Some of the biggest country music legends today found themselves on the edge of giving up at one point in their careers, and many came very close to quitting the business entirely. Thankfully, the following three country icons pushed through. Let’s get a little inspirational, shall we?
Willie Nelson
Few country icons have careers as long-winded and successful as outlaw country legend Willie Nelson. Believe it or not, early on in his career, he actually did quit the music business for about a year. Nelson’s first recordings, “No Place For Me” and “Lumberjack” from 1956, were commercial failures. He worked as a radio announcer and sang in clubs in Washington state for a time, later appearing in Colorado and Missouri nightclubs.
Sadly, he ran into consistent failures and eventually moved back to his home state of Texas. He settled in Fort Worth and quit the business to work as a door-to-door salesman. In 1958, he tried to sell some of his songs to make some cash but was instead given a job as a club singer. From there, his career would slowly but surely take off, and he would inevitably move to Nashville in the 1960s.
Reba McEntire
It’s hard to imagine the world of country music (and pop culture in general) without Reba McEntire. She’s one of the few icons who have continued to put out amazing music and showcase her talents as an actress several decades into her career with little interest in retiring. Reba’s absence from country music was almost a reality in 2020, though, when her mother sadly passed away. She said herself that she thought about leaving the music business entirely, as she lost the drive to make music.
“I said, ‘I just don’t think I’m going to do this anymore,’” Reba said in an interview with Today in 2023. “I always did it for Mama.”
Thankfully, Reba decided to move forward in honor of her late mother.
Carly Pearce
A more modern country star on our list of legends who almost quit, Carly Pearce came dangerously close to quitting music entirely when her mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 COPD. The four-time ACM award winner revealed earlier in 2026 that she considered quitting music in order to be closer to her mother, who is unable to attend her shows often because of her illness.
“She says I can quit,” Pearce said during an interview on American Songwriter’s Off The Record podcast. “But then all of her prayers would be in vain. She worked my whole damn life to make this dream come true. […] I would go to her and be like, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore. It’s too painful.’ And she’s like, ‘Quit. I don’t want to see you hurting. I want you to have a good life. I don’t want you to feel isolated.’”
Pearce decided to keep on going, and we’re glad she did.
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