muzica country

8/16/2019 muzica country

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Colegiul Național ,, Mihail Kogălniceanu’’

Vintilă Iulia, clasa a 12-a A

1

Country music- music of the soul




Table of ContentsGeneral description !hat is countr" #usic$%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%&

'tages o( de)elop#ent Countr" #usic’s pa)ed road%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%*

'tage one - +irst generation 12.s/%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%0

'tage to - 'econd generation 1.s1&.s/%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%3

'inging co4o"s and !estern sing%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%3

Changing instru#entation%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%5

6ill4ill" 4oogie%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%5

7luegrass, (ol8 and gospel%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

6on8" 9on8%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

'tage three - 9hird generation 1*.s10.s/%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

:oc8a4ill"%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%1.

9he Nash)ille and countr"politan sounds%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%1.

Countr" soul - crosso)er%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%11

9he 7a8ers;eld sound%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%11

Countr" roc8%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%11

<ecline o( !estern #usic and co4o" 4allad%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%12

'tage (our - +ourth generation 13.s15.s/%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%12

=utla countr"%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%12

Countr" pop%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%1

Neocountr"%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%1&

9ruc8 dri)ing countr"%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%1&

Neotraditionalist #o)e#ent%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%1&

'tage ;)e +i(th generation 1.s/%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%1*

'tage si> - 'i>th generation 2...spresent/%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%10

Alt countr"%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%15

6o to <ress ?i8e a Co4o" in * 'teps%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%1

International countr"%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%22Canada%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%22

Australia%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%2

@nited Kingdo#%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%2*

=ther countries%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%2*

Conclusion%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%23

:e(erences, sources and citations%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%25

9a4le o( Content

2




General description !hat is countr" #usic$%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%&

'tages o( de)elop#ent Countr" #usic’s pa)ed road%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%*

'tage one - +irst generation 12.s/%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%0

'tage to - 'econd generation 1.s1&.s/%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%3

'inging co4o"s and !estern sing%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%3

Changing instru#entation%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%5

6ill4ill" 4oogie%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%5

7luegrass, (ol8 and gospel%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

6on8" 9on8%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

'tage three - 9hird generation 1*.s10.s/%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

:oc8a4ill"%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%1.

9he Nash)ille and countr"politan sounds%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%1.

Countr" soul - crosso)er%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%11

9he 7a8ers;eld sound%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%11

Countr" roc8%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%11

<ecline o( !estern #usic and co4o" 4allad%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%12

'tage (our - +ourth generation 13.s15.s/%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%12

=utla countr"%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%12

Countr" pop%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%1

Neocountr"%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%1&

9ruc8 dri)ing countr"%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%1&

Neotraditionalist #o)e#ent%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%1&

'tage ;)e +i(th generation 1.s/%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%1*

'tage si> - 'i>th generation 2...spresent/%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%10

Alt countr"%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%15

6o to <ress ?i8e a Co4o" in * 'teps%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%1International countr"%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%22

Canada%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%22

Australia%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%2

@nited Kingdo#%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%2*

=ther countries%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%2*

Conclusion%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%23

:e(erences, sources and citations%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%25




General description !hat is countr" #usic$

It is a genre of North American popular music, originated in the South of the continent,

mainly Atlanta and Georgia during the 1920s. Its roots are considered to be the southeastern

genres of American fol music and !estern music, but blues modes ha"e also been used

e#tensi"ely throught its recorded history. $ontry music is most often made of ballads and

dance tunes, %ith simple forms and harmonies, usually accompanied by string instruments

such as ban&os, electric and acoustic guitars. 'he term (country music) gained popularity

t%enty years after the emergence of the genre, preffered o"er the earlier term, (hillbilly

music). It came to encompass %estern music, %hich e"ol"ed parallel to it from similar roots,

in the mid*20th century. 'oday, the term +country music) is used to describe many styles and

subgenres. 'he origins of the genre are the fol music of mostly %hite, %oring*class

americans, %ho mi#ed together popular songs, Irish and $eltic fiddle tunes, traditional

ballads, and co%boy songs, together %ith "arious musical traditions from uropean immigrantcommunities. In 2009, country music %as the most listened rush hour radio genre during the

e"ening commute, and second most popular in the morning commute in the -nited States.

or something that is no% considered to be such a /uintessential part of American culture,

country music has an interesting history. 'he main reason for %hich I choosed this sub&ect for

my pro&ect is that country music is a "ery important part of american culture and history.

earning more about this music gendre means learnig more about %hat is specific for %hat

american culture represents.

&




'tages o( de)elop#ent Countr" #usic’s pa)edroad

Immigrants to the Southern

Appalachian ountains of NorthAmerica brought the music andinstruments of urope along %iththem for nearly 00 years. $ountrymusic %as introduced to the %orldas a3 Southern phenomenon.3 'hefirst generation emerged in the early1920s, %ith Atlanta4s music scene

playing a ma&or role in launchingcountry4s earliest recording artists.5eh 6ecords began issuing

hillbilly music records by iddlin47ohn $arson as early as 192,follo%ed by $olumbia 6ecords8series 1000: 35ld amiliar 'unes3; 8Samantha <umgarner; in192=, and 6$A >ictor 6ecords in192? 8the $arter amily and 7immie6odgers;. any 3hillbilly3musicians, such as $liff $arlisle,recorded blues songs throughout the1920s.

:uring the second generation 8190s@19=0s;, radio became a popular source of entertainment, and 3barn dance3 sho%s featuring country music %ere started all o"er theSouth, as far north as $hicago, and as far %est as $alifornia. 'he most important %as theGrand Ole Opry, aired starting in 192 by !S in Nash"ille and continuing to the presentday. :uring the 190s and 19=0s, co%boy songs, or !estern music, %hich had been recordedsince the 1920s, %ere popularied by films made in Bolly%ood. <ob !ills %as another country musician from the o%er Great Clains %ho had become "ery popular as the leader of a 3hot string band,3 and %ho also appeared in Bolly%ood %esterns. Bis mi# of country and

&a, %hich started out as dance hall music, %ould become no%n as !estern s%ing. !ills%as one of the first country musicians no%n to ha"e added an electric guitar to his band, in19D. $ountry musicians began recording boogie in 199, shortly after it had been played at

$arnegie Ball, %hen 7ohnny <arfield recorded 3<oogie !oogie3. 'he third generation 8190s*19E0s; started at the end of !orld !ar II %ith 3mountaineer3string band music no%n as bluegrass, %hich emerged %hen <ill onroe, along %ith ester latt and arl Scruggs %ere introduced by 6oy Acuff at the Grand 5le 5pry. Gospel musicremained a popular component of country music. Another type of stripped*do%n and ra%music %ith a "ariety of moods and a basic ensemble of guitar, bass, dobro or steel guitar 8andlater; drums became popular, especially among poor %hites in 'e#as and 5lahoma. It

became no%n as hony ton, and had its roots in !estern s%ing and the ranchera music of e#ico and the border states. <y the early 190s a blend of !estern s%ing, country boogie,and hony ton %as played by most country bands. 6ocabilly %as most popular %ith country

fans in the 190s, and 19E could be called the year of rocabilly in country music. <eginningin the mid*190s, and reaching its pea during the early 19E0s, the Nash"ille Sound turnedcountry music into a multimillion*dollar industry centered in Nash"ille, 'ennessee. 'he late

*




19E0s in American music produced a uni/ue blend as a result of traditionalist baclash %ithinseparate genres. In the aftermath of the <ritish In"asion, many desired a return to the 3old"alues3 of roc n4 roll. At the same time there %as a lac of enthusiasm in the country sector for Nash"ille*produced music. !hat resulted %as a crossbred genre no%n as country roc. ourth generation 819?0s@19D0s; music included outla% country and country pop or soft

pop, %ith roots in the countrypolitan sound, fol music, and soft roc. <et%een 19?2 and19? singerFguitarist 7ohn :en"er released a series of hugely successful songs blendingcountry and fol*roc musical styles. :uring the early 19D0s country artists continued to seetheir records perform %ell on the pop charts. In 19D0 a style of 3neocountry disco music3 %as

popularied. :uring the mid*19D0s a group of ne% artists began to emerge %ho re&ected themore polished country*pop sound that had been prominent on radio and the charts in fa"or of more traditional 3bac*to*basics3 production. :uring the fifth generation 81990s;, country music became a %orld%ide phenomenon thansto Garth <roos. 'he :i#ie $hics became one of the most popular country bands in the1990s and early 2000s. 'he si#th generation 82000s@present; is e#emplified by country singer $arrie -nder%ood.

