How the Country Genre of Music Has Evolved

How the Country Genre of Music Has Evolved: A Look at the History and Future of the Music

Early Country Music

Country music has its roots in the folk music of the Appalachian Mountains. In the early 20th century, commercial recording companies such as the Victor Talking Machine Company and Columbia Records began to record and release this music. The first commercially successful country artist was Jimmie Rodgers, who signed with Victor in 1927. His recordings, such as “Blue Yodel”, sold well and helped to popularize the genre.

Origins in folk music

Country music is a genre of American popular music that originated in the southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from the folk music of the rural Anglo-American and African-American communities. Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, and the Carter Family are often cited as the earliest important country music performers. Over time, country music has developed a number of different subgenres, including bluegrass, honky-tonk, Western swing, and rockabilly.

Influences of blues and jazz

In the early 1900s, the blues was born out of the work songs and spirituals of African American slaves. These songs were often accompanied by a banjo or other stringed instruments, and they were brought north by black laborers who migrated to urban areas in search of work. At the same time, white laborers in rural areas were singing their own songs about their lives and experiences. These songs, which were influenced by British and Irish folk music, came to be known as country music.

Jazz, another African American-derived genre, also began to exert its influence on country music in the early 1900s. Jazz is characterized by its syncopated rhythms and Improvised solos, both of which can be heard in early country recordings such as “The Tennessee Waltz” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky.” Other early country musicians, such as the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers, would also incorporate elements of blues and jazz into their music.

The Rise of Country Music

Over the past few decades, the country genre of music has seen a huge resurgence in popularity. what was once considered to be music for farmers and rednecks is now enjoyed by people of all walks of life. So, how did this happen? Let’s take a look at the history of country music and how it has evolved over the years.

The Grand Ole Opry

The Grand Ole Opry is a live musical performance venue located in Nashville, Tennessee. It is the home of country music and has been hosting regular shows since 1925. Originally created as a radio show, the Grand Ole Opry has evolved over the years into one of the most iconic and important country music institutions.

The Grand Ole Opry helped to launch the careers of many famous country music artists, including Dolly Parton, Hank Williams, and Willie Nelson. It remains an important showcase for new talent and a beloved part of country music history.

Country music stars of the 1950s and 1960s

For many years, country music was not highly regarded by the music industry or the general public. It was considered to be a form of music for uneducated, rural people. However, in the 1950s and 1960s, country music began to be taken more seriously. This was in part due to the success of country music stars such as Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, and Johnny Cash. These artists helped to change the perception of country music and make it more popular with a wider range of people.

In the 1970s and 1980s, country music continued to grow in popularity. This was due in part to the success of artists such as Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. Additionally, the advent of television channels devoted to country music, such as The Nashville Network (TNN), also helped to increase its popularity.

Today, country music is one of the most popular genres of music in the United States. It continues to evolve and change with the times, but its roots will always be in its traditional forms.

The Outlaw Country Movement

In the 1970s, a new subgenre of country music began to emerge, known as outlaw country. This type of country music was a reaction against the polished, Nashville sound that had come to dominate the country music scene. Outlaw country artists such as Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings were influenced by rock and roll, and they created a sound that was rawer and more stripped-down than the music that was coming out of Nashville.

The influence of Bob Dylan

The Outlaw Country Movement is often thought to have been started by country singer-songwriter Hank Williams, Jr. in the 1970s. However, the roots of the genre can be traced back to earlier artists, such as Bob Dylan. In the 1960s, Dylan introduced elements of rock and roll into his music, which challenged the norms of traditional country music. His goal was to break down the barriers between genres and create a new type of music that would appeal to a wider audience. While some traditionalists criticized Dylan for “corrupting” country music, his experimental style paved the way for future outlaw artists.

The Nashville Sound

The Nashville Sound is a subgenre of country music that emerged from Nashville, Tennessee, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was inspired by the popularity of rock and roll, but it incorporated elements of traditional country music as well. The Nashville Sound was characterized by its polished production values, strings, and backing vocalists.

The Nashville Sound became very successful, but it was also criticized for being too polished and artificial. In response to this criticism, singers like Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson began to embrace a more traditional sound, which came to be known as Outlaw Country. This new subgenre was rawer and less polished than the Nashville Sound, and it often featured songs about working-class life and outlaws.

Outlaw Country remained popular throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but it fell out of favor in the 1990s. In recent years, however, there has been a revival of interest in Outlaw Country, thanks in part to singers like Sturgill Simpson and Margo Price.

Contemporary Country Music

Since the late 1990s, country music has been on a journey, slowly shedding its image as the soundtrack for pickup trucks, beer drinking, and blue-collar America. The genre has gone through multiple evolutions in the past few decades, with artists pushing the boundaries of what country music can be. These days, contemporary country music is a far cry from the music of its roots.

The influence of pop and rock

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, country music began to expand its audience and to cross over into other genres. This was due in part to the success of Garth Brooks, who was able to bring country music into the mainstream with his pop-influenced style. But other artists were also beginning to experiment with country-pop crossover sounds, including Shania Twain, Faith Hill, and Tim McGraw. These artists blended traditional country instrumentation and themes with more contemporary pop sensibilities, resulting in a sound that appealed to a wider audience.

The influence of pop and rock on country music has continued in the 21st century. Artists like Keith Urban and Lady Antebellum have found success by incorporating elements of other genres into their music. And as country music becomes more diverse and evolves to reflect the changing tastes of its listeners, it is likely that we will see even more genre-bending in the years to come.

The influence of hip hop and rap

In the early 2000s, country music began to be influenced by other genres, particularly hip hop and rap. Artists like Nelly, with his 2002 five-times platinum album Country Grammar, began to bring country music to a new audience. His follow-up album, 2004’s Sweat, Suit and Mo’ Honey, went six times platinum and won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for the single “Over and Over.” In 2006, he released the album Brass Knuckles, which went platinum.

Other artists followed suit, including Big & Rich (who had a hit in 2004 with the rap-infused “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)”), Jason Aldean (whose 2005 album Relentless included the rap song “Why”), and Rascal Flatts (whose 2007 album Still Feels Good included the rap collaboration “Life is a Highway”).

The influence of hip hop and rap on country music has continued to grow in recent years. In 2013, Florida Georgia Line’s single “Cruise” became the best-selling digital country song of all time. The song samples Nelly’s 2002 hit “Ride wit Me” and helped launched the duo to superstardom. In 2015, rapper Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees released his solo debut album Exogenous Zone, which includes the single “Trash.” The song is a duet with country singer Elle King and is a fusion of country and electronic dance music.