A lot of country artists keep making music for decades, even when they are no longer having much commercial success. But some choose to give up their country music career while they are still having hits. These four country artists walked away from country music while in the prime of their careers.
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Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Mandrell was 49 years old when she retired from country music in 1997. Mandrell had by then had several hit singles to her credit, including “Sleeping Single In A Double Bed”, “If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don’t Want To Be Right)”, “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool”, and more. Although Mandrell’s last Top 20 hit, “My Train Of Thought”, came out in 1988, she was still releasing music and still an in-demand performer when she announced she was retiring.
Mandrell never second-guessed her decision. She has since largely faded from the spotlight.
“I started thinking, ‘I want to retire. It’s time. I want to retire when I’m still in my 40s,’” Mandrell tells Yahoo!. “So [my husband] Ken and I prayed about it and talked about it, and prayed about it, and the answer came. God gave me the answer — It was very fast and right on the nose.”
Chris Cagle
Chris Cagle had a string of hits beginning in 2000, with “My Love Goes On And On”. In 2001, he released “I Breathe In, I Breathe Out”, a song that became his first No. 1 single. Cagle continued to have Top 40 hits, up until “Let There Be Cowgirls”. Out in 2012, the song was Cagle’s last time to have a hit at the radio, but not because he wasn’t getting airplay. Instead, Cagle just completely walked away from country music. His last album is his 2012 Back In The Saddle.
In 2015, Cagle announced he was retiring from country music to focus more on his family life.
“I would like to thank everyone for 15 years of a great time,” he said (via Saving Country Music). “From [Brooks & Dunn] to [Rascal] Flatts and fans!! I’m gonna miss my band and everyone!!
All this means… I’m going home. I’m going to be a father and a GREAT husband, and enjoy my life. I thank you ALL for everything. I’ve had a great run and would just like to go home with my dignity.”
Faith Hill
Faith Hill seemingly disappeared. After massive hits like “Breathe“, “This Kiss”, and more, Hill’s last solo album, Fireflies, came out in 2005. In 2017, she released a duets album, The Rest of Our Life, with her husband, Tim McGraw.
Although Hill never made a public statement about her retirement, she did delete all of her social media accounts.
Cyndi Thomson
In 2001, Cyndi Thomson released her debut My World album on Capitol Nashville. The record includes “What I Really Meant To Say”, her debut single, which became a No. 1 hit. Thomson released two more singles, including “I Always Liked That Best”, a Top 30 single.
Thomson’s career seemed to be on an upswing until she just walked away.
“At the height of it all, I just had to take some inventory,” Thomson tells Entertainment-Focus. “I was having night terrors, I was having panic attacks… things that were so foreign to me. I didn’t understand what that was.”
More than 20 years later, Thomson is making a return to country music. In May, she released a new EP, Acres of Diamonds.
Photo by Royce DeGrie/Getty Images for Musicians Hall Of Fame
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