'he influence of roc music in country has become more o"ert during the late 2000s and early2010s. Attempts to combine pun and country %ere pioneered by 7ason and the Scorchers,and in the 19D0s Southern $alifornian co%pun scene %ith bands lie the ong 6yders. Bip*hop also made its mar on country music %ith the emergence of country rap.ost of the best*selling country songs of this era ho%e"er %ere in the country pop genre, such as those byady Antebellum, lorida Georgia ine, and 'aylor S%ift.

Stage one - First generation (1920s)

Atlanta4s music scene played a ma&or role in launching

country4s earliest recording artists in the early 1920smanyAppalachian people had come to the city to %or in its cotton

mills and brought their music %ith them. It %ould remain a

ma&or recording center for t%o decades and a ma&or

performance center for four decades, up to the first country

music '> sho%s on local Atlanta stations in the 190s.

Some record companies in Atlanta turned a%ay early artists such as iddlin4 7ohn $arson,

%hile others realied that his music %ould fit perfectly %ith the lifestyle of the country4s

agricultural %orers. 'he first commercial recordings of %hat %as considered country music

%ere 3Aransas 'ra"eler3 and 3'urey in the Stra%3 by fiddlers Benry Gilliland H A.$. 8c;

6obertson on 7une 0, 1922, for >ictor 6ecords and released in April 192. $olumbia

6ecords began issuing records %ith 3hillbilly3 music 8series 1000: 35ld amiliar 'unes3; as

early as 192=.

A year later, on 7une 1=, 192, iddlin4 7ohn $arson recorded 3ittle og $abin in the ane3

for 5eh 6ecords. >ernon :alhart %as the first country singer to ha"e a nation%ide hit in ay

192= %ith 3!rec of the 5ld 9?3. 'he flip side of the record %as 3onesome 6oad <lues3,

%hich also became "ery popular. In April 192=, 3Aunt3 Samantha <umgarner and "a :a"is

became the first female musicians to record and release country songs.

0




any 3hillbilly3 musicians, such as $liff $arlisle, recorded blues songs throughout the

decade and into the 190s. 5ther important early recording artists %ere 6iley Cucett, :on

6ichardson, iddlin4 7ohn $arson, -ncle :a"e acon, Al Bopins, rnest >. Stoneman,

$harlie Coole and the North $arolina 6amblers and 'he Sillet icers. 'he steel guitar

entered country music as early as 1922, %hen 7immie 'arlton met famed Ba%aiian guitarist

ran erera on the !est $oast.

7immie 6odgers and the $arter amily are %idely considered to be important early country

musicians. 'heir songs %ere first captured at a historic recording session in <ristol,

'ennessee, on August 1, 192?, %here 6alph Ceer %as the talent scout and sound recordist. A

scene in the mo"ie (O Brother, Where Art Thou?” depicts a similar occurrence in the same

timeframe.

6odgers fused hillbilly country, gospel, &a, blues, pop, co%boy, and fol, and many of his

best songs %ere his compositions, including 3<lue odel3,

%hich sold o"er a million recordsand established 6odgers as the premier singer of early country music.

<eginning in 192?, and for the ne#t 1? years, the $arters recorded some 00 old*time

ballads, traditional tunes, country songs and gospel hymns, all representati"e of America4s

southeastern follore and heritage.

Stage two - Second generation (1930s–1940s)

5ne effect of the Great :epression %as to reduce the number of records that could be sold.

6adio became a popular source of entertainment, and 3barn dance3 sho%s featuring country

music %ere started all o"er the South, as far north as $hicago, and as far %est as $alifornia.

'he most important %as the Grand Ole Opry, aired starting in 192 by !S in Nash"ille

and continuing to the present day. Some of the early stars on the Opry %ere -ncle :a"eacon, 6oy Acuff and African American harmonica player :eord <ailey. !S4s 0,000*

%att signal 8in 19=; could often be heard across the country.

any musicians performed and recorded songs in any number of styles. oon ullican, for

e#ample, played !estern s%ing but also recorded songs that can be called rocabilly. <et%een

19=? and 19=9, country crooner ddy Arnold placed eight songs in the top 10.

'inging co4o"s and !estern sing

3




:uring the 190s and 19=0s,

co%boy songs, or !estern music,

%hich had been recorded since the

1920s, %ere popularied by films

made in Bolly%ood. Some of the

popular singing co%boys from the

era %ere Gene Autry, the Sons of the

Cioneers, and 6oy 6ogers. $ountry

music and %estern music %ere

fre/uently played together on the

same radio stations, hence the term

country and western music.

And it %asn4t only co%boysJ

co%girls contributed to the sound in"arious family groups. Catsy

ontana opened the door for female

artists %ith her history*maing song 3I !ant 'o <e a $o%boy4s S%eetheart3. 'his %ould

begin a mo"ement to%ard opportunities for %omen to ha"e successful solo careers.

<ob !ills %as another country musician from the o%er Great Clains %ho had become "ery

popular as the leader of a 3hot string band,3 and %ho also appeared in Bolly%ood %esterns.

Bis mi# of country and &a, %hich started out as dance hall music, %ould become no%n as

!estern s%ing. Spade $ooley and 'e# !illiams also had "ery popular bands and appeared in

films. At its height, !estern s%ing ri"aled the popularity of big band s%ing music.

Changing instru#entation

:rums %ere scorned by early country musicians as being 3too loud3 and 3not pure3, but by

19 !estern s%ing big band leader <ob !ills had added drums to the 'e#as Clayboys. In the

mid*19=0s, the Grand 5le 5pry did not %ant the Clayboys4 drummer to appear on stage.

Although drums %ere commonly used by rocabilly groups by 19, the less*conser"ati"e*

than*the*Grand 5le 5pry Louisiana Hayride ept its infre/uently used drummer bac stage as

late as 19E. <y the early 19E0s, ho%e"er, it %as rare that a country band didn4t ha"e a

drummer.

<ob !ills %as one of the first country musicians no%n to ha"e added an electric guitar to

his band, in 19D. A decade later 819=D; Arthur Smith achie"ed top 10 -S country chart

success %ith his G 6ecords recording of 3Guitar <oogie3, %hich crossed o"er to the -S

pop chart, introducing many people to the potential of the electric guitar. or se"eral decades

Nash"ille session players preferred the %arm tones of the Gibson and Gretsch archtop

5




electrics, but a 3hot3 ender style, using guitars %hich became a"ailable beginning in the

early 190s, e"entually pre"ailed as the signature guitar sound of country.

6ill4ill" 4oogie

$ountry musicians began recording boogie in 199, shortly after it had been played at

$arnegie Ball, %hen 7ohnny <arfield recorded 3<oogie !oogie3. 'he tricle of %hat %as

initially called hillbilly boogie, or oie boogie 8later to be renamed country boogie;, became a

flood beginning in late 19=. 5ne notable release from this period %as 'he :elmore <rothers4

3reight 'rain <oogie3, considered to be part of the combined e"olution of country music and

blues to%ards rocabilly. In 19=D, Arthur 3Guitar <oogie3 Smith achie"ed top ten -S country

chart success %ith his G 6ecords recordings of 3Guitar <oogie3 and 3<an&o <oogie3,

%ith the former crossing o"er to the -S pop charts. 5ther country boogie artists included

errill oore and 'ennessee rnie ord. 'he hillbilly boogie period lasted into the 190s and

remains one of many subgenres of country into the 21st century.

hoto o( Cl"de B% :ed +ole" AuthorD Crossroads 9V roductions, Inc%, 'pring;eld, Missouri

7luegrass, (ol8 and gospel




<y the end of !orld !ar II, 3mountaineer3

string band music no%n as bluegrass had

emerged %hen <ill onroe &oined %ith ester

latt and arl Scruggs, introduced by 6oy

Acuff at the Grand 5le 5pry. Gospel music,

too, remained a popular component of country

music. 6ed oley, the biggest country star

follo%ing !orld !ar II, had one of the first

million*selling gospel hits 83Ceace in the

>alley3; and also sang boogie, blues and

rocabilly.

In the post*%ar period, country music %as

called 3fol3 in the trades, and 3hillbilly3 %ithin the industry. In 19==, The Billboard replaced

the term 3hillbilly3 %ith 3fol songs and blues,3 and s%itched to 3country3 or 3country and!estern3 in 19=9.

