The 40 Greatest Men of Country Music is a three hour television special that first aired on March 28, 2003 on CMT. It was hosted by Megan Mullally, and counted down the men who have made the greatest contribution to the genre, as well as leaving behind the greatest impact. The results were decided by hundreds of artists and music historians from all over the country.
Countdown Johnny Cash was ranked #1 on the countdown. The remaining artists in the top 5 were Hank Williams, George Jones, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings.
* 40. Travis Tritt * 39. Dwight Yoakam * 38. Gene Autry * 37. Ricky Skaggs * 36. Toby Keith * 35. Mel Tillis * 34. Eagles * 33. Jimmie Rodgers * 32. Charlie Daniels * 31. Lefty Frizzell * 30. Ronnie Milsap * 29. Glen Campbell * 28. Chet Atkins * 27. Bob Wills * 26. Tim McGraw * 25. Brooks & Dunn * 24. Flatt & Scruggs * 23. Roger Miller * 22. Eddy Arnold * 21. Ernest Tubb * 20. Hank Williams, Jr. * 19. Kenny Rogers * 18. Charley Pride * 17. Vince Gill * 16. Bill Monroe * 15. Elvis Presley * 14. Roy Acuff * 13. Randy Travis * 12. Buck Owens * 11. Alabama * 10. Alan Jackson * 9. George Strait * 8. Conway Twitty * 7. Garth Brooks * 6. Merle Haggard * 5. Waylon Jennings * 4. Willie Nelson * 3. George Jones * 2. Hank Williams * 1. Johnny Cash