Country music (or country and western) is a blend of popular musical The music of the United States reflects the country's multi-ethnic population through a diverse array of styles. Rock and roll, blues, country, rhythm and blues, jazz, pop, techno, and hip hop are among the country's most internationally-renowned genres. The United States has the world's largest music industry and its music is heard around the forms originally found in the Southern United States The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, Down South, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive region in the southeastern and south-central United States. Because of the region's unique cultural and historic heritage, including Native Americans; early European settlements of Spanish, English and and the Appalachian Mountains Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, a very small portion of northeastern Mississippi. It has roots in traditional folk music Traditional music is the term now used in the terminology of Grammy Awards, for what used to be called "folk music". Full details of this change can be found in the article World music terminology. Other organizations have made similar changes, though in non-academic circles, and on many CD sales websites, the phrase "folk music&, Celtic music Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic peoples of Western Europe. As such there is no real body of music which can be accurately be described as Celtic, but the term has stuck and may, gospel music Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music, and old-time music Old-time music is a form of North American folk music, with roots in the folk musics of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. This musical form developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre also encompasses ballads and other types of folk and evolved rapidly in the 1920s.^[1]

The term country music began to be used in the 1940s when the earlier term hillbilly Hillbilly is a term referring to people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia and the Ozarks. Due to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of Ozarkan and Appalachian heritage. However, the term is also used in music was deemed to be degrading, and the term was widely embraced in the 1970s, while country and Western has declined in use since that time, except in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border, sharing it with and Ireland Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɪrlənd/ , locally [ˈaɾlənd]; Irish: Éire, pronounced [ˈeːɾʲə] ( listen); Ulster Scots: Airlann, Latin: Hibernia) is the third-largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of, where it is still commonly used.^[1]

In the Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States is defined as the states that lie west of the Mississippi River, with the qualification of a certain northern limit such as the 37, 38, 39, or 40 degree north line. A 97.33 degree west line could qualify as the separation of the American Southwest from the American South. The Southwest historically began at the far a different mix of ethnic groups The ancestry of the people of the United States is widely varied and includes descendants of populations from around the world, some presumably extinct elsewhere. In addition to its variation, the ancestry of people of the United States is also marked by varying amounts of intermarriage between ethnic and racial groups created the music that became the Western music Western music originated as a form of folk music. Originally composed by and about the people who settled and worked throughout the Western United States and Western Canada. Directly related musically to old English, Scottish, and Irish folk ballads, Western music celebrates the life of the cowboy on the open ranges and prairies of Western North of the term country and Western. The term "country music" is used today to describe many styles A-F · G-M · N-R · S-Z · Cultural and regional and subgenres.

Country music has produced two of the top selling solo artists of all time. Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley a was an American singer, actor, and musician selling over one billion records internationally. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as Elvis and is also sometimes referred to as "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" or "The King", who was known early on as “the Hillbilly Cat” and was a regular on the radio program Louisiana Hayride Louisiana Hayride was a radio and later television show broadcast from the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, that during its heyday from 1948 to 1960 helped to launch the careers of some of the greatest names in American music,^[2] went on to become a defining figure in the emergence of rock and roll Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s after World War II, from a combination of the rhythms of the blues, from the African American culture, and from America's country music and gospel music scene. Though elements of rock and roll can be heard in country records of the 1930s, and in blues. Contemporary musician Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks is an American country music artist. His eponymous first album was released in 1989; it peaked at #2 in the US country album chart and reached #13 on the Billboard 200 pop album chart. Brooks's integration of rock elements into his recordings and live performances made him very popular and allowed him to dominate the country, with 128 million albums sold, is the top-selling solo artist in U.S. history.^[3]

While album sales of most musical genres have declined, country music experienced one of its best years in 2006, when, during the first six months, U.S. sales of country albums increased by 17.7 percent to 36 million. Moreover, country music listening nationwide has remained steady for almost a decade, reaching 77.3 million adults every week, according to the radio-ratings agency Arbitron Arbitron is a radio audience research company in the United States which collects listener data on radio audiences similar to that collected by Nielsen Media Research on television audiences. It was founded as American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became bi-coastal by merging with L.A. based Coffin, Cooper and Clay in the early 1950s, Inc. ^[4][5]