6on8" 9on8

Another type of stripped do%n and ra% music %ith a "ariety of moods and a basic ensemble

of guitar, bass, dobro or steel guitar 8and later; drums became popular, especially among poor

%hites in 'e#as and 5lahoma. It became no%n as hony ton and had its roots in !estern

s%ing and the ranchera music of e#ico and the border states, particularly 'e#as, together

%ith the blues of the American South. <ob !ills and Bis 'e#as Clayboys personified this

music %hich has been described as 3a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, a little bit of

blac and a little bit of %hite ... &ust loud enough to eep you from thining too much and to

go right on ordering the %hisey.3 ast 'e#an Al :e#ter had a hit %ith 3Bony 'on <lues3,

and se"en years later 3Cistol Cacin4 ama3. 'hese 3hony ton3 songs associated barrooms,%ere performed by the lies of rnest 'ubb, Kitty !ells 8the first ma&or female country solo

singer;, 'ed :affan, loyd 'illman, and the addo# <rothers and 6ose, efty riell and

Ban !illiams, %ould later be called 3traditional3 country. !illiams4 influence in particular

%ould pro"e to be enormous, inspiring many of the pioneers of roc and roll, such as l"is

Cresley and 7erry ee e%is, as %ell as $huc <erry and Ie 'urner, %hile pro"iding a

frame%or for emerging hony ton talents lie George 7ones. !ebb Cierce %as the top*

charting country artist of the 190s, %ith 1 of his singles spending 11 %ees at number one.

Be charted =D singles during the decadeJ 1 reached the top ten and 2E reached the top four.

1.




Stage three - Third generation (190s–19!0s)

<y the early 190s a blend of !estern s%ing, country boogie, and hony ton %as played

by most country bands. !estern music, influenced by the co%boy ballads and 'e&ano music

rhythms of the south%estern -.S. and northern e#ico, reached its pea in popularity in the

late 190s, most notably %ith the song 3l Caso3, first recorded by arty 6obbins in

September 199.

'he country music scene largely ept the music of the fol re"i"al and fol roc at a distance,

despite the similarity in instrumentation and origins 8see, for instance, 'he <yrds4 negati"e

reception during their appearance on the Grand Ole Opry;. 'he main concern %as politicsL the

fol re"i"al %as largely dri"en by progressi"e acti"ists, a star contrast to the culturally

conser"ati"e audiences of country music. 5nly a handful of fol artists, such as <url I"es,

7ohn :en"er and $anadian musician Gordon ightfoot, %ould cross o"er into country music

after the fol re"i"al died out.

:uring the mid*190s a ne% style of country music became popular, e"entually to be referred

to as rocabilly.

:oc8a4ill"

6ocabilly %as most popular %ith country fans in the 190s,

and 19E could be called the year of rocabilly in countrymusic. 6ocabilly %as a mi#ture of roc*and*roll and hillbilly

music. :uring this period l"is Cresley con"erted o"er to

country music. Be played a huge role in the music industry

during this time. 'he number t%o, three and four songs on

Billboard's charts for that year %ere l"is Cresley,

3Beartbrea Botel3J 7ohnny $ash, 3I !al the ine3J and $arl

Cerins, 3<lue Suede Shoes3.

11




Countr" soul - crosso)er

In 19E2, 6ay $harles surprised the pop %orld by turning his attention to country and

%estern music, topping the charts and rating number three for the year on Billboard's pop

chart %ith the 3I $an4t Stop o"ing ou3 single, and recording the landmar album "odern

#ounds in $ountry and Western "usic.

9he 7a8ers;eld sound

Another genre of country music gre% out of hardcore hony ton %ith elements of !estern

s%ing and originated 112 miles 81D0 m; north*north%est of os Angeles in <aersfield,

$alifornia. Influenced by one*time !est $oast residents <ob !ills and efty riell, by

19EE it %as no%n as the <aersfield sound. It relied on electric instruments and

amplification, in particular the 'elecaster electric guitar, more than other subgenres of country

of the era, and can be described as ha"ing a sharp, hard, dri"ing, no*frills, edgy fla"or.

eading practitioners of this style %ere <uc 5%ens, erle Baggard, 'ommy $ollins, Gary

Allan, and !ynn Ste%art, each of %hom had his o%n style.

Countr" roc8

'he late 19E0s in American music produced a uni/ue blend as a result of traditionalist

baclash %ithin separate genres. In the aftermath of the <ritish In"asion, many desired a

return to the 3old "alues3 of roc n4 roll. At the same time there %as a lac of enthusiasm in

the country sector for Nash"ille*produced music. !hat resulted %as a crossbred genre no%n

as country roc.

1




arly inno"ators in this ne% style of music in the 19E0s and 19?0s included

<ob :ylan, %ho %as the first to re"ert to country music %ith his 19E?

album !ohn Wesley Hardin% 8and e"en more so %ith that album4s follo%*

up, &ashille #yline;, follo%ed by Gene $lar, $lar4s former band

'he <yrds 8%ith Gram Carsons on #weetheart o(

the )odeo; and its spin*off 'he lying <urrito

<rothers 8also featuring Gram Carsons;, guitarist

$larence !hite, ichael Nesmith 8'he onees

and the irst National <and;, the Grateful :ead, Neil

oung, $ommander $ody, 'he Allman <rothers, 'he

arshall 'ucer <and, Coco, <uffalo Springfield, and 'he

agles, among many. 'he 6olling Stones also got into the

act %ith songs lie 3Bony 'on !omen3 and 3:ead

lo%ers3.

:escribed by Allusic as the 3father of country*

roc3, Gram Carsons4 %or in the early 19?0s %as

acclaimed for its purity and for his appreciation

for aspects of traditional country music. 'hough his career %as cut tragically short by his

19? death, his legacy %as carried on by his protMgM and duet partner mmylou BarrisJ Barris

%ould release her debut solo in 19?, an amalgamation of country, roc and roll, fol, blues

and pop.

Subse/uent to the initial blending of the t%o polar opposite genres, other offspring soon

resulted, including Southern roc, heartland roc and in more recent years, alternati"e

country.

In the decades that follo%ed, artists such as 7uice Ne%ton, Alabama, Ban !illiams, 7r.

8and, to an e"en greater e#tent, Ban !illiams III;, Gary Allan, Shania '%ain, <roos H

:unn, aith Bill, Garth <roos, :%ight oaam, Ste"e arle, :olly Carton, 6osanne $ash

and inda 6onstadt mo"ed country further to%ards roc influence.

<ecline o( !estern #usic and co4o" 4allad

<y the late 19E0s, !estern music, in particular the co%boy ballad, %as in decline. 6elegated

to the 3country and !estern3 genre by mareting agencies, popular !estern recording stars

released albums to only moderate success. 6oc*and*roll dominated music sales, and

Bolly%ood recording studios dropped most of their !estern artists. 'he shift in country music

production to Nash"ille also played a role, %here the Nash"ille sound, country roc, and

rocabilly music styles predominated o"er both 3co%boy3 artists and the more recent

<aersfield sound. 'he latter %as largely limited to <uc 5%ens, erle Baggard, and a fe%

other bands. In the process, country and %estern music as a genre lost most of its

1&




south%estern, ranchera, and 'e&ano musical influences. Bo%e"er the co%boy ballad and

hony*ton music %ould be resurrected and reinterpreted in the 19?0s %ith the gro%th in

popularity of 3outla% country3 music from 'e#as and 5lahoma.

Stage fo"r - Fo"rth generation (19#0s–19$0s)

=utla countr"

:eri"ed from the traditional !estern and hony ton musical

styles of the late 190s and 19E0s, including 6ay Crice 8%hose

band, the 3$heroee $o%boys3, included !illie Nelson and

6oger iller; and mi#ed %ith the anger of an alienated

subculture of the nation during the period, outla% country

re"olutionied the genre of country music.

3After I left Nash"ille 8the early ?0s;, I %anted to rela# and play the music that I %anted to

play, and &ust stay around 'e#as, maybe 5lahoma. !aylon and I had that outla% image

going, and %hen it caught on at colleges and %e started selling records, %e %ere 5.K. 'he

%hole outla% thing, it had nothing to do %ith the music, it %as something that got %ritten in

an article, and the young people said, 4!ell, that4s pretty cool.4 And started listening.3 8!illie

Nelson;

'he term outlaw country is traditionally associated %ith Ban !illiams, 7r., !illie Nelson,

!aylon 7ennings, :a"id Allan $oe, !hitey organ and the ?D4s, 7ohn Crine, <illy 7oe

Sha"er, Gary Ste%art, 'o%nes >an andt, Kris Kristofferson, ichael artin urphey, and

the later career renaissance of 7ohnny $ash, %ith a fe% female "ocalists such as 7essi $olter

and Sammi Smith. It %as encapsulated in the 19?E album Wanted* The Outlaws. A related

subgenre is 6ed :irt.

Countr" pop

$ountry pop or soft pop, %ith roots in the countrypolitan sound, fol music, and soft roc, is

a subgenre that first emerged in the 19?0s. Although the term first referred to country music

songs and artists that crossed o"er to top =0 radio, country pop acts are no% more liely to

cross o"er to adult contemporary music. It started %ith pop music singers lie Glen $ampbell,

1*




<obbie Gentry, 7ohn :en"er, 5li"ia Ne%ton*7ohn, Anne urray, arie 5smond, <. 7.

