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Country (also calledcountry and western) is amusic genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both theAmerican South andthe Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is primarily focused on singingstories aboutworking-class andblue-collar American life.[3]
In 2009, in the United States, country music was the most-listened-to rush-hour radio genre during the evening commute, and second-most popular in the morning commute.[12]
The main components of the modern country music style date back to music traditions throughout theSouthern United States andSouthwestern United States, while its place inAmerican popular music was established in the 1920s during the early days of music recording.[13] According to country historianBill C. Malone, country music was "introduced to the world as a Southern phenomenon."[14]
The first generation emerged in the 1920s, withAtlanta's music scene playing a major role in launching country's earliest recording artists.James Gideon "Gid" Tanner (1885–1960) was an American old-time fiddler and one of the earliest stars of what would come to be known as country music. His band, theSkillet Lickers, was one of the mostinnovative and influential string bands of the 1920s and 1930s. Its most notable members wereClayton McMichen (fiddle and vocal),Dan Hornsby (vocals),Riley Puckett (guitar and vocal) and Robert Lee Sweat (guitar). New York City record labelOkeh Records began issuing hillbilly music records byFiddlin' John Carson as early as 1923, followed byColumbia Records (series 15000D "Old Familiar Tunes") (Samantha Bumgarner) in 1924, andRCA Victor Records in 1927 with the first famous pioneers of the genreJimmie Rodgers, who is widely considered the "Father of Country Music", and the first family of country music theCarter Family.[27] Many "hillbilly" musicians recorded blues songs throughout the 1920s.[28]
During the second generation (1930s–1940s), radio became a popular source of entertainment, and "barn dance" shows featuring country music were started all over the South, as far north as Chicago, and as far west as California. The most important was theGrand Ole Opry, aired starting in 1925 byWSM inNashville and continuing to the present day. During the 1930s and 1940s, cowboy songs, or western music, which had been recorded since the 1920s, were popularized by films made in Hollywood, many featuringGene Autry, who was known as king of the "singing cowboys," andHank Williams.Bob Wills was another country musician from the LowerGreat Plains who had become very popular as the leader of a "hotstring band," and who also appeared inHollywood westerns. His mix of country andjazz, which started out as dance hall music, would become known aswestern swing. Wills was one of the first country musicians known to have added an electric guitar to his band, in 1938.[29] Country musicians began recordingboogie in 1939, shortly after it had been played atCarnegie Hall, whenJohnny Barfield recorded "Boogie Woogie".
Fourth generation (1970s–1980s) music includedoutlaw country with roots in theBakersfield sound, andcountry pop with roots in thecountrypolitan, folk music andsoft rock. Between 1972 and 1975 singer/guitaristJohn Denver released a series of hugely successful songs blending country and folk-rock musical styles. By the mid-1970s,Texas country andTejano music gained popularity with performers likeFreddie Fender. During the early 1980s country artists continued to see their records perform well on the pop charts. In 1980 a style of "neocountry disco music" was popularized. During the mid-1980s a group of new artists began to emerge who rejected the more polished country-pop sound that had been prominent on radio and the charts in favor of more traditional "back-to-basics" production.
The sixth generation (2000s–present) has seen a certain amount of diversification in regard to country music styles. It has also, however, seen a shift into patriotism and conservative politics since9/11, though such themes are less prevalent in more modern trends.[30] The influence ofrock music in country has become more overt during the late 2000s and early 2010s. Most of the best-selling country songs of this era were those byLady A,Florida Georgia Line,Carrie Underwood, andTaylor Swift.[31]Hip hop also made its mark on country music with the emergence ofcountry rap.[32]
Vernon Dalhart was the first country star to have a major hit record
The first commercial recordings of what was considered instrumental music in the traditional country style were "Arkansas Traveler" and "Turkey in the Straw" by fiddlers Henry Gilliland &A.C. (Eck) Robertson on June 30, 1922, for Victor Records and released in April 1923.[33][34]Columbia Records began issuing records with "hillbilly" music (series 15000D "Old Familiar Tunes") as early as 1924.[27]
Rodgers fused hillbilly country, gospel, jazz, blues, pop, cowboy, and folk, and many of his best songs were his compositions, including "Blue Yodel",[46] which sold over a million records and established Rodgers as the premier singer of early country music.[47][48] Beginning in 1927, and for the next 17 years, the Carters recorded some 300 old-time ballads, traditional tunes, country songs and gospel hymns, all representative of America's southeastern folklore and heritage.[49] Maybelle Carter went on to continue the family tradition with her daughters asThe Carter Sisters; her daughterJune would marry (in succession)Carl Smith, Rip Nix andJohnny Cash, having children with each who would also become country singers.