Early history

Immigrants Immigration is a modern phenomenon. It owes its existence to the needs of an ever more intensely integrated global capitalist economy to have people move around for the purpose of work, for reproduction of labor power or political asylum across the borders of, some believe, an increasingly obsolete inter-state system. ammigrants are people who to the Southern Appalachian Mountains Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, a very small portion of northeastern Mississippi of North America brought the music and instruments of the Old World along with them for nearly 300 years. The Irish fiddle The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, including the violin; it is a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music. Fiddle playing, or fiddling, refers to various styles of music, the German derived dulcimer The Appalachian dulcimer is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings. It is native to the Appalachian region of the United States. The body extends the length of the fingerboard, and its fretting is generally diatonic, the Italian mandolin A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It is descended from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. It has a body with a teardrop-shaped soundboard, or one which is essentially oval in shape, with a soundhole, or soundholes, of varying shapes which are open and are not decorated with an intricately carved grille like the, the Spanish guitar The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist, and the African banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument developed by enslaved Africans in the United States, adapted from several African instruments. The name banjo is commonly thought to be derived from the Kimbundu term mbanza. Some etymologists derive it from a dialectal pronunciation of "bandore", though recent research suggests that it may come from a^[6] were the most common musical instruments. The interactions among musicians from different ethnic groups produced music unique to this region of North America North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific Ocean; South America lies to the. Appalachian Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, a very small portion of northeastern Mississippi string bands of the early twentieth century primarily consisted of the fiddle, guitar, and banjo.^[7] This early country music along with early recorded country music is often referred to as old-time music Old-time music is a form of North American folk music, with roots in the folk musics of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. This musical form developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre also encompasses ballads and other types of folk.

Throughout the 19th century, several immigrant American immigration refers to the movement of non-residents to the United States. Immigration has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout much of American history. The economic, social, and political aspects of immigration have caused controversy regarding ethnicity, religion, economic benefits, job growth, groups from Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast. Europe is washed upon to the north by the Arctic Ocean and, most notably from Ireland Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɪrlənd/ , locally [ˈaɾlənd]; Irish: Éire, pronounced [ˈeːɾʲə] ( listen); Ulster Scots: Airlann, Latin: Hibernia) is the third-largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of, Germany Germany (pronounced /ˈdʒɜrməni/ ), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant] ( listen)), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south, Spain Spain /ˈspeɪn/ (Spanish: España, pronounced [esˈpaɲa] ( listen)), or the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.[note 6] Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar; to the north by France,, and Italy Italy /ˈɪtəli/ (Italian: Italia), officially the Italian Republic (Italian: Repubblica Italiana), is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. The moved to Texas Texas ( /ˈtɛksəs/ ) is a state in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. It is bordered by Mexico to the south, New Mexico to the west, Oklahoma to the north, Arkansas to the northeast, and Louisiana to the east. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, with an area of 268,820 square miles (696. These groups interacted with the Spanish Portuguese, other populations of Latin Europe, Hispanics, Mexican American English, Spanish, Spanglish, and a minority of Indigenous Mexican Languages, Native American Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as intact political communities. There has, and U.S. communities that were already established in Texas. As a result of this cohabitation and extended contact, Texas has developed unique cultural traits that are rooted in the culture of all of its founding communities. ^[8]

1920s

The first commercial recording of what can be considered country music was "Sallie Gooden" by fiddlist A.C. (Eck) Robertson Alexander "Eck" Robertson was an American fiddle player, mostly known for being the first country musician to be recorded in 1922 in 1922 for Victor Records. Columbia Records Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in pre-recorded sound, being the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. Columbia Records went on to release records by an array of notable singers, instrumentalists and groups. Today it is a premier subsidiary label of Sony Music Entertainment. Steve Barnett began issuing records with "hillbilly" music (series 15000D "Old Familiar Tunes") as early as 1924.^[9]

A year earlier on June 14, 1923, Fiddlin' John Carson Fiddlin' John Carson was an American old time fiddler and an early country musician recorded "Little Log Cabin in the Lane "The Little Old Log Cabin In The Lane" is a popular song written by Will S. Hays in 1871 for the minstrel trade. Written in dialect, the song tells of an eldery man, presumably a slave or former slave, passing his latter years in a broken-down old log cabin. The title is from a refrain:" for Okeh Records Okeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States of America in 1918; from the late 1920s on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records.^[10] Vernon Dalhart Vernon Dalhart (6 April, 1883 - 14 September, 1948 was a popular United States singer and songwriter of the early decades of the 20th century. He is a major influence in the field of Country Music was the first country singer to have a nationwide hit in May 1924 with "Wreck of the Old '97 The "Old 97", a Southern Railway train officially known as the Fast Mail, was en route from Monroe, Virginia to Spencer, North Carolina when it left the track at Stillhouse Trestle near Danville, Virginia on September 27, 1903. The wreck inspired a famous railroad ballad, which was the focus of a convoluted copyright lawsuit."^[11][12] The flip side of the record was "Lonesome Road Blues," which also became very popular.^[13] In April 1924, "Aunt" Samantha Bumgarner Aunt Samantha Bumgarner was an acclaimed early country and folk music performer. She won much praise for her work with the fiddle and banjo. In 1924, accompanied by guitarist Eva Davis, she traveled to New York City and recorded about a dozen songs, making her perhaps the first recorded female country music artist. The recordings are also notable and Eva Davis became the first female musicians to record and release country songs.^[14]

