R20 June Carter Cash, was never in the running for Queen of Country Music. While she definitely was a Princess, as she comes from The Carter Family, which is the closest thing country has to a Royal Family, and then she married Johnny Cash, she never established herself as a true star in her own right.
Patsy Cline-was and will remain the standard that all women in country music is compared to, but she died too young to ever make it to Queen status.
Kitty Wells- was the Queen, because she was universally acknowledged as that by the other women, such as Dolly and Loretta, while she was alive. She paved the way for all the others, by being the first woman to top the country charts, so she earned the title.
Minnie Pearl-While not a singer, and clearly the Queen of Country Comedy, could be thought of as the Queen Mother of Country, due to her motherly relationships with many country stars, and her role as country music's Ambassador of Goodwill to the wider culture.
Tammy Wynette-was smart to claim the title First Lady of Country Music, which is important but not as high ranking as Queen.
Dolly and Loretta-each have a claim to Queen, and I would count them as co-regents. Each broke through to the wider culture, in unique ways, while maintaining their country credentials.
Reba- is very much the Crown Princess. There is no other female artist in the generation behind Dolly and Loretta, that has had a sustained career like hers, that has crossed over into the wider culture.
Barbara Mandrell- could have claimed a place between Loretta & Dolly, and Reba. But, she abdicated her place in the line-up by retiring from music. Likewise, Tanya Tucker could have laid claim to the title, if she had managed to sustain her career better.
Carrie, Miranda, etc...- Are too young to be considered at this point.
