Top 20 Country Music Duos [Ranked]

The top country music duos dominated the genre during their peak years. They were must-see live performers, radio hitmakers and bet-on-it awards show winners.

You can’t describe each artist on this list of country music’s 20 best duos that way, but No. 1 fits that trilogy. Longevity is often the hardest part. Several of the unions described here ended early because of creative differences, in-fighting or tragedy. A 10-year run as a member of a country duo is nearly unheard of.

Related: The 50 Greatest Classic Country Artists, Ranked

Some you’ll know. If you’re expecting to see Brooks & Dunn and the Judds near the top, we won’t let you down. If you wonder how contemporary duos like Dan + Shay and Florida Georgia Line stack up, we may surprise you.

If you’re curious about legendary duos that existed before or without chart metrics, you’ll find them here as well. There isn’t one single metric to rank each of these 20 country music duos, but a combination of radio success, influence, critical acclaim and legacy sorts it out.

Only true duos were considered for this list. That means successful solo artists who came together for a song or album were not considered, even if — like Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn — they won a bunch of CMA Awards. Duos were carved out of Vocal Group categories at country awards shows starting in 1988, which made a scan through classic country group winners necessary. We think we found them all, but you can be the final judge.