re: Who is on the Mt. Rushmore of country music?

This is a great debate topic, because you can go in so many directions with it, and also lends some interesting questions.

Is bluegrass included in "country music" or is it its own separate genre? Do groups count as 1 entity or do you have to pick one person from the group?

If it is included I would say...
Hank Williams (timeless songwriter, tied with Jimmie Rogers as first megastar of the genre)
Bill Monroe (father of bluegrass)
Buck Owens or Merle (Bakersfield sound)
Willie or Waylon (Outlaw movement)

If we can use groups as 1 entity I would probably replace Buck/Merle with the Maddox Brothers & Rose, as they were really the foundation of the Bakersfield sound, and also brought in the flashy clothing. I'd also probably replace Willie/Waylon with the Carter Family, because I feel like they are more important to the genre overall.

Also, if bluegrass is its own area, I'd replace Bill Monroe with either Dolly or Loretta. I hate to leave out Patsy, but she wasn't the songwriter that Dolly and Loretta were.