'homas, 'he <ellamy <rothers, and inda 6onstadt ha"ing hits on the country charts.

ynn Anderson * i"e in $oncert 8photo by Scott :udelson;

<et%een 19?2 and 19?, singerFguitarist 7ohn :en"er released a series of hugely successful

songs blending country and fol*roc musical styles 836ocy ountain Bigh3, 3Sunshine on

y Shoulders3, 3Annie4s Song3, 3'han God I4m a $ountry <oy3, and 3I4m Sorry3;, and %as

named $ountry usic ntertainer of the ear in 19?. 'he year before, 5li"ia Ne%ton*7ohn,

an Australian pop singer, %on the 3<est emale $ountry >ocal Cerformance3 as %ell as the

$ountry usic Association4s most co"eted a%ard for females, 3emale >ocalist of the ear3.

In response George 7ones, 'ammy !ynette, and other traditional Nash"ille country artists

dissatisfied %ith the ne% trend formed the short*li"ed Association of $ountry ntertainers in

19?=.

:uring the mid*19?0s, :olly Carton, a highly successful

mainstream country artist since the late 19E0s, mounted a high profile campaign to cross o"er to pop music, culminating in her

19?? hit 3Bere ou $ome Again3, %hich topped the -.S.

country singles chart, and also reached No. on the pop singles

charts. Carton4s male counterpart, Kenny 6ogers, came from the

opposite direction, aiming his music at the country charts, after

a successful career in pop, roc and fol music, achie"ing

success the same year %ith 3ucille3, %hich topped the country

charts and reached No. on the -.S. pop singles charts. Carton

and 6ogers %ould both continue to ha"e success on both

country and pop charts simultaneously, %ell into the 19D0s.

Artists lie $rystal Gayle, 6onnie ilsap and <arbara andrell

%ould also find success on the pop charts %ith their records.

In 19?, author Caul Bemphill stated in the #aturday +enin% ost , 3$ountry music isn4t

really country anymoreJ it is a hybrid of nearly e"ery form of popular music in America.3

:uring the early 19D0s, country artists continued to see their records perform %ell on the

pop charts. !illie Nelson and 7uice Ne%ton each had t%o songs in the top of the <illboard

Bot 100 in the early eightiesL Nelson charted 3Al%ays on y ind3 8No. , 19D2; and 3'oAll the Girls I4"e o"ed <efore3 8No. , 19D=;, and Ne%ton achie"ed success %ith 3Oueen of

10




Bearts3 8No. 2, 19D1; and 3Angel of the orning3 8No. =, 19D1;. our country songs topped

the Billboard Bot 100 in the 19D0sL 3ady3 by Kenny 6ogers, from the late fall of 19D0J 39 to

3 by :olly Carton, 3I o"e a 6ainy Night3 by ddie 6abbitt 8these t%o bac*to*bac at the

top in early 19D1;J and 3Islands in the Stream3, a duet by :olly Carton and Kenny 6ogers in

19D, a pop*country crosso"er hit %ritten by <arry, 6obin, and aurice Gibb of the <ee

Gees. Ne%ton4s 3Oueen of Bearts3 almost reached No. 1, but %as ept out of the spot by the

pop ballad &uggernaut 3ndless o"e3 by :iana 6oss and ionel 6ichie. Although there %ere

fe% crosso"er hits in the latter half of the 19D0s, one song6oy 5rbison4s 3ou Got It3, from

19D9made the top 10 of both the Billboard Bot $ountry Singles3 and Bot 100 charts.

'he record*setting, multi*platinum group Alabama %as named Artist of the :ecade for the

19D0s by the Academy of $ountry usic.

Neocountr"

In 19D0, a style of 3neocountry disco music3 %as popularied by the film -rban $owboy,

%hich also included more traditional songs such as 3'he :e"il !ent :o%n to Georgia3 by the

$harlie :aniels <and. A related subgenre is 'e#as country music.

Sales in record stores roceted to P20 million in 19D1J by 19D=, 900 radio stations began

programming country or neocountry pop full*time. As %ith most sudden trends, ho%e"er, by

19D= sales had dropped belo% 19?9 figures.

9ruc8 dri)ing countr"

'ruc dri"ing country music is a genre of country music and is a fusion of hony*ton,

country roc and the <aersfield sound. It has the tempo of country roc and the emotion of

hony*ton, and its lyrics focus on a truc dri"er4s lifestyle. 'ruc dri"ing country songs often

deal %ith trucs and lo"e. !ell*no%n artists %ho sing truc dri"ing country include :a"e

:udley, 6ed So"ine, :ic $urless, 6ed Simpson, :el 6ee"es, 'he !illis <rothers and 7erry

6eed, %ith $. !. c$all and $ledus aggard 8pseudonyms of <ill ries and 7ay Buguely,

respecti"ely; being more humorous entries in the subgenre. :udley is no%n as the father of

truc dri"ing country.

13




Neotraditionalist #o)e#ent

:uring the mid*19D0s, a group of ne%

artists began to emerge %ho re&ected the more

polished country*pop sound that had been

prominent on radio and the charts, in fa"or of

more, traditional, 3bac*to*basics3 production.

ed by 6andy 'ra"is, %hose 19DE debut

album #tor.s o( Li(e sold four million copies

and %as Billboard's year*end top country

album of 19D?, many of the artists during the

latter half of the 19D0s dre% on traditionalhony*ton, bluegrass, fol and %estern s%ing. Artists %ho typified this sound included

'ra"is 'ritt, Keith !hitley, Alan 7acson, 6icy Saggs, Catty o"eless, Kathy attea,

George Strait and 'he 7udds.

Stage %&e – +i(th generation 1.s/

$ountry music %as aided by the $$4s :ocet D0*90, %hich led to a significant e#pansion

of radio in the 19D0s by adding numerous higher*fidelity signals to rural and

suburban areas. At this point, country music %as mainly heard on rural A radio stationsJ the

e#pansion of %as particularly helpful to country music, %hich migrated to from the

A band as A became o"ercome by tal radio 8the country music stations that stayed on

A de"eloped the classic country format for the A audience;. At the same time, beautiful

music stations already in rural areas began abandoning the format 8leading to its effecti"e

demise; to adopt country music as %ell. 'his %ider a"ailability of country music led to

producers seeing to polish their product for a %ider audience. Another force leading to

changes in the country music industry %as the changing sound of roc music, %hich %as

increasingly being influenced by the noisier, less melodic alternati"e roc scene. 3Ne%

country3 ended up absorbing roc influence from more electric musicians that %ere too

melodic for modern roc but too electric for the classic country music sound. 8A number of

3classic roc3 artists, especially Southern roc ones such as $harlie :aniels and ynyrd

15




Synyrd, are more closely associated %ith the modern country

music scene than that of the modern roc scene.;%

In the 1990s, country music became a %orld%ide phenomenon

thans to Garth <roos., %ho en&oyed one of the most

successful careers in popular music history, breaing records for

both sales and concert attendance throughout the decade. 'he

6IAA has certified his recordings at a combined 812DQ

platinum;, denoting roughly 11 million -.S. shipments. 5ther

artists that e#perienced success during this time included $lint

<lac, Sammy Kersha%, Aaron 'ippin, 'ra"is 'ritt, Alan

7acson and the ne%ly formed duo of <roos H :unnJ George

Strait, %hose career began in the 19D0s, also continued to ha"e %idespread success in this

decade and beyond. 'oby Keith began his career as a more pop*oriented country singer in the

1990s, e"ol"ing into an outla% persona in the late 1990s %ith ull "y $hain and its follo%*up, -nleashed .

emale artists such as 6eba cntire, Catty o"eless, aith Bill, artina c<ride, :eana

$arter, eAnn 6imes, indy c$ready, orrie organ, Shania '%ain, and ary $hapin

$arpenter all released platinum*selling albums in the 1990s.

