re: Who was the most popular outlaw country singer at the height of its popularity?

Willie had made his bones prior to that movement as a songwriter in Nashville....so he was very much responsible, if you will, for the "commercialized" country. The Outlaw movement was really started by Hank Jr. and Waylon as something as an act of rebellion to the pop sound tat was invading country at the time and Nashville producers that were pushing these guys to be more pop.

Waylon rebelled along with Kristofferson and embraced more of the Bakersfield sound along with a more Texas embrace sprinkled with some Americana . KK was everywhere in the early 70's with his hits like Sunday Morning Comin' Down, Me and Bobby McGee and Loving her was the Easiest ......

A lot of these guys came out of Texas and Oklahoma and Arkansas along with Central California. Kristofferson was from Texas , Waylon was from Lubbock, Willie was from East Texas, Merle was originally from Oklahoma, Cash was from Arkansas.....the outlier was Coe who was actually from Akron, OH....as was Johnny Paycheck