Record sales declined during theGreat Depression. However, radio became a popular source of entertainment, and "barn dance" shows featuring country music were started by radio stations all over the South, as far north as Chicago, and as far west as California.
The most important was theGrand Ole Opry, aired starting in 1925 byWSM inNashville and continuing to the present day.[50] Some of the early stars on theOpry wereUncle Dave Macon,Roy Acuff and African American harmonica playerDeFord Bailey. WSM's 50,000-watt signal (in 1934) could often be heard across the country.[51] Many musicians performed and recorded songs in any number of styles.Moon Mullican, for example, playedwestern swing but also recorded songs that can be calledrockabilly. Between 1947 and 1949, country croonerEddy Arnold placed eight songs in the top 10.[52] From 1945 to 1955Jenny Lou Carson was one of the most prolific songwriters in country music.[53]
In the 1930s and 1940s, cowboy songs, or western music, which had been recorded since the 1920s, were popularized by films made in Hollywood. Some of the popularsinging cowboys from the era wereGene Autry, theSons of the Pioneers, andRoy Rogers.[54] Country music and western music were frequently played together on the same radio stations, hence the termcountry and western music, despite country and western being two distinct genres.
Cowgirls contributed to the sound in various family groups.Patsy Montana opened the door for female artists with her history-making song "I Want To Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart". This would begin a movement toward opportunities for women to have successful solo careers.Bob Wills was another country musician from the LowerGreat Plains who had become very popular as the leader of a "hotstring band," and who also appeared inHollywood westerns. His mix of country andjazz, which started out as dance hall music, would become known aswestern swing.Cliff Bruner,Moon Mullican,Milton Brown andAdolph Hofner were other early western swing pioneers.Spade Cooley andTex Williams also had very popular bands and appeared in films. At its height, western swing rivaled the popularity ofbig band swing music.
Drums were scorned by early country musicians as being "too loud" and "not pure", but by 1935 western swing big band leader Bob Wills had added drums to theTexas Playboys. In the mid-1940s, the Grand Ole Opry did not want the Playboys' drummer to appear on stage. Although drums were commonly used by rockabilly groups by 1955, the less-conservative-than-the-Grand-Ole-OpryLouisiana Hayride kept its infrequently used drummer backstage as late as 1956. By the early 1960s, however, it was rare for a country band not to have a drummer.[55] Bob Wills was one of the first country musicians known to have added anelectric guitar to his band, in 1938.[29] A decade later (1948)Arthur Smith achieved top 10 US country chart success with his MGM Records recording of "Guitar Boogie", which crossed over to the US pop chart, introducing many people to the potential of the electric guitar. For several decades Nashville session players preferred the warm tones of theGibson andGretsch archtop electrics, but a "hot"Fender style, using guitars which became available beginning in the early 1950s, eventually prevailed as the signature guitar sound of country.[55][56]
Country musicians began recordingboogie in 1939, shortly after it had been played atCarnegie Hall, whenJohnny Barfield recorded "Boogie Woogie". The trickle of what was initially called hillbilly boogie, or okie boogie (later to be renamed country boogie), became a flood beginning in late 1945. One notable release from this period wasthe Delmore Brothers' "Freight Train Boogie", considered to be part of the combined evolution of country music and blues towardsrockabilly. In 1948,Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith achieved top ten US country chart success with his MGM Records recordings of "Guitar Boogie" and "Banjo Boogie", with the former crossing over to the US pop charts.[57] Other country boogie artists includedMoon Mullican,Merrill Moore andTennessee Ernie Ford. The hillbilly boogie period lasted into the 1950s and remains one of many subgenres of country into the 21st century.