Many "hillbilly" musicians, such as Cliff Carlisle Cliff Carlisle was an American country and blues singer. Carlisle was a yodeler and was a pioneer in the use of the Hawaiian steel guitar in country music, recorded blues songs throughout the decade^[15] and into the 30s. Other important early recording artists were Riley Puckett George Riley Puckett was a country music pioneer mostly known for being a member of Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers, Don Richardson Don Richardson was an American fiddler who may have made the first country music recording in 1914, eight years before the first generally recognised country recording was made in 1922, Fiddlin' John Carson, Al Hopkins, Ernest V. Stoneman, Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers and The Skillet Lickers.^[16] The steel guitar entered country music as early as 1922, when Jimmie Tarlton met famed Hawaiian guitarist Frank Ferera on the West Coast.^[17]

Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family are widely considered to be important early country musicians. Their songs were first captured at a historic recording session in Bristol on August 1, 1927, where Ralph Peer was the talent scout and sound recordist.^[18][19]

Rodgers fused hillbilly country, gospel, jazz, blues, pop, cowboy, and folk; and many of his best songs were his compositions, including “Blue Yodel” [10], which sold over a million records and established Rodgers as the premier singer of early country music. [11] ^[20]

Beginning in 1927, and for the next 17 years the Carters recorded some 300 old-time ballads, traditional tunes, country songs and Gospel hymns, all representative of America's southeastern folklore and heritage.^[21]

1930s-1940s

One effect of the Great Depression was to reduce the number of records that could be sold. Radio, and broadcasting, became a popular source of entertainment, and "barn dance" shows featuring country music were started all over the South, as far north as Chicago, and as far west as California.

The most important was the Grand Ole Opry, aired starting in 1925 by WSM-AM in Nashville to the present day. Some of the early stars on the Opry were Uncle Dave Macon, Roy Acuff and African American harmonica player DeFord Bailey. WSM's 50,000 watt signal (1934) could often be heard across the country,^[22]

Many musicians performed and recorded songs in any number of styles. Moon Mullican, for example, played Western Swing, but also recorded songs that can be called rockabilly. Bill Haley sang cowboy songs, and was at one time a cowboy yodeler. Haley became most famous as an early player of rock n roll, adding Jimmie Rodgers-stylings to his environment, thus creating a sound that was very much his own. Between 1947 and 1949, country crooner Eddy Arnold placed a total of 8 songs in the top 10.^[23]

Singing cowboys and Western swing

During the 1930s and 1940s, cowboy songs, or Western music, which had been recorded since the 1920s, were popularized by films made in Hollywood. Some of the popular singing cowboys from the era were Gene Autry, the Sons of the Pioneers and Roy Rogers.^[24]

Bob Wills was another "country" musician from the Lower Great Plains who had become very popular as the leader of a “hot string band,” and who also appeared in Hollywood Westerns. His mix of "country" and jazz, which started out as dance hall music, would become known as Western swing. Spade Cooley and Tex Williams also had very popular bands and appeared in films. At its height, Western swing rivaled the popularity of other big band jazz.

Changing instrumentation

Drums were scorned by early country musicians as being "too loud" and "not pure," but by 1935 Western swing big band leader Bob Wills had added drums to the Texas Playboys. In the mid 1940s, the Grand Ole Opry did not want the Playboys’ drummer to appear on stage. Although drums were commonly used by rockabilly groups by 1955, the less-conservative-than-the-Grand Ole Opry Louisiana Hayride kept their infrequently-used drummer back stage as late as 1956. By the early 1960s, however, it was rare that a country band didn't have a drummer.^[25]

Bob Wills was one of the first country musicians known to have added an electric guitar to his band, in 1938.^[26] A decade later (1948) Arthur Smith achieved top 10 US country chart success with his MGM Records recording of "Guitar Boogie," which crossed over to the US pop chart, introducing many people to the potential of the electric guitar. For several decades Nashville session players preferred the warm tones of the Gibson and Gretsch archtop electrics, but a “hot” Fender style, utilizing guitars which became available beginning in the early 1950s, eventually prevailed as the signature guitar sound of country.^[25][27]

Hillbilly boogie

Country musicians began recording boogie in 1939, shortly after it had been played at Carnegie Hall, when Johnny Barfield recorded "Boogie Woogie." The trickle of what was initially called hillbilly boogie, or okie boogie (later to be renamed country boogie), became a flood beginning in late 1945. One notable release from this period was the Delmore Brothers' "Freight Train Boogie," considered to be part of the combined evolution of country music and blues towards rockabilly. In 1948, Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith achieved top ten US country chart success with his MGM Records recordings of "Guitar Boogie" and "Banjo Boogie," with the former crossing over to the US pop charts.^[28] Other country boogie artists included Merrill Moore and Tennessee Ernie Ford. The hillbilly boogie period lasted into the 1950s and remains one of many subgenres of country into the 21st century.

