enough," from the 60's to gems like "The Pill" from the 70's, and "I Lie" from the 80's. You'll also find her duet recordings with Conway Twitty and Ernest Tubb.

5. Waylon Jennings - Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line

Waylon Jennings was the face of the Outlaw movement in country music in the early 70's. Rebelling against the iron fist of Nashville labels, Waylon and his pals wanted to make music their own way. What came out of that eventually came to be called "outlaw" music, but for Jennings, it was just music he wanted to make, done his own way. It made him a star and turned him into a legend. Sadly, this box set contains only two discs, 40 songs, but it's a great selection from one of country's best.

6. Garth Brooks - Limited Series 2005

This is Garth's second box set with the same name as the first. Pretty confusing, really. While his first box set included his first six albums, this includes his last three, the 2-CD set Double Live, Sevens, & Scarecrow, plus a disc of brand new unreleased music, and a DVD with Garth interviews and concert footage.

7. George Strait - Strait Out Of The Box

Released in 1995, “Strait Out of the Box” is a truly comprehensive collection of songs spanning 20 years. It includes all 31 of his number one hits, 11 more chart singles of great musical impact, 19 LP tracks, and 11 more rare tracks that are anything but leftovers.

8. Dwight Yoakam - Reprise Please Baby: The Warner Brothers Years

After 20 some years of pedaling his music & 16 years signed with Warner/Reprise, Dwight Yoakam has finally released a four-cd box set which captures a nice selection of the best of his years at Reprise, plus a lot of surprise extras & unreleased tracks that should be a real treat for any long-time Dwight Yoakam fan, & a perfect starter for anyone new to Yoakam's unique hillbilly-rock sound.

9. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Will the Circle Be Unbroken: The Trilogy

Some thirty years ago, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was a group of folk-rock hippies who loved the old-time country genre. So they joined up with some of the greatest names of that genre and produced an album that was so stunning and earth-shaking, they did it again, not once, but twice. Now all three of these incredible albums are joined together with an accompanying live concert DVD into one of the most real, most awesome, most amazing country box set ever.

10. Various Artists - Can't You Hear Me Callin' - Bluegrass: 80 Years of American Mu

This is an incredible collection of great music. It is a 4-CD set with a total of 109 tracks. It covers music from the 1920's all the way through the current bluegrass artists of today. You will find everyone from The Carter Family, Grandpa Jones and Roy Acuff to Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless and The Dixie Chicks. And of course Ralph Stanley, Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs and Ricky Skaggs are definitely included. This would be a welcome addition to the collection of any bluegrass fan.