Jeannie C. Riley

Few artists in the history of country music became famous as fast as Jeannie C. Riley. Her second single, "Harper Valley P.T.A.," was a runaway hit immediately upon release in 1968; it sold over five million copies and was the first song by a female artist to top the country and pop charts at the same time. The song also set the template for her career, singing songs about the harder side of life and small-town scandal, as seen through the eyes of a down-to-earth woman with a proud spirit and a strong voice -- buoyed by the unapologetic Texas twang of her instrument. Riley's pace slowed over the years, but she made a comeback in the early 2000s, hosting a radio show and returning to live performing.