Mary now lives in Nashville and never had a chance to be an out mainstream country artist ’cause she’s always been out.

And how about the woefully underrated Kristen Hall, especially from her Sugarland days? She co-founded the band, named it and wrote the bulk of its early repertoire. The band’s multi-platinum debut, “Twice the Speed of Life,” featured top country hits before Kristen left (or was pushed out for being a husky lesbian)–”Baby Girl” (#2), “Something More” (#2), “Just Might (Make Me Believe)” (#7) and “Down in Mississippi (Up to No Good)” (#17). Kristen’s never been in, so I think Chely maybe needs to revisit her contention about being the lone lesbo in NashVegas; she might realize she’s got more company than she thought.

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Anyhoo, I’ve always thought of the Topp Twins as comedy first, folk-country second, but they’re never without the comedy. And also on this list are several of the albums I bought just because the cover art “looked like something I would be into” i.e., “looked gay:” Brandi Carlile, kd Lang, Maia Sharp, and Mary Gauthier (I swear I can out every closeted queer musician based on their album covers alone!) However, none of these stars are considered Country even by the music industry. I know this because Borders, Barnes & Noble and other chain music sellers tell me so when they shelve them in Pop/Rock (kd lang, Brandi Carlile, and Maia Sharp) and sometimes Blues (Mary Gauthier).

BTW, If you like Lucinda Williams, Townes Van Zandt, and the half-spoken/half-sung quality of Dylan, you would probs like Gauthier. Mercy Now is a great album!

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