Bluegrass, folk and gospel

By the end of World War II, "mountaineer" string band music known as bluegrass had emerged when Bill Monroe joined with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, led by Roy Acuff at the Grand Ole Opry. Gospel music, too, remained a popular component of country music. Red Foley, the biggest country star following World War II, had the first million-selling gospel hit and also sang boogie, blues and rockabilly.

In the post-war period, country music was called "folk" in the trades, and "hillbilly" within the industry. ^[29] In 1944, Billboard replaced the term "hillbilly" with "folk songs and blues," and switched to "country" or "country and western" in 1949.^[30][12]

Honky tonk

Another type of stripped down and raw music with a variety of moods and a basic ensemble of guitar, bass, dobro or steel guitar (and later) drums became popular, especially among poor white southerners. It became known as honky tonk and had its roots in Texas. Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys personified this music which has been described as "a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, a little bit of black and a little bit of white...just loud enough to keep you from thinking too much and to go right on ordering the whiskey."^[31] East Texan Al Dexter had a hit with "Honky Tonk Blues," and seven years later "Pistol Packin' Mama."^[32] These "honky tonk" songs associated barrooms, were performed by the likes of Ernest Tubb, Ted Daffin, Floyd Tillman, and the Maddox Brothers and Rose, Lefty Frizzell and Hank Williams, would later be called "traditional" country. Honky tonk artist Webb Pierce was the top-charting country artist of the 1950s, with 13 of his singles spending 113 weeks at number one. He charted 48 singles during the decade; 31 reached the top ten and 26 reached the top four.

1950s-1960s

Rockabilly

Rockabilly was most popular with country fans in the 1950s, and 1956 could be called the year of rockabilly in country music. The number two, three and four songs on Billboard's charts for that year were Elvis Presley, "Heartbreak Hotel;" Johnny Cash, "I Walk the Line;" and Carl Perkins, "Blue Suede Shoes".^[33]

Cash and Presley placed songs in the top 5 in 1958 with #3 "Guess Things Happen That Way/Come In, Stranger" by Cash, and #5 by Presley "Don't/I Beg Of You."^[34] Presley acknowledged the influence of rhythm and blues artists and his style, saying "The colored folk been singin' and playin' it just the way I'm doin' it now, man for more years than I know." But he also said, "My stuff is just hopped-up country."^[35]

Country music gained national television exposure through Ozark Jubilee on ABC-TV and radio from 1955–1960 from Springfield, Missouri. The program showcased top stars including several rockabilly artists, some from the Ozarks. Within a few years, many rockabilly musicians returned to a more mainstream style or had defined their own unique style.

The late 1950s saw the emergence of the Lubbock sound, but by the end of the decade, backlash as well as traditional artists such as Ray Price, Marty Robbins, and Johnny Horton began to shift the industry away from the rock n' roll influences of the mid-50s.

The Nashville and Countrypolitan sounds

Beginning in the mid 1950s, and reaching its peak during the early 1960s, the Nashville Sound turned country music into a multimillion-dollar industry centered in Nashville, Tennessee. Under the direction of producers such as Chet Atkins, Owen Bradley, and later Billy Sherrill, the sound brought country music to a diverse audience and helped revive country as it emerged from a commercially fallow period.^[36].

This subgenre was notable for borrowing from 1950s pop stylings: a prominent and "smooth" vocal, backed by a string section and vocal chorus. Instrumental soloing was de-emphasized in favor of trademark "licks". Leading artists in this genre included Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves and Eddy Arnold. The "slip note" piano style of session musician Floyd Cramer was an important component of this style.

Nashville's pop song structure became more pronounced and it morphed into what was called Countrypolitan. Countrypolitan was aimed straight at mainstream markets and it sold well throughout the later 1960s into the early 1970s. Top artists included Tammy Wynette and Charlie Rich.

Country soul

In 1962, Ray Charles surprised the pop world by turning his attention to country and western music, topping the charts and rating number three for the year on Billboard's pop chart^[37] with the "I Can't Stop Loving You" single, and recording the landmark album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music.

The Bakersfield Sound

Another genre of country music grew out of hardcore honky tonk with elements of Western swing and originated 112 miles (180 km) north-north west of Los Angeles in Bakersfield, California. Influenced by one-time West Coast residents Bob Wills and Lefty Frizzell, by 1966 it was known as the Bakersfield Sound. It relied on electric instruments and amplification, in particular the Telecaster electric guitar, more than other subgenres of country of the era, and can be described as having a sharp, hard, driving, no-frills, edgy flavor. Leading practitioners of this style were Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Tommy Collins, and Wynn Stewart, each of whom had his own style.^{[38] [39]}

Country rock

The late 1960s in American music produced a unique blend as a result of traditionalist backlash within separate genres. In the aftermath of the British Invasion, many desired a return to the "old values" of rock n' roll. At the same time there was a lack of enthusiasm in the country sector for Nashville-produced music. What resulted was a crossbred genre known as Country rock.