'he :i#ie $hics became one of the most popular country bands in the 1990s and early

2000s. 'heir 199D debut album Wide Open #paces %ent on to become certified 12# platinum

%hile their 1999 album /ly %ent on to become 10# platinum. After their third album, Ho.e,

%as released in 200, the band made political ne%s in part because of lead singer Natalie

aines4s comments disparaging then*Cresident George !. <ush %hile the band %as o"erseas

8aines stated that she and her bandmates %ere ashamed to be from the same state as <ush,

%ho had &ust commenced the Ira/ !ar a fe% days prior;. 'he comments caused a rift bet%een

the band and the country music scene, and the band4s fourth 8and, to date, final; album, 200E4s

Tain% the Lon% Way, too a more roc*oriented directionJ the album %as commercially

successful o"erall but largely ignored among country audiences. 8'he band is currently on

hiatus as aines pursues a solo careerJ in the meantime, the t%o other members are

continuing %ith their side pro&ect, the $ourt ard Bounds.;

In the early*mid*1990s, country %estern music %as influenced by the popularity of line

dancing. 'his influence %as so great that $het Atins %as /uoted as saying, 3'he music has

gotten pretty bad, I thin. It4s all that damn line dancing.3 <y the end of the decade, ho%e"er,

at least one line dance choreographer complained that good country line dance music %as no

longer being released.

In contrast, artists such as :on !illiams and George 7ones %ho had more or less had

consistent chart success through the 19?0s and 19D0s suddenly had their fortunes fall rapidly

around 1991 as these ne% artists rose to prominence.

1




Stage si' - 'i>th generation 2...spresent/

6ichard ar# crossed o"er %ith his 0ays in Aalon album, %hich features fi"e country

songs and se"eral singers and musicians. Alison Krauss sang bacground "ocals to ar#4s

single 3Straight from y Beart.3 Also, <on 7o"i had a hit single, 3!ho Says ou $an4t Go

Bome3, %ith 7ennifer Nettles of Sugarland. Kid 6oc4s collaboration %ith Sheryl $ro%,

3Cicture,3 %as a ma&or crosso"er hit in 2001 and began Kid 6oc4s transition from hard roc

to a country*roc hybrid that %ould later produce another ma&or crosso"er hit, 200D4s 3All

Summer ong.3 :arius 6ucer, former frontman for the 1990s pop*roc band Bootie H the

<lo%fish, began a country solo career in the late 2000s, one that to date has produced three

albums and se"eral hits on both the country charts and the <illboard Bot 100. Singer*

song%riter -nno%n Binson became famous for his appearance in the $harlotte tele"ision

sho% Wild, Wild, #outh, after %hich Binson started his o%n band and toured in southern

states. 5ther roc stars %ho featured a country song on their albums %ere :on Benley and

Coison.

In 200, country singer $arrie -nder%ood rose to fame

as the %inner of the fourth season of A.erican 1dol and has

since become one of the most prominent recording artistsof last ten years, %ith %orld%ide sales of more than E=

million records and si# Grammy A%ards. !ith her first

single, 3Inside our Bea"en3, -nder%ood became the only

solo country artist to ha"e a R1 hit on the Billboard Bot 100

chart in the 2000@2009 decade and also broe Billboard

chart history as the first country music artist e"er to debut

at No. 1 on the Bot 100. -nder%ood4s debut album, #o.e

Hearts, became the best*selling solo female debut album in

country music history, the fastest*selling debut country album in the history of the SoundScan

era and the best*selling country album of the last 10 years, being raned by Billboard as the

R1 $ountry Album of the 2000@2009 decade. She has also become the female country artist

%ith the most number one hits on the Billboard Bot $ountry Songs chart in the Nielsen

SoundScan era 81991@present;, ha"ing 12 No. 1s and breaing her o%n Guinness Boo record

of ten. In 200?, -nder%ood %on the Grammy A%ard for <est Ne% Artist, becoming only the

second $ountry artist in history 8and the first in a decade; to %in it. She also made history by

becoming the se"enth %oman to %in ntertainer of the ear at the Academy of $ountry

usic A%ards, and the first %oman in history to %in the a%ard t%ice, as %ell as t%ice

consecuti"ely. Ti.e has listed -nder%ood as one of the 100 most influential people in the

%orld.

2.




-nder%ood %as one of se"eral country stars produced by a tele"ision series in the 2000s. In

addition to -nder%ood, A.erican 1dol launched the careers of Kellie Cicler, 7osh Gracin,

<ucy $o"ington, Kristy ee $oo, :anny Goey and Scotty c$reery 8as %ell as that of

occasional country singer Kelly $larson; in the decade, and %ould continue to launch

country careers in the 2010s. 'he series &ashille #tar , %hile not nearly as successful as 1dol ,

did manage to bring iranda ambert and $hris oung to mainstream success, also launching

the careers of lo%er*profile musicians such as <uddy 7e%ell, Sean Catric cGra%, and

$anadian musician George $anyon. $an 2ou 0uet? produced the duos Steel agnolia and

7oey 6ory.

'een sitcoms also ha"e had an impact on modern country musicJ in 200D, actress 7ennette

c$urdy 8best no%n as the sideic Sam on the teen sitcom i$arly; released her first single,

3So $lose3, follo%ing that %ith the single 3Generation o"e3 in 2011. Another teen sitcom

star, iley $yrus 8of Hannah "ontana;, also had a crosso"er hit in the late 2000s %ith 3'he

$limb3 and another %ith a duet %ith her father, <illy 6ay $yrus, %ith 36eady, Set, :on4t Go.37ana Kramer, an actress in the teen drama One Tree Hill , released a country album in 2012

that has produced t%o hit singles as of 201. Actress Bayden Canettiere began recording

country songs as part of her role in the '> series &ashille.

In 2010, the group ady Antebellum %on fi"e Grammys, including the co"eted Song of the

ear and 6ecord of the ear for 3Need ou No%3.

A large number of duos and "ocal groups ha"e begun to emerge on the charts in the 2010s,

many of %hich feature close harmony in the lead "ocals. In addition to ady Antebellum,

groups such as 'he Ouebe Sisters <and, ittle <ig 'o%n, 'he <and Cerry, Gloriana,

'hompson S/uare, li oung <and and the ac <ro%n <and ha"e emerged to occupy a large

portion of the ne% country artists in the popular scene.

5ne of the most commercially successful artists of the late 2000s and early 2010s has been

singer*song%riter 'aylor S%ift. S%ift first became %idely no%n in 200E %hen her debut

single, 3'im cGra%,3 %as released %hen S%ift %as age 1E. In 200E, 'aylor released her first

studio album, Taylor #wi(t , %hich spent 2? %ees on <illboard 200, one of the longest runs

of any album on that chart. In 200D, 'aylor S%ift released her second studio album, /earless,

%hich made her the second*longest Number 5ne charted on <illboard 200 and the second

best*selling album 8&ust behind Adele4s 34; %ithin the past years. At the 2010 Grammys,

'aylor S%ift %as 20 and %on Album of the ear for /earless, %hich made her the youngest

artist to %in this a%ard. S%ift has recei"ed se"en Grammys already. <uoyed by her teen idol

status among girls and a change in the methodology of compiling the Billboard charts to fa"or

pop*crosso"er songs, S%ift4s 2012 single 3!e Are Ne"er "er Getting <ac 'ogether3 spent

the most %ees at the top of <illboard4s Bot $ountry Songs chart of any song in nearly fi"e

decades. 'he song4s long run at the top of the chart %as some%hat contro"ersial, as the song

%as largely a pop song %ithout much country influence, prompting disputes o"er %hat

21




constitutes a country songJ many of S%ift4s later releases,

such as 3Shae It 5ff,3 %ere released solely to pop

audiences.

'he terrorist attac of 2001 and the economic recession

spared $ountry music bac into the spotlight. any

country artists, such as Alan 7acson %ith his ballad on

terrorist attacs, +!here !ere ou 8!hen the !orld

Stopped 'urning;, %rote songs that celebrated the military,

highlighted the gospel, and rearranged home "alues o"er

%ealth. 'hese songs gained such recognition that it put

$ountry music bac into popular culture.

'he influence of roc music in country has become more o"ert during the late 2000s and

early 2010s as artists lie ric $hurch, 7ason Aldean, and <rantley Gilbert ha"e had successJAaron e%is, former frontman for the roc group Staind, had a moderately successful entry

into country music in 2011 and 2012. Also rising in the late 2000s and early 2010s %as the

insertion of rap and spoen*%ord elements into country songsJ artists such as $o%boy 'roy

and $olt ord ha"e focused almost e#clusi"ely on country rap 8also no%n as hic hop; %hile

other, more mainstream artists 8such as <ig H 6ich and 7ason Aldean; ha"e used it on

occasion. In the 2010s, <ro*country, a genre noted primarily for its themes on drining and

partying, girls, and dri"ing, became particularly popular. Notable artists associated %ith this

genre are ue <ryan, 7ason Aldean, <lae Shelton, and lorida Georgia ine %hose song

3$ruise3 became the best*selling country song of all time.

