Sixty-six years ago, Gene Autry became the first major entertainer to take the stage at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Since then, the event has steadily grown into the all-out bonanza of musical entertainment it is today: 20 big-name headliners taking the stage in 20 days.

It's an event where artists ranging from George Strait to Elvis Presley to Alicia Keys have seen sell-out crowds. This year's concert series, which started last weekend and continues through the first half of March, is expected to be no different, according to organizers.

Sunday's Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus concert is sold out, and "we are expecting a sellout for the [March 15] Brad Paisley concert as well," spokeswoman Suzy Martin said this week.

Rodeo organizers choose the performers based on a series of surveys, and like most years, the 2008 line-up offers a diverse set of stars. But with a three-hour round-trip drive and tickets costing up to $77 a pop, music fans in the Bryan-College Station area will have to make some tough choices -- narrowing it down to just the essentials.

Here are Spotlight's suggestions:

John Legend

Friday March 7

John Legend has had his listeners in awe since his teen years. He was a piano-playing prodigy at the age of 5 and has excelled ever since.

After playing the piano for Lauryn Hill's Everything is Everything. Legend earned recognition as someone fellow artists should have in their musical midst.

He also has collaborated with Kanye West, Jay-Z and will.i.am. Singles from his first album, Get Lifted, earned him three Grammys. His sophomore album, Once Again, was released in 2006.

Toby Keith

Thursday March 13

Before Toby Keith could dominate the charts with his flag-waving songs, he was just another oil industry worker.

In the early '80s he regularly toured Oklahoma and Texas with honky-tonk band Easy Money. But it was his solo career that really took off after a flight attendant gave his demo to a record executive. After catching a show in Oklahoma, Mercury Records President Harold Shedd signed him.

His 1993 debut song, Should've Been a Cowboy, went to No. 1 on the Billboard country singles chart, and his self-titled debut album was certified platinum.

After pairing with Sting for I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying, the duo earned a Grammy nomination. He hasn't always gotten along with fellow celebrities, though. Keith and Dixie Chicks vocalist Natalie Maines had a public feud that included doctored photos and obscene acronyms.

In 2006, Keith released White Trash With Money.

Miranda Lambert

Monday March 17

In 2007, the Academy of Country Music nominated Nashville-based musician Miranda Lambert as one of the genre's top new female vocalists. On Tuesday, she was nominated again -- this time for album of the year, top female vocalist and top single.

Her latest album, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, includes the hit Famous in a Small Town.

Lambert was first recognized in 2003, when she appeared on the television program Nashville Star. She released her first album, Kerosene, two years later. It debuted at the top of the country charts.

Fergie

Wednesday March 19

Stacy Ann Ferguson (aka Fergie) was born in small town Whittier, Calif., but soon found her way to Hollywood.

As a child actress, she appeared on the television program Kids Incorporated.

Her first musical endeavor, all-girl group Wild Orchid, released two albums. But after completing a third, their record label declined to release it. This prompted an emotional crisis, and Ferguson sought therapy. She left the group shortly thereafter.

In 2003, she was invited to participate in The Black Eyed Peas song Hey Mama. The group was so impressed by Fergie's performance that she became the fourth member. Since then, she's mostly been known as Fergie.

In September 2004, Fergie met actor Josh Duhamel from TV's Las Vegas, to whom she is currently engaged to. She took part in the movie Poseidon, but don't hold it against her. Quentin Tarantino later hired her for Grindhouse.

She's recording her solo album, Dutchess.

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