| Country rock | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 1960s and early 1970s,Southern andWestern United States |
| Derivative forms | |
| Fusion genres | |
| Other topics | |
Country rock is a music genre that fusesrock andcountry. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal styles, and additional instrumentation, most characteristicallypedal steel guitars.[1] Country rock began with artists likeWaylon Jennings,Buffalo Springfield,Michael Nesmith,Bob Dylan,Nitty Gritty Dirt Band,the Byrds,the Flying Burrito Brothers,The International Submarine Band[2][3] and others, reaching its greatest popularity in the 1970s with artists such asEmmylou Harris, theEagles,New Riders of the Purple Sage,Linda Ronstadt,Little Feat,Poco,Charlie Daniels Band, andPure Prairie League. Country rock also influenced artists in other genres, includingThe Band, theGrateful Dead,Creedence Clearwater Revival,The Rolling Stones, andGeorge Harrison's solo work,[1] as well as playing a part in the development ofSouthern rock.
There has also been cross-pollination throughout the history of both genres; however, the term "country-rock" is used generally to refer to the wave of rock musicians of the late 1960s and early 1970s who began recording rock songs with country themes, vocal styles, and additional instrumentation, most characteristicallypedal steel guitars.[1]John Einarson states that, "[f]rom a variety of perspectives and motivations, these musicians either played country with a rock & roll attitude, or added a country feel to rock, or folk, or bluegrass. There was no formula".[4]
The termcountry rock had rarely been heard until the criticRichard Goldstein used it the June 6, 1968 issue ofThe Village Voice.[5] In his piece, titled "Country Rock: Can Y'All Dig It?", Goldstein counted several artists as moving towards country-friendly material – includingMoby Grape,Stone Poneys,Buffy Sainte-Marie,the International Submarine Band andBob Dylan – but he expectedthe Byrds' forthcoming album,Sweetheart of the Rodeo, to represent the new genre.[5] Before the Byrds' album was released in August 1968, Goldstein consideredthe Band's debut album,Music From Big Pink, as the "first major album" of the country-rock movement when he reviewed it forThe New York Times on August 4.[6][7] Key to the genre, Goldstein wrote, was that the album had country music's "twang and ... tenacity", but it also "[made] you want to move" like rock music.[6][7]
Country rock incorporates musical elements and songwriting from 1960s country into modern rock music of the time. Country rock, primarily developed in Los Angeles, grew off the back of many southern Americans moving toLos Angeles, the growth of the commercialrecording studio sound, and the adoption of main stream production techniques popularized by rock musicians of the era.[8]
Country influences can be heard on rock records through the 1960s, includingthe Beatles' 1964 recordings "I'll Cry Instead", "Baby's in Black", "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party", and their 1965 recording "I've Just Seen A Face", the Byrds' 1965 cover version ofPorter Wagoner's "Satisfied Mind", orthe Rolling Stones "High and Dry" (1966), as well asBuffalo Springfield's "Go and Say Goodbye" (1966) and "Kind Woman" (1968).[1] According toThe Encyclopedia of Country Music, the Beatles' "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party", their cover of theBuck Owens country hit "Act Naturally" and their 1965 albumRubber Soul can all be seen "with hindsight" as examples of country rock.[9]
Former TVteen idol androckabilly recording artistRicky Nelson pioneered the Country Rock sound as the frontman for his Stone Canyon Band and recorded the 1966 albumBright Lights & Country Music and the 1967 albumCountry Fever. BassistRandy Meisner joined briefly in 1970 after leavingPoco and before joiningEagles.
In 1966, as many rock artists moved increasingly towards expansive and experimentalpsychedelia, Bob Dylan spearheaded the back-to-basicsroots revival when he went to Nashville to record the albumBlonde on Blonde, playing with notable local musicians likeCharlie McCoy.[10] This, and the subsequent more clearly country-influenced albums,John Wesley Harding (1967) andNashville Skyline (1969), have been seen as creating the genre ofcountry folk, a route pursued by a number of, largely acoustic, folk musicians.[10]
Dylan's lead was also followed by the Byrds, who were joined byGram Parsons in 1968. Parsons had mixedcountry withrock,blues andfolk to create what he called "Cosmic American Music".[11] Earlier in the year Parsons had releasedSafe at Home (although the principal recording for the album had taken place in mid-1967) with the International Submarine Band, which made extensive use ofpedal steel and is seen by some as the first true country-rock album.[1] The result of Parsons' brief tenure in the Byrds wasSweetheart of the Rodeo (1968), generally considered one of the finest and most influential recordings in the genre.[1] The Byrds continued in the same vein, but Parsons left before the album was released to join another ex-Byrds memberChris Hillman in formingthe Flying Burrito Brothers. The Byrds hired guitaristClarence White and drummerGene Parsons, both from the country bandNashville West. The Flying Burrito Brothers recorded the albumsThe Gilded Palace of Sin (1969) andBurrito Deluxe (1970), which helped establish the respectability and parameters of the genre, before Parsons departed to pursue a solo career.[1]
Country rock was a particularly popular style in the California music scene of the late 1960s, and was adopted by bands including Hearts and Flowers,Poco (formed byRichie Furay andJim Messina, formerly of the Buffalo Springfield) andNew Riders of the Purple Sage.[1] Some folk-rockers followed the Byrds into the genre, among them theBeau Brummels[1] and theNitty Gritty Dirt Band.[12] A number of performers also enjoyed a renaissance by adopting country sounds, including: the Beatles, who re-explored elements of country in songs such as "Rocky Raccoon" and "Don't Pass Me By" from their 1968self-titled double album (often referred to as the "White Album"),[13] and "Octopus's Garden" fromAbbey Road (1969);[14]The Everly Brothers, whoseRoots album (1968) is usually considered some of their finest work;John Fogerty, who leftCreedence Clearwater Revival behind for the country sounds ofthe Blue Ridge Rangers (1972);[15]Mike Nesmith, who had experimented with country sounds while withthe Monkees, formed theFirst National Band;[16] andNeil Young who moved in and out of the genre throughout his career.[1] One of the few acts to successfully move from the country side towards rock were thebluegrass bandthe Dillards.[1]Doug Dillard left the band to form the groupDillard & Clark with ex-Byrds memberGene Clark andBernie Leadon.[17]
The greatest commercial success for country rock came in the 1970s, withthe Doobie Brothers mixing in elements of R&B,Emmylou Harris (the former singer with Parsons) becoming a star on country radio, andLinda Ronstadt, the "queen of country-rock", creating a highly successful pop-oriented brand of the genre.[18]Pure Prairie League, formed in Ohio in 1970 byCraig Fuller, had both critical and commercial success with five straight Top 40 LP releases,[19] includingBustin' Out (1972), acclaimed by AllMusic critic Richard Foss as "an album that is unequaled in country-rock",[20] andTwo Lane Highway, described byRolling Stone as "a worthy companion to the likes of the Byrds'Sweetheart of the Rodeo and other gems of the genre".[21] Former Poco and Buffalo Springfield member Jim Messina joined Kenny Loggins in a very successful duo, while former members of Ronstadt's backing band went on to form theEagles (two members of which were from the Flying Burrito Brothers and Poco), who emerged as one of the most successful rock acts of all time, producing albums that includedDesperado (1973) andHotel California (1976).[18] However, the principal country rock influence in the Eagles came fromBernie Leadon, formerly of the Flying Burrito Brothers, and the Eagles are perceived as shifting towards hard rock after he left the band in late 1975.The Ozark Mountain Daredevils had hit singles "If You Wanna Get To Heaven" (1974) and "Jackie Blue" (1975), the latter of which peaked at #3 on theBillboard Hot 100 in 1975.The Bellamy Brothers had the hit "Let Your Love Flow"(1976). In 1979, the Southern rockCharlie Daniels Band moved to a more country direction, released a song with strong bluegrass influence, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", and the song crossed over and became a hit on the pop chart.[22]
Outside its handful of stars, country rock's greatest significance was on artists in other genres, including the Band,Grateful Dead,Creedence Clearwater Revival,the Rolling Stones, andGeorge Harrison's solo work.[1] It also played a part in the development ofSouthern rock, which, although largely derived fromblues rock, had a distinct southern lilt, and it paved the way for parts of thealternative country movement.[1] The genre declined in popularity in the late-1970s, but some established artists, including Neil Young, have continued to record country-tinged rock into the 21st century. Japan even took influence in the 70s with country rock mainly in the kayokyoku genre. Artists such asTakuro Yoshida,Lily andSaori Minami have often dabbled with country rock in their music. Country rock has survived as a cult force in Texas, where acts includingthe Flatlanders,Joe Ely,Butch Hancock,Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and California-based Richard Brooker have collaborated and recorded.[1][23] Other performers have produced occasional recordings in the genre, includingElvis Costello'sAlmost Blue (1981)[1] and theRobert Plant andAlison Krauss collaborationRaising Sand, which was one of the most commercially successful albums of 2007.[24]Kid Rock, who broke through into mainstream success with arap rock sound, gradually developed a country rock sound.[25] In 2013, British country rock bandRocky and the Natives releasedLet's Hear It for the Old Guys with two American members, drummerAndy Newmark and acoustic guitaristBob Rafkin. Rafkin had written "Lazy Waters" forThe Byrds from the 1971 albumFarther Along, and Andy Newmark had played on the 1973Gene Parsons albumKindling. Canadian country rock bandBlue Rodeo has found considerable success in Canada, selling multi-platinum albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and continues to receive frequent radio airplay on Canadian radio stations. Later in 2013 Rocky and the Natives' country rock cover of John Lennon's "Tight A$" was included on theLennon Bermuda album.
A revival of country music blended with rock features in the 2020s was titled "ronky tonk" in the music press, with acts such asZach Bryan,Jackson Dean, andBailey Zimmerman identified byBillboard.[26][27]Jelly Roll is another crossover artist that blends a unique fashion of country and rock,[28] sometimes withhip hop influences.[29]
| Country metal | |
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| Stylistic origins |
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| Cultural origins | 2000s |
| Subgenres | |
| Countrycore | |
| Other topics | |
| Southern metal | |
Country metal is the fusion country music elements withheavy metal.
In 2002,Kid Rock was quoted inVariety describing himself as a "country-metal-rap hillbilly".[30] In 2006,David Allan Coe featuringDimebag Darrell,Vinnie Paul, andRex Brown, all fromPantera, released the collaborative albumRebel Meets Rebel, whichAllmusic described as a "groundbreaking" mix of country and heavy metal, and noted thatfiddle is included, being played by Joey Floyd.[31]Billboard also noted thatJason Aldean's thunderous 2008 single "She's Country" received comparisons toAC/DC.[32]Brantley Gilbert andHardy have been described as country metal, with Hardy incorporating nu metal elements into his sound.[32]
Countrycore is a genre term created by the media to describe the style of Brazilian bandMatanza, who fuse country music with heavy metal and hardcore punk.
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