Bill and Charlie Monroe (1936). Bill Monroe (1911–1996) and the Blue Grass Boys created the bluegrass by the end of World War II.
By the end ofWorld War II, "mountaineer" string band music known asbluegrass had emerged whenBill Monroe joined withLester Flatt andEarl Scruggs, introduced by Roy Acuff at the Grand Ole Opry. That was the ordination of bluegrass music and howBill Monroe came to be known as the "Father of Bluegrass."Gospel music, too, remained a popular component of bluegrass and other sorts of country music.Red Foley, the biggest country star following World War II, had one of the first million-selling gospel hits ("Peace in the Valley") and also sang boogie, blues and rockabilly. In the post-war period, country music was called "folk" in the trades, and "hillbilly" within the industry.[58] In 1944,Billboard replaced the term "hillbilly" with "folk songs and blues," and switched to "country and western" in 1949.[59][60]
Another type of stripped-down and raw music with a variety of moods and a basic ensemble of guitar, bass,dobro or steel guitar (and later) drums became popular, especially among rural residents in the three states ofTexhomex, those beingTexas,Oklahoma, andNewMexico.[61] It became known ashonky tonk and had its roots in western swing and theranchera music of Mexico and the border states, particularly New Mexico and Texas,[62] together with the blues of the American South.Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys personified this music which has been described as "a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, a little bit of black and a little bit of white ... just loud enough to keep you from thinking too much and to go right on ordering the whiskey."[63] East TexanAl Dexter had a hit with "Honky Tonk Blues", and seven years later "Pistol Packin' Mama".[64] These "honky tonk" songs were associated with barrooms, and was performed by the likes ofErnest Tubb,Kitty Wells (the first major female country solo singer),Ted Daffan,Floyd Tillman, theMaddox Brothers and Rose,Lefty Frizzell andHank Williams; the music of these artists would later be called "traditional" country. Williams' influence in particular would prove to be enormous, inspiring many of the pioneers of rock and roll,[65] such asElvis Presley,Jerry Lee Lewis,Chuck Berry andIke Turner, while providing a framework for emerging honky tonk talents likeGeorge Jones.Webb Pierce was the top-charting country artist of the 1950s, with 13 of his singles spending 113 weeks at number one. He charted 48 singles during the decade; 31 reached the top ten and 26 reached the top four.
By the early 1950s, a blend of western swing, country boogie, and honky tonk was played by most country bands, a mixture which followed in the footsteps ofGene Autry,Lydia Mendoza,Roy Rogers, andPatsy Montana. Western music, influenced by the cowboy ballads,New Mexico,Texas country andTejano music rhythms of theSouthwestern United States andNorthern Mexico, reached its peak in popularity in the late 1950s, most notably with the song "El Paso", first recorded byMarty Robbins in September 1959. Western music's influence would continue to grow within the country music sphere, western musicians likeMichael Martin Murphey,New Mexico music artistsAl Hurricane andAntonia Apodaca,Tejano music performerLittle Joe, and even folk revivalistJohn Denver, all first rose to prominence during this time. This western music influence largely kept the music of thefolk revival andfolk rock from influencing the country music genre much, despite the similarity in instrumentation and origins (see, for instance,the Byrds' negative reception during their appearance on theGrand Ole Opry). The main concern was largely political: most folk revival was largely driven by progressive activists, a stark contrast to the culturally conservative audiences of country music. John Denver was perhaps the only musician to have major success in both the country and folk revival genres throughout his career, later only a handful of artists likeBurl Ives and Canadian musicianGordon Lightfoot successfully made the crossover to country after folk revival fell out of fashion. During the mid-1950s a new style of country music became popular, eventually to be referred to as rockabilly.[66]