Alt countr"

Attempts to combine pun and country %ere pioneered by 7ason and the Scorchers, and in

the 19D0s Southern $alifornian co%pun scene %ith bands lie the ong 6yders. 'hese styles

merged fully in -ncle 'upelo4s 1990 C &o 0epression, %hich is %idely credited as being the

first alt*country album, and ga"e its name to the online notice board, and e"entuallymagaine, that underpinned that mo"ement. embers and figures associated %ith -ncle

'upelo formed three ma&or bands in the genreL !ilco, Son >olt, and <ottle 6ocets. 5ther

influential bands included <lue ountain, !hiseyto%n and 6yan Adams, <lood 5ranges,

<right yes, ucinda !illiams, and :ri"e*<y 'rucers. Some alt*country songs ha"e been

crosso"er hits, including 6yan Adams4s 3!hen 'he Stars Go <lue,3 %hich charted %hen

performed by 'im cGra%.

22




2




6o to <ress ?i8e a Co4o" in *'teps

1) ats

A co%boy hat is serious business. If you are +in the

no%,) you can determine many things about a

co%boy, by looing at his hat, including %here he

li"es, %hat e"ent he competes in, and most of all,

%hether or not heTs a +real) co%boy 8or at least no%s

ho% to dress lie one;. 'he t%o main considerations

here are material and shape. elt hats are normally

going to be more e#pensi"e than stra% hats, and it is

my recommendation that if you are going to spring for

a felt hat, get a pretty good one made by a reputable

hat maer. <y pretty good, I mean some sort of a

bea"er or rabbit blend rather than a %ool felt. It %ill

last longer and loo better in the long run 8and in the

short, for that matter;. Bat /uality is determined by the

number of +UTs) a hat has, ho%e"er there is no

industry standard for +UTs) so one companyTs 10U could be another companyTs 20U. Go %itharound a EU or better from a company lie 6esistol, Stetson or American Bat $ompany and

you should be fine.

If you donTt %ant to spring for a /uality felt, get a nice looing stra% hat. 'hey tend to be a

much cooler 8temperature*%ise; option for the summer too.

2) *oots

/ually important to %hat you sport on your head is %hat

you choose to put on your feet. ou %onTt see too many

co%boys %earing lace*up boots these days, and pointy

toed boots or +cocroach illers) on a guy arenTt going to

cut it either. A simple roper*style boot %ith a flat heel and

a round or s/uare toe 8s/uare toes are "ery +in) right

no%; is your safest bet. 'he taller riding heel is nice

looing but less practical if you %ill be doing more

%aling than riding. ost people %ill find the flat heel

more comfortable.

5nce you get the basic style do%n, there are hundreds of

options in colors, materials and price point. #pect to pay

any%here from P10 for a standard, basic leather boot, upto more than P00 for e#otics lie ostrich and caiman.

2&

http://www.earnyourspurs.com/how-to-dress-like-a-cowboy/







5h, and no matter ho% pretty the tops of your boots are, your &eans should go o"er them, not

the other %ay around.

3) *elt

'his is a tricy area. A trophy bucle on a co%boy is

proof to the rest of the %orld that he can carry his

%eight in the arena. A nice custom*designed sil"er *

piece bucle says, +I may not ha"e %on this, but I am

enough of a co%boy to no% %hat loos good holding

my pants up.) Cretty much any other ind of

purchased %estern belt bucle 8%ith a fe% e#ceptions;

screams, +I am not a real co%boyV) Sporting a genuine

trophy bucle that someone else %on 8%hile some may

disagree %ith me on this; is perfectly acceptable in my

boo, because if youTre dressed %ell other%ise,

nobody is going to no% the difference. <orro% one

from a co%boy friend, or chec the pa%n shops or

ebay. 6emember, retro is in, so +19E $hampion

Saddle <ronc 6ider) %ors, e"en if you %erenTt yet

hatched. . . could ha"e been your dadTs, uncleTs or grand pappyTs.If a trophy bucle isnTt an option, my best ad"ice is to eep it simple, and a"oid dra%ing a lot

of attention to the area. If you still %ant a sil"er bucle, I %ould recommend a tasteful and

simple *piece style. Nothing %ith %riting on it. As mentioned pre"iously, a +fae) trophy

bucle can be spotted a mile a%ay. $ustom*designed sil"er bucles %ith initials or a personal

brand are totally different 8and a great choice;, but %e %onTt get into it here.

In the interest of cost and %earability, your best bet might be to &ust buy a simple leather belt,

lie the one sho%n here made by Ariat, that comes %ith a tasteful bucle. If your boots are

bro%n, buy a bro%n belt. It doesnTt necessarily need to be the same shade. Same thing goes

for blac. ou can e"en find belts that are blac and bro%n to %ear %ith either color boots.

eather belts only, pleaseV :o not try to bring bac the nylon belt trend of the D0Ts and 90Ts.

Also, you %ill notice the girls %earing a lot of +bling) aa +sparly things) on their belts.

Some companies are maing sparly belts for guys too. Cersonally, I am not a fan of bling on

dudes. A fe% crystals might be o, and of course it is up to your discretion, but I %ould ad"ise

against it. A little sil"er 8e"en a lot; is great, &ust stay a%ay from the s%aro"sis.

2*




International countr"

Canada

5utside of the -nited States, $anada has the largest country music fan and artist base,

something that is to be e#pected gi"en the t%o countries4 pro#imity and cultural parallels.

ainstream country music is culturally ingrained in the prairie pro"inces, 5ntario, and in

Atlantic $anada. $eltic traditional music de"eloped in Atlantic $anada in the form of

Scottish, Acadian and Irish fol music popular amongst Irish, rench and Scottish immigrants

to $anada4s Atlantic Cro"inces 8Ne%foundland, No"a Scotia, Ne% <runs%ic, and Crince

d%ard Island;. ie the southern -nited States and Appalachia, all four regions are of hea"y

<ritish Isles stoc and ruralJ as such, the de"elopment of traditional music in the aritimes

some%hat mirrored the de"elopment of country music in the -S South and Appalachia.$ountry and !estern music ne"er really de"eloped separately in $anadaJ ho%e"er, after its

introduction to $anada, follo%ing the spread of radio, it de"eloped /uite /uicly out of the

Atlantic $anadian traditional scene. !hile true Atlantic $anadian traditional music is "ery

$eltic or 3sea shanty3 in nature, e"en today, the lines ha"e often been blurred. $ertain areas

often are "ie%ed as embracing one strain or the other more openly. or e#ample, in

Ne%foundland the traditional music remains uni/ue and Irish in nature, %hereas traditional

musicians in other parts of the region may play both genres interchangeably.

0on "esser's !ubilee %as a Balifa#, No"a Scotia*based countryFfol "ariety tele"ision sho%

that %as broadcast nationally from 19? to 19E9. In $anada it out*performed The +d #ullian

#how broadcast from the -nited States and became the top*rated tele"ision sho% throughout

much of the 19E0s. 0on "esser's !ubilee follo%ed a consistent format throughout its years,

beginning %ith a tune named 3Goin4 to the <arndance 'onight3, follo%ed by fiddle tunes by

esser, songs from some of his 3Islanders3 including singers arg 5sburne and $harlie

$hamberlain, the featured guest performance, and a closing hymn. It ended %ith 3'ill !e

eet Again3.

'he guest performance slot ga"e national e#posure to numerous $anadian fol musicians,

including Stompin4 'om $onnors and $atherine cKinnon. Some aritime country

performers %ent on to further fame beyond $anada. Ban Sno%, !ilf $arter 8also no%n as

ontana Slim;, and Anne urray are the three most notable.'he cancellation of the sho% by the public broadcaster in 19E9 caused a nation%ide protest,

including the raising of /uestions in the Carliament of $anada.

'he Crairie pro"inces, due to their %estern co%boy and agrarian nature, are the true heartland

of $anadian country music. !hile the Crairies ne"er de"eloped a traditional music culture

anything lie the aritimes, the fol music of the Crairies often reflected the cultural origins

of the settlers, %ho %ere a mi# of Scottish, -rainian, German and others. or these reasons

polas and !estern music %ere al%ays popular in the region, and %ith the introduction of the

radio, mainstream country music flourished. As the culture of the region is %estern and

frontier in nature, the specific genre of country and %estern is more popular today in theCrairies than in any other part of the country. No other area of the country embraces all

23




aspects of the culture, from t%o*step dancing, to the co%boy dress, to rodeos, to the music

itself, lie the Crairies do. 'he Atlantic Cro"inces, on the other hand, produce far more

traditional musicians, but they are not usually specifically country in nature, usually bordering

more on the fol or $eltic genres.

any traditional country artists are present in eastern and %estern $anada. 'hey mae

common use of fiddle and pedal steel guitar styles. Some notable $anadian country artists

include Shania '%ain, Anne urray, .d. lang, Gordon ightfoot, <uffy Sainte*arie, George

$anyon, <lue 6odeo, 'ommy Bunter, 6ita acNeil, Stompin4 'om $onnors, Stan 6ogers,

6onnie Crophet, $arroll <aer, 'he 6anin amily, Ian 'yson, 7ohnny 6eid, Caul <randt,

7ason c$oy, George o#, $arolyn :a%n 7ohnson, Ban Sno%, :on esser, !ilf $arter,

ichelle !right, 'erri $lar, Crairie 5yster, amily <ro%n, 7ohnny ooring, arg 5sburne,

:oc !aler, merson :ri"e, 'he !ilinsons, $orb und and the Burtin4 Albertans, $rystal

Sha%anda, :ean <rody, Shane ello%bird, Gord <amford, $had <ro%nlee, 'he 6oad

Bammers, and 'he Biggins.