Early innovators in this new style of music in the 60s and 70s included rock n' roll icon band The Byrds (beginning while Gram Parsons was a member) and its spin-off The Flying Burrito Brothers, guitarist Clarence White, Michael Nesmith (Monkees & First National Band), Commander Cody, The Allman Brothers, The Marshall Tucker Band, Poco, Buffalo Springfield, and The Eagles among many. Even The Rolling Stones got into the act with songs like "Honky Tonk Women" which resulted in many others recording country rock type songs including Neil Young and the Grateful Dead.

Subsequent to the initial blending of the two polar opposite genres, other offspring soon resulted, including Southern rock, Heartland rock and in more recent years, Alternative country.

In the decades that followed, artists such as Juice Newton, Alabama, Hank Williams, Jr., Keith Urban, Shania Twain, Brooks & Dunn, Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, Dwight Yoakam, Steve Earle, Dolly Parton, Rosanne Cash and Linda Ronstadt moved country further towards rock influence.

1970s-1980s

Outlaw country

Derived from the traditional and honky tonk sounds of the late 1950s and 1960s, including Ray Price (whose band, the "Cherokee Cowboys", included Willie Nelson and Roger Miller) and mixed with the anger of an alienated subculture of the nation during the period, outlaw country revolutionized the genre of country music.

"After I left Nashville (the early 70s), I wanted to relax and play the music that I wanted to play, and just stay around Texas, maybe Oklahoma. Waylon and I had that outlaw image going, and when it caught on at colleges and we started selling records, we were O.K. The whole outlaw thing, it had nothing to do with the music, it was something that got written in an article, and the young people said, 'Well, that's pretty cool.' And started listening." (Willie Nelson)^[40]

The term outlaw country is traditionally associated with David Allan Coe, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, Floridian Gary Stewart and Billy Joe Shaver, and was encapsulated in the 1976 album Wanted! The Outlaws. A related subgenre is Red Dirt.

Country pop

Country pop or soft pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to adult contemporary music. It started with pop music singers like Michael Nesmith, The Bellamy Brothers, Glen Campbell, John Denver, The Eagles, Olivia Newton-John, Marie Osmond, B. J. Thomas and Anne Murray having hits on the Country charts. Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy" was one of the biggest crossover hits in country music history.

In 1974, Newton-John, an Australian pop singer, won the "Best Female Country Vocal Performance" as well as the Country Music Association's most coveted award for females, "Female Vocalist of the Year". In the same year, a group of artists, troubled by this trend, formed the short-lived Association of Country Entertainers. The debate raged into 1975, and reached its apex at that year's Country Music Association Awards when reigning Entertainer of the Year Charlie Rich (who himself had a series of crossover hits) presented the award to his successor, John Denver. As he read Denver's name, Rich set fire to the envelope with a cigarette lighter. The action was taken as a protest against the increasing pop style in country music.

During the 1980s, country artists saw their records perform well on the pop charts. Willie Nelson and Juice Newton each had two songs in the Billboard Top 5 in the early eighties: Nelson charted "Always On My Mind" (#5, 1982) and "To All The Girls I've Loved Before" (#5, 1984), and Newton achieved success with "Queen of Hearts" (#2, 1981) and "Angel of the Morning" (#4, 1981). Four country songs topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the 1980s: "Lady" by Kenny Rogers, which was the #3 song for the entire year in 1981, "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton, "I Love a Rainy Night" by Eddie Rabbitt (these two back to back at the Top in 1981), and "Islands in the Stream", a duet by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers in 1983, a pop-country crossover hit written by Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees. Newton's "Queen of Hearts" almost reached #1, but was kept out of the spot by the pop ballad juggernaut "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie. ^[41]

Neocountry

In 1980, a style of "neocountry disco music" was popularized by the film Urban Cowboy,^[42] which also included more traditional songs such as "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by the Charlie Daniels Band.^[43] A related subgenre is Texas country music.

Sales in record stores rocketed to $250 million in 1981; by 1984, 900 radio stations began programming country or neocountry pop full time. As with most sudden trends, however, by 1984 sales had dropped below 1979 figures.^[44]

Truck driving country

Truck driving country music is a genre of country music^[45] and is a fusion of honky tonk, country-rock and Bakersfield Sound.^[46] It has the tempo of country-rock and the emotion of honky-tonk,^[46] and its lyrics focus on a truck driver's lifestyle.^[47] Truck driving country songs often deal with trucks and love.^[46] Well-known artists who sing truck driving country include Dave Dudley, Red Sovine, Colonel Robert Morris, Dick Curless, and Red Simpson.^[46] Dudley is known as the father of truck driving country.^[47][48]

1990s

With his debut on the national country music scene in 1989, singer and songwriter Clint Black would usher in a new sound that would define much of country music for the 1990s and beyond.^{[citation needed]}

During the 1990s, country artist Garth Brooks enjoyed one of the most successful careers in popular music history, breaking records for both sales and concert attendance throughout the decade. The RIAA has certified his recordings at a combined (128× platinum), denoting roughly 113 million U.S. shipments.^[49]

In the mid 1990s, country western music was influenced by the popularity of line dancing. This influence was so great that Chet Atkins was quoted as saying "The music has gotten pretty bad, I think. It's all that damn line dancing."^[50] By the end of the decade, however, at least one line dance choreographer complained that good country line dance music was no longer being released.

Alternative country

In the 1990s, alternative country came to refer to a diverse group of musicians and singers operating outside the traditions and industry of mainstream country music. In general, they eschewed the high production values and pop outlook of the Nashville-dominated industry, to produce music with a lo-fi sound, frequently infused with a strong punk and rock & roll aesthetic, bending the traditional rules of country music. Lyrics were often bleak, gothic or socially aware. The artist most commonly thought to have originated country rock is Gram Parsons (who referred to his sound as "Cosmic American Music"). Other initiators include Steve Earle, Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, Ryan Adams, My Morning Jacket and Drive-By Truckers.

2000s

Several rock and pop stars have ventured into country music. In 2000, Richard Marx made a brief cross-over with his Days In Avalon album, which features five country songs and several singers and musicians. Alison Krauss sang background vocals to Marx's single "Straight From My Heart." Also, Bon Jovi had a hit single, "Who Says You Can't Go Home," with Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland. Other rock stars who featured a country song on their albums were Don Henley and Poison.

One infrequent, but consistent theme in modern country music is that of proud, stubborn independence. "Country Boy Can Survive" and "Copperhead Road"^[51] are two of the more serious songs along those lines; while "Some Girls Do"^[52] and "Redneck Woman"^[53] are more light-hearted variations on the theme.

In 2005, country singer Carrie Underwood rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol and became a multi-platinum selling recording artist and a multiple Grammy Award winner.

In 2008, Taylor Swift rose as a major pop country artist, with her single "Love Story" becoming the first country song to reach number one on the Nielsen BDS CHR/Top 40 chart. In the same year, Hootie & the Blowfish vocalist Darius Rucker released his second solo album, Learn to Live, which was his debut into country music.

In 2009, George Strait was named Artist of the Decade by the Academy of Country Music.

Country music outside the United States

Canada

Outside of the US, Canada has perhaps the largest country music fan and artist base. Canadian country music originated in Atlantic Canada in the form of Celtic folk music popular amongst Irish and Scottish immigrants to Canada's Maritime Provinces. Despite this however, many traditional country artists are present in Eastern and Western Canada and make common use of fiddle and pedal steel guitar styles. Some notable Canadian country artists include: Shania Twain, Blue Rodeo, Marg Osburne, Hank Snow, Johnny Mooring, Don Messer, Doc Walker, Emerson Drive, Paul Brandt, The Wilkinsons, Wilf Carter, Michelle Wright, Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans, Stompin' Tom Connors, Terri Clark, Crystal Shawanda, Shane Yellowbird, The Road Hammers, and Anne Murray.

Australia

Country music in Australia has always been popular, especially given the rural nature of the country. Starting in the 1800s with bush balladeers writing songs of their tales of the bush, as well as songs of protest against the tyranny of the government. In the 1940s, the legendary Slim Dusty embarked on a country music career that spanned over fifty years and over 100 albums. Smoky Dawson was also a country music pioneer in Australia, modelling himself very much in the traditional cowboy style, even starring in his own comic books and radio serials. In more recent years, artists like Keith Urban and Sherrie Austin have been keeping the tradition of country music alive.

Focusing its feel on lyrics, Australian country music developed it own unique style, mirrored by such artists as Lee Kernaghan, Slim Dusty and Adam Brand.

Country HQ showcases new talent on the rise in the country music scene downunder. Grabine State Park in New South Wales promotes Australian country music through the Grabine Music Muster Festival. Australia has a 24 hour music channel dedicated to non-stop country music in Australia. CMC (the Country Music Channel) can be viewed on Foxtel and Austar and features once a year the Golden Guitar Awards, CMAs and CCMAs alongside international shows such as The Wilkinsons, The Road Hammers, and Country Music Across America.

