Scotty McCreery Put Zach Top on the Spot—His Country Music Mount Rushmore Says It All

Scotty McCreery put Zach Top on the spot with one question every country music fan loves to debate: Who belongs on your personal Country Music Mount Rushmore?

During a conversation on Prime Country with Scotty McCreery, the two country stars got talking about the artists who shaped Zach Top’s sound and inspired him to become the artist he is today.

When Scotty asked him to name his Mount Rushmore, Zach didn’t hesitate for long.

His choices?

George Jones. Merle Haggard.

And two other legendary names that helped shape his musical identity.

But it was the explanation behind those choices that really stood out.

Top explained that while he was heavily influenced by the country music of the 1980s and ’90s, he eventually started digging much deeper into the music that influenced those artists.

He went back to the classics.

He studied George Jones’ recordings from the 1950s and discovered the roots behind the sound he had grown up loving.

In other words, Zach Top wasn’t simply copying the ’80s and ’90s country sound.

 

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He went back to the source.

Scotty McCreery picked up on that immediately, telling Zach that his passion feels genuine and that fans can see it when he performs.

And that’s probably one of the biggest reasons Zach Top has connected so strongly with country fans.

He isn’t trying to manufacture a retro sound.

He genuinely loves the music that came before him.

Of course, fans may have noticed one thing missing from his Mount Rushmore: female country legends.

No Dolly Parton. No Emmylou Harris.

That alone could spark an entirely new debate among country fans.

But that’s the beauty of a Mount Rushmore.

Everyone’s looks different.

And Zach Top’s choices offer a pretty fascinating glimpse into the artists who helped shape one of country music’s fastest-rising traditionalists.