,"stralia

Australian country music has a long tradition. Influenced by

American country music, it has de"eloped a distinct style, shaped by

<ritish and Irish fol ballads and Australian bush balladeers lie

Benry a%son and <an&o Caterson. $ountry instruments, including

the guitar, ban&o, fiddle and harmonica, create the distincti"e sound

of country music in Australia and accompany songs %ith strong

storyline and memorable chorus.

ol songs sung in Australia bet%een the 1?D0s and 1920s, based

around such themes as the struggle against go"ernment tyranny, or the li"es of bushrangers,

s%agmen, dro"ers, stocmen and shearers, continue to influence the genre. 'his strain of

Australian country, %ith lyrics focusing on Australian sub&ects, is generally no%n as 3bush

music3 or 3bush band music3. 3!alting atilda3, often regarded as Australia4s unofficial

national anthem, is a /uintessential Australian country song, influenced more by <ritish and

Irish fol ballads than by American country and %estern music. 'he lyrics %ere composed by

the poet <an&o Caterson in 1D9. 5ther popular songs from this tradition include 3'he !ild

$olonial <oy3, 3$lic Go the Shears3, 3'he Oueensland :ro"er3 and 3'he :ying Stocman3.ater themes %hich endure to the present include the e#periences of %ar, of droughts and

flooding rains, of Aboriginality and of the rail%ays and trucing routes %hich lin Australia4s

"ast distances.

Cioneers of a more Americanised popular country music in Australia included 'e# orton

8no%n as 3'he ather of Australian $ountry usic3; in the 190s. 5ther early stars included

<uddy !illiams, Shirley 'homs and Smoy :a%son. <uddy !illiams 8191D@19DE; %as the

first Australian*born to record country music in Australia in the late 190s and %as the

pioneer of a distinctly Australian style of country music called the bush ballad that others such

as Slim :usty %ould mae popular in later years. :uring !orld !ar II, many of <uddy!illiams recording sessions %ere done %hilst on lea"e from the Army. At the end of the %ar,

25




!illiams %ould go on to operate some of the largest tra"elling tent rodeo sho%s Australia has

e"er seen.

In 192, :a%son began a radio sho% and %ent on to national stardom as a singing co%boy

of radio, '> and film. Slim :usty 8192?@200; %as no%n as the 3King of Australian

$ountry usic3 and helped to popularise the Australian bush ballad. Bis successful career

spanned almost si# decades, and his 19? hit 3A Cub %ith No <eer3 %as the biggest*selling

record by an Australian to that time, and %ith o"er se"en million record sales in Australia he

is the most successful artist in Australian musical history. :usty recorded and released his

one*hundredth album in the year 2000 and %as gi"en the honour of singing 3!alting

atilda3 in the closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 5lympic Games. :usty4s %ife 7oy

cKean penned se"eral of his most popular songs.

$had organ, %ho began recording in the 190s, has represented a "aude"ille style of

comic Australian countryJ ran Ifield achie"ed considerable success in the early 19E0s,

especially in the -K Singles $harts, and 6eg indsay %as one of the first Australians to

perform at Nash"ille4s Grand 5le 5pry in 19?=. ric <ogle4s 19?2 fol lament to the Gallipoli$ampaign 3And the <and Clayed !alting atilda3 recalled the <ritish and Irish origins of

Australian fol*country. Singer*song%riter Caul Kelly, %hose music style straddles fol, roc,

and country, is often described as the poet laureate of Australian music.

<y the 1990s, country music had attained crosso"er

success in the pop charts, %ith artists lie 7ames <lundell

and 7ames 6eyne singing 3!ay 5ut !est3, and country

star Kasey $hambers %inning the A6IA for <est emale

Artist in 200. 'he crosso"er influence of Australiancountry is also e"ident in the music of successful

contemporary bands 'he !aifs and the 7ohn <utler 'rio.

Nic $a"e has been hea"ily influenced by the country artist 7ohnny $ash. In 2000, $ash,

co"ered $a"e4s 3'he ercy Seat3 on the album A.erican 1115 #olitary "an, seemingly

repaying $a"e for the compliment he paid by co"ering $ash4s 3'he Singer3 8originally 3'he

ol Singer3; on his 6icin% A%ainst the rics album. Subse/uently, $a"e cut a duet %ith

$ash on a "ersion of Ban !illiams4 3I4m So onesome I $ould $ry3 for $ash4s A.erican 175

The "an $o.es Around album 82002;.

Copular contemporary performers of Australian country music include 7ohn !illiamson 8%ho

%rote the iconic 3'rue <lue3;, ee Kernaghan 8%hose hits include 3<oys from the <ush3 and

3'he 5utbac $lub3;, Gina 7effreys, ore"er 6oad and Sara Storer. In the -nited States,

5li"ia Ne%ton*7ohn, SherriM Austin and Keith -rban ha"e attained great success.

)uby Hunter and Archie )oach at the 3889 Ta.worth $ountry "usic /estial

2




$ountry music has been a particularly popular form of musical e#pression among

Indigenous Australians. 'roy $assar*:aley is among Australia4s successful contemporary

indigenous performers, and Ke" $armody and Archie 6oach employ a combination of fol*

roc and country music to sing about Aboriginal rights issues.

'he 'am%orth $ountry usic esti"al began in 19? and no% attracts up to 100,000 "isitors

annually. Beld in 'am%orth, Ne% South !ales 8country music capital of Australia;, it

celebrates the culture and heritage of Australian country music. :uring the festi"al the $AA

holds the $ountry usic A%ards of Australia ceremony a%arding the Golden Guitar trophies.

5ther significant country music festi"als include the !hittlesea $ountry usic esti"al

8near elbourne; and <oyup <roo $ountry usic esti"al 8!estern Australia; in ebruaryJ

the <amera $ountry usic esti"al in 7une 8South Australia;, the National $ountry uster

held in Gympie during August, the ildura $ountry usic esti"al for 3independent3

performers during 5ctober, and the $anberra $ountry usic esti"al held in the national

capital during No"ember. Some festi"als are /uite uni/ue in their locationL Grabine State Car

in Ne% South !ales promotes Australian country through the Grabine usic uster esti"alJarilyns $ountry usic esti"al is a uni/ue e"ent held in South Australia4s Smoy <ay in

September and is the only music festi"al in the %orld using an oyster barge as a stage.

$ountry H: sho%cases ne% talent on the rise in the country music scene do%n under. $$

8the $ountry usic $hannel;, a 2=*hour music channel dedicated to non*stop country music,

can be "ie%ed on pay '> and features once a year the Golden Guitar A%ards, $As and

$$As alongside international sho%s such as The Wilinsons, The )oad Ha..ers, and

$ountry "usic Across A.erica.

@nited Kingdo#

$ountry music is highly popular in the -K, %ith many -S acts touring regularly there. 'here

are many <ritish country music acts, and fan publications. 'here is the popular $2$L $ountry

to $ountry festi"al held e"ery year, and for many years there %as a festi"al at !embley

Arena, %hich %as broadcast on the <<$, the International esti"als of $ountry usic,

promoted by er"yn $onn, held at the "enue bet%een 19E9 and 1991. 'he sho%s %ere later

taen into urope, and featured such stars as 7ohnny $ash, :olly Carton, 'ammy !ynette,

:a"id Allan $oe, mmylou Barris, <o#car !illie, 7ohnny 6ussell and 7erry ee e%is.

ther co"ntries

'om 6oland, from the $ountry usic Association International, e#plains country music4s

global popularityL 3In this respect, at least, $ountry usic listeners around the globe ha"e

something in common %ith those in the -nited States. In Germany, for instance, 6ohrbach

identifies three general groups that gra"itate to the genreL people intrigued %ith the American

co%boy icon, middle*aged fans %ho see an alternati"e to harder roc music and younger

listeners dra%n to the pop*influenced sound that underscores many current $ountry hits.3

5ne of the first Americans to perform country music abroad %as George Bamilton I>. Be %as

the first country musician to perform in the So"iet -nionJ he also toured in Australia and the

iddle ast. Be %as deemed the 3International Ambassador of $ountry usic3 for his

.




contributions to the globaliation of country music. 7ohnny $ash, mmylou Barris, Keith

-rban, and :%ight oaam ha"e also made numerous international tours.