In 1953, the first all-country radio station was established inLubbock, Texas.[67] The music of the 1960s and 1970s targeted the American working class, andtruckers in particular. As country radio became more popular, trucking songs like the 1963 hit songSix Days on the Road byDave Dudley began to make up their own subgenre of country. These revamped songs sought to portray American truckers as a "new folk hero", marking a significant shift in sound from earlier country music. The song was written by actual truckers and contained numerous references to the trucker culture of the time like "ICC" forInterstate Commerce Commission and "little white pills" as a reference toamphetamines.Starday Records in Nashville followed up on Dudley's initial success with the release ofGive Me 40 Acres by theWillis Brothers.[67]
Rockabilly was most popular with country fans in the 1950s; one of the first rock and roll superstars was former western yodelerBill Haley, who repurposed his Four Aces of Western Swing into a rock and roll band in the early 1950s and renamed it theComets. Bill Haley & His Comets are credited with two of the first successful rock and roll records, "Crazy Man, Crazy" of 1953 and "Rock Around the Clock" in 1954.[68]
1956 could be called the year ofrockabilly in country music. Rockabilly was an early form ofrock and roll, an upbeat combination ofblues and country music.[69] The number two, three and four songs onBillboard's charts for that year wereElvis Presley, "Heartbreak Hotel";Johnny Cash, "I Walk the Line"; andCarl Perkins, "Blue Suede Shoes". Reflecting this success, George Jones released a rockabilly record that year under the pseudonym "Thumper Jones", wanting to capitalize on the popularity of rockabilly without alienating his traditional country base.[70] Cash and Presley placed songs in the top 5 in 1958 with No. 3 "Guess Things Happen That Way/Come In, Stranger" by Cash, and No. 5 by Presley "Don't/I Beg of You."[71] Presley acknowledged the influence ofrhythm and blues artists and his style, saying "The colored folk been singin' and playin' it just the way I'm doin' it now, man for more years than I know." Within a few years, many rockabilly musicians returned to a more mainstream style or had defined their own unique style.
Country music gained national television exposure throughOzark Jubilee on ABC-TV and radio from 1955 to 1960 fromSpringfield, Missouri. The program showcased top stars including several rockabilly artists, some from theOzarks. As Webb Pierce put it in 1956, "Once upon a time, it was almost impossible to sell country music in a place like New York City. Nowadays, television takes us everywhere, and country music records and sheet music sell as well in large cities as anywhere else."[72]
TheCountry Music Association was founded in 1958, in part because numerous country musicians were appalled by the increased influence of rock and roll on country music.[73]
Beginning in the mid-1950s, and reaching its peak during the early 1960s, the Nashville sound turned country music into a multimillion-dollar industry centered inNashville, Tennessee. Under the direction of producers such asChet Atkins,Bill Porter,Paul Cohen,Owen Bradley,Bob Ferguson, and laterBilly Sherrill, the sound brought country music to a diverse audience and helped revive country as it emerged from a commercially fallow period. This subgenre was notable for borrowing from 1950s pop stylings: a prominent and smooth vocal, backed by astring section (violins and other orchestral strings) and vocal chorus. Instrumental soloing was de-emphasized in favor of trademark "licks". Leading artists in this genre includedJim Reeves,Skeeter Davis,Connie Smith,the Browns,[74]Patsy Cline, andEddy Arnold. The "slip note" piano style of session musicianFloyd Cramer was an important component of this style.[75] The Nashville Sound collapsed in mainstream popularity in 1964, a victim of both theBritish Invasion and the deaths of Reeves and Cline in separate airplane crashes. By the mid-1960s, the genre had developed intocountrypolitan. Countrypolitan was aimed straight at mainstream markets, and it sold well throughout the later 1960s into the early 1970s. Top artists includedTammy Wynette,Lynn Anderson andCharlie Rich, as well as such former "hard country" artists asRay Price andMarty Robbins. Despite the appeal of the Nashville sound, many traditional country artists emerged during this period and dominated the genre:Loretta Lynn,Merle Haggard,Buck Owens,Porter Wagoner,George Jones, andSonny James among them.
Merle Haggard in a 1975 publicity photo for Capitol Records
Another subgenre of country music grew out of hardcore honky tonk with elements ofwestern swing and originated 112 miles (180 km) north-northwest of Los Angeles inBakersfield, California, where many "Okies" and otherDust Bowl migrants had settled. Influenced by one-time West Coast residentsBob Wills andLefty Frizