Anita Cochran

Triple-threat artist Anita Cochran emerged in the late 1990s and ascended to the top of an already crowded country music scene. Raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Cochran was named for a member of the legendary Carter Family, and she was exposed to all sorts of country music at an early age by her parents. As well as a singer and songwriter, Cochran is an instrumental powerhouse, playing multiple stringed instruments including mandolin, Dobro and banjo. She is most notable for her dazzlingly nimble electric guitar picking, which easily evokes the work of super pickers like Albert Lee and Vince Gill. Her first record, released in 1997, yielded a number of hits, including a duet with Steve Wariner that went right to the top of the country charts.