Other international country music

Tom Roland, from the Country Music Association International, explains Country Music’s global popularity: “In this respect, at least, Country Music listeners around the globe have something in common with those in the United States. In Germany, for instance, Rohrbach identifies three general groups that gravitate to the genre: people intrigued with the American cowboy icon, middle-aged fans who seek an alternative to harder rock music and younger listeners drawn to the pop-influenced sound that underscores many current Country hits.”^[54]

One of the first Americans to perform country music abroad was George Hamilton IV. He was the first country musician to perform in the Soviet Union; he also toured in Australia and the Middle East. He was deemed the "International Ambassador of Country Music" for his contributions to the globalization of country music.^[55] Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Keith Urban, and Dwight Yoakam have also made numerous international tours.^[54]

The Country Music Association undertakes various initiatives to promote country music internationally.^[54]

In South America, on the last weekend of September, the yearly "San Pedro Country Music Festival" takes places in the town of San Pedro, Argentina. The festival features bands from different places of Argentina, as well as international artist from Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Peru and the United States.

Performers and shows

US cable television

Four U.S. cable networks are at least partly devoted to the genre: CMT and CMT Pure Country (both owned by Viacom), Rural Free Delivery TV (owned by Rural Media Group) and GAC (owned by The E. W. Scripps Company). The first American country music video cable channel was TNN (The Nashville Network), launched in the early 1980s. In 2000, the channel was renamed and reformatted as The National Network, a general-interest network, and eventually became Spike TV.

See also

• Academy of Country Music
• Country Music Association
• Western Music Association
• WSM Radio
• Country Music Hall of Fame
• Great American Country
• List of country genres
• Country and Western dance
• Tejano: country music performed in Spanish to a polka beat
• Western music (North America)
• Southern Culture
• Australian country music
• Canadian Country Music Association
• Reception of country music

Further reading

• In The Country of Country: A Journey to the Roots of American Music, Nicholas Dawidoff, Vintage Books, 1998, ISBN 0-375-70082-X
• Are You Ready for the Country: Elvis, Dylan, Parsons and the Roots of Country Rock, Peter Dogget, Penguin Books, 2001, ISBN 0-14-026108-7
• Roadkill on the Three-Chord Highway, Colin Escott, Routledge, 2002, ISBN 0-415-93783-3
• Guitars & Cadillacs, Sabine Keevil, Thinking Dog Publishing, 2002, ISBN 0-9689973-0-9
• Proud to Be an Okie: Cultural Politics, Country Music, and Migration to Southern California, Peter La Chapelle, University of California Press, 2007, ISBN 0-52-024889-9
• Creating Country Music: Fabricating Authenticity, Richard A. Peterson, University of Chicago Press, 1999, ISBN 0226662853
• Country Music USA, Bill C. Malone, University of Texas Press, 1985, ISBN 0-292-71096-8, second Rev ed, 2002, ISBN 0-292-75262-8
• Don't Get Above Your Raisin': Country Music and the Southern Working Class (Music in American Life), Bill C. Malone, University of Illinois Press, 2002, ISBN 0-252-02678-0
• It All Happened In Renfro Valley, Pete Stamper, University of Kentucky Press, 1999, ISBN 978-0813109756