'he $ountry usic Association undertaes "arious initiati"es to promote country music

internationally.

In <rail, a musical genre no%n as mWsica sertane&a, the most popular genre of music in

<rail, is "ery similar to American country music, sharing the music4s rich history of

de"elopment in the countryside.

In South America, on the last %eeend of September, the yearly San Cedro $ountry usic

esti"al taes place in the to%n of San Cedro, Argentina. 'he festi"al features bands from

different places of Argentina, as %ell as international artists from <rail, -ruguay, $hile, Ceru

and the -nited States.

In India, the Anglo*Indian community is %ell no%n for en&oying and performing country

music. An annual concert festi"al called 3<laing Guitars) held in $hennai brings together

Anglo*Indian musicians from all o"er the country 8including some %ho ha"e emigrated to

places lie Australia;. In Ireland 'G= began a /uest for Ireland4s ne#t country star called Gl;r T<re, translated as

3$ountry >oice3. It is no% in its si#th season and is one of 'G=4s most %atched '> sho%s.

5"er the past ten years country and gospel recording artist 7ames Kilbane has reached multi*

platinum success %ith his mi# of $hristian and traditional country influenced albums. 7ames

Kilbane lie many other Irish artists are today %oring closer %ith Nash"ille. A recent success

in the Irish arena has been $rystal S%ing.

In S%eden, 6edne# rose to stardom combining country

music %ith electro*pop in the 1990s. In 199=, the group had

a %orld%ide hit %ith their "ersion of the traditionalSouthern tune 3$otton*yed 7oe3. Artists populariing more

traditional country music in S%eden ha"e been Ann*ouise

Banson, Basse Andersson, Kii :anielsson, lisabeth

Andreassen and 7ill 7ohnson.

In Coland an international country music festi"al, no%n as

Cini $ountry 8picnic country;, has been organied in

rXgo%o in asuria since 19D.

'here are more and more country music artists in rance.

Some of the most important are iane d%ards, Annabel,

'ahiana, and ili !est. rench roc and roll superstar ddy

itchell is also "ery inspired by Americana and country music.

In Iran, country music has appeared in recent years. According to "elody "usic "a%azine,

the pioneer of country music in Iran is the nglish*speaing country music band :ream

6o"ers, %hose founder, singer and song%riter is rfan 6eayatbahsh 8elf;. 'he band %as

formed in 200? in 'ehran, and during this time they ha"e been trying to introduce and

popularie country music in Iran by releasing t%o studio albums and performing li"e at

concerts, despite the difficulties that the Islamic regime in Iran maes for bands that are acti"e

in the %estern music field.

1




Conclusion

$ountry music is an important part of american culture, %hich also broadcasted in some

other different countries such as $anada, Suedia and <rail. As many other music gendres,

country music had also introduced a specific fashion style. Its influence is not limited only to

music and a particular fashion sense, but also to a particular life style.

'o put an end to my pro&ect, I hope you %ill find the brief presentation of country music that

i made interesting enough to gi"e this music gendre a closer loo.

2




:e(erences, sources and citations

<oos, publications and online sourcesL

* page 2L $reating $ountry usicL abricating Authenticity by 6ichard A. Ceterson

* page 2L 'he Ne% <lue usicL $hanges in 6hythm H <lues, 190*1999 by 6ichard 7. 6ipani

* page 2L $ountry music * :efinition on :ictionary.com

* page 2L $ountry music * :efinition on !ord!eb

* page 2L $ommuting in America IIIL 'he 'hird National 6eport on $ommuting by Alan Cisarsi

* page L ?Ddiscography.com 'he 5nline :iscography Cro&ect.

* page L $ountry usic 5riginalsL 'he egends and the ost, 'ony 6ussel

* page =L 3:espite Bits, No 6adio o"e et or $ountry 6ap3. <illboard. Associated Cress. 7uly , 201=

* page =L !ade 7essen, 3lorida Georgia ine4s 4$ruise4 Sets All*'ime $ountry Sales 6ecord3. <illboard.

* page L !ayne !. :aniel Cicin4 on CeachtreeL A Bistory of $ountry usic in Atlanta, Georgia.

* page L $ountry usic 6ecordsL A :iscography, 'ony 6ussel

* page L 35ur Georgia Bistory3

* page L 3<lue 6idge Institute H useum3.

* page L 3<lue 6idge Institute H useum3 @ 'he 5ld 9?

* page L httpLFF%%%.southernmusic.netFgidtanner.htm

* page EL 3American 6oots usicL pisode Summaries3, C<S

* page ?L 5ldies.com, Arthur Smith <iography.

* page DL $harles K. !olfeJ 8200;. $ountry usic Goes to !ar . -ni"ersity Cress of Kentucy.

* page DL $ohen, Norm 82000;. ong Steel 6ailL 'he 6ailroad in American olsong. -ni"ersity of Illinois Cress

* page DL Gilliland, 7ohn 819E9;. 3'ennessee irebirdL American country music before and after l"is3

* page 9L 36ochall.com3.

* page 10L 3erle BaggardL <iography3. $'.com

* page 11L Allmusic.com, Gram CarsonsL 5"er"ie%

* page 1L 'rucer4s 7uebo#L >arious ArtistsL usic.

* page 1L 3:a"e :udleyL Albums, Songs, <ios, Chotos3

* page 1EL 3$ountry is No. 1 musical style3.

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- page 10D 3$ountry music reflects the time3

* page 1EL 3$ountry music is maing %a"es across the seas3.

* page 1EL 36IAA.com3

* page 1DL 3$arrie -nder%ood H 11 N players star in 4!aiting All :ay or Sunday Night4 debuting Sep. ?, on N<$4s 4Sunday Night ootball4

* page 19L 3sperana Spalding, Arcade ire top a night of upsets at 2011 Grammys3

* page 20L 3Are 'aylor S%ift and $ountry Splitting -p for GoodY)

* page 20L 3'race 'aylor S%ift4s $ountry*to*Cop 'ransformation in Song3

* page 20L 3'aylor S%ift shaes off country %ith first pop album3.

* page 20L Neal, 7ocelyn. 3$ountry usic3. 5#ford usic 5nline. 5#ford -ni"ersity Cress

* page 20L Ian $rouch , 3'aing $ountry usic bac from the <ros3. 'he Ne% orer.

* page 20L Catric 6. Krill. 3$ountry usic and the 6ise of the <inge*:rining <ro3. Buffington Cost.

* page 20L 3$5-N'6 'ISL Z<ro*countryT "s. traditionalL <ring on the fight3. 'he !ashington 'imes.

* page 22L 3<ush songs and music * Australia4s $ulture Cortal3. $ultureandrecreation.go".au

* page 22L 3Australian country music * Australia4s $ulture Cortal3. $ultureandrecreation.go".au

* page 2L :a"e3 aing, 3Slim :ustyL $ountry singer famous for A Cub !ith No <eer3, 'he Guardian 8-K;

* page 2L 36eg indsay, country great, taes final bo% * ocal Ne%s * Ne%s * General3. 'he $anberra 'imes

* page 2L 3$i"ics [ Caul Kelly 819@;3. $i"icsandcitienship.edu.au

* page 2L Nic $a"e 8200*09*1;. 3Nic $a"e on 7ohnny $ash [ usic3. ondonL 'he Guardian

iscelaneous online sourcesL

* en.%iipedia.org* scholar.google.ro* httpLFF%%%.britannica.com* httpLFF%%%.encyclopedia.com

Sources and references for picturesL

* Cage EL !alden '% +a4r":oss hotos, u4licit" photo o( #usician :o" Acu,

the original cop" o( the photo as part o( a nespaper li4rar"%* age 3D hoto o( Cl"de B% :ed +ole" AuthorD 9op 9alent, Inc%, 'pring;eld,

Missouri 'ourceD 'canned (ro# original photo print* age 5D u4licit" portrait o( 6an8 !illia#s (or MGM records, circa 1&5,

author MGM :ecords* age D Bohnn" Cash ro#otional hoto (or 'un :ecords, ta8en in 1**,

date 1**, sourceD httpD%Ei#4uLngton%co#Ei#8eegancash%ht#l* age 12D !illie Nelson getting read" to per(or#% +ar# Aid 2..% hoto 4"

?arr" hilpot, %soundstagephotograph"%co#, 1* Bune 2.11, .1D

&

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http://www.soundstagephotography.com/

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