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Peterson, Richard A. (1999). Creating Country Music: Fabricating Authenticity, p.9. ISBN 0-226-66285-3.
2. ^ http://www.jim-reeves.com/hayride.html Jim-reeves.com
3. ^ [1] "The Academy of Country Music also honored Garth Brooks with the first-ever Crystal Milestone Award. The award is given to an artist or industry leader to commemorate a specific, remarkable achievement. With 128 million unit sales, Brooks has been certified the top-selling solo recording artist in U.S. history."
4. ^ http://www.roughstock.com/history/garthnew.html Roughstock.com
5. ^ L.A. radio loses its twang / Last country station switches to pop format to attract more Hispanic adult women
6. ^ http://bluegrassbanjo.org/banhist.html Bluegrassbanjo.org
7. ^ http://www.shoppbs.org/sm-pbs-the-appalachians-dvd--pi-2048969.html#Details Shoppbs.org
8. ^ Texas Handbook on Line
9. ^ http://www.78discography.com/COL15000D.htm The Online Discography Project
10. ^ http://ourgeorgiahistory.com/chronpop/215 Ourgeorgiahistory.com
11. ^ http://www.blueridgeinstitute.org/ballads/old97song.html http://www.blueridgeinstitute.org/ballads/old97song.html] Blueridgeinstitute.org
12. ^ http://www.blueridgeinstitute.org/ballads/old97.html Blueridgeinstitute.org
13. ^ Cohn, Lawrence; Aldin,Mary Katherine; Bastin,Bruce. Nothing but the Blues: The Music and the Musicians. Abbeville Press. p. 238.
14. ^ [2]
15. ^ Country Music Originals - The Legends and the Lost. Tony Russell. 2007. Oxford University Press. pages 14, 15, 25, 31, 45, 59, 73, 107, 157, 161, 165,167, 225. ISBN 978019532506.
16. ^ http://www.southernmusic.net/gidtanner.htm Southernmusic.net
17. ^ Cohn, Lawrence: "Nothing But the Blues" chapter titles "A Ligher Shade of Blue - White Country Blues" by Charles Wolfe page 247, 1993
18. ^ Country Music Originals - The Legends and the Lost. Tony Russell. 2007. Oxford University Press. page 68. ISBN 978019532506
19. ^ David Sanjek, "All the Memories Money Can Buy: Marketing Authenticity and Manufacturing Authorship," p. 155–172 in Eric Weisbard, ed., This is Pop, Harvard University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-674-01321-2 (cloth), ISBN 0-674-01344-1 (paper). p. 158.
20. ^ Nothing But the Blues 1993, White Country Blues by Charles Wolfe page 233
21. ^ The Carter Family
22. ^ PBS - American Roots Music : Episode Summaries
23. ^ [3] Billboard.com
24. ^ Roughstock's History of Country Music - Cowboy Music
25. ^ ^{a b} Instruments | Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum | Nashville, Tennessee
26. ^ Merle Haggard - Bob Wills
27. ^ empsfm.org - EXHIBITIONS - Online Features
28. ^ Arthur Smith Biography : OLDIES.com
29. ^ Country Music Goes To War By Charles K. Wolfe, James Edward Akenson. 2005. University Press of Kentucky. page = 55. ISBN 0813123089 [4]
30. ^ Long Steel Rail: The Railroad in American Folksong. By Norm Cohen, David Cohen. University of Illinois Press. 2000. page 31. ISBN 0252068815, 9780252068812
31. ^ Workin' Man Blues - Country Music in California. Gerald W. Haslan. University of California Press. 1999. page 135. ISBN 0-520-21800-0.
32. ^ Go, Cat, Go! by Carl Perkins and David McGee 1996 pages 23–24 Hyperion Press ISBN 0-7868-6073-1
33. ^ [5] Billboard.com
34. ^ [6] Billboard.com
35. ^ Workin' Man Blues - Country Music in California. Gerald W. Haslan. University of California Press. 1999. page 135. ISBN 0-520-21800-0.
36. ^ http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/floyd-cramer Rockhall.com
37. ^ [7] Billboard.com
38. ^ CMT.com : Merle Haggard : Biography
39. ^ Buck Owen's Crystal Palace: About Buck
40. ^ The Roots of Country Music" Collectors Edition by Life September 1, 1994 page 72
41. ^ Historical Music Charts Archive - At Billboard.com You Can Explore Music History
42. ^ Workin' Man Blues - Country Music in California. Gerald W. Haslan. University of California Press. 1999. page 259. ISBN 0-520-21800-0.
43. ^ http://www.lyricsoncall.com/lyrics/charlie-daniels-band/the-devil-went-down-to-georgia-lyrics.html Lyricsoncall.com
44. ^ Workin' Man Blues - Country Music in California. Gerald W. Haslan. University of California Press. 1999. page 259. ISBN 0-520-21800-0.
45. ^ Trucker's Jukebox: Various Artists: Music. Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Truckers-Jukebox-Various-Artists/dp/B0009A1ATG. Retrieved on 2009-02-24. "Trucker's Jukebox covers the Country landscape: outlaw, honkey tonk, country-rock, Bakersfield sound, country comedy, truck driving country and more."
46. ^ ^{a b c d} "Truck Driving Country Music". All Media Guide LLC. http://www.starpulse.com/Genre/MusicGenres.html?Genre=CTRY&ID=D4307&Lvl=4. Retrieved on 2009-02-24.
47. ^ ^{a b} "Dave Dudley: Albums, Songs, Bios, Photos". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Dave-Dudley/e/B000APBUEU. Retrieved on 2009-02-24.
48. ^ "Dave Dudley". CBS Interactive. http://www.mp3.com/genre/193/subgenre.html. Retrieved on 2009-02-24.
49. ^ http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS
50. ^ The Roots of Country Music" Collectors Edition by Life September 1, 1994
51. ^ http://steveearle.net/lyrics/ly-coppe.php Steveearle.net
52. ^ http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/sawyer-brown/some-girls-do-15017.html Cowboylyrics.com
53. ^ http://www.lyricstop.com/r/redneckwoman-gretchenwilson.html Lyricstop.com
54. ^ ^{a b c} [8] CMA World.com
55. ^ [9] “Country Music Figures Donate Papers, Give Concert”

External links

• The Country Music Association - Nashville, Tennessee(CMA)
• Western Music Association (WMA)
• Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum - Nashville, Tennessee
• Texas Country Music Hall of Fame & Tex Ritter Museum - Carthage, Texas
• Heart of Texas Country Music Association - Brady, Texas
• Grand Ole Opry - Nashville, Tennessee
• Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation
• A TIME Archive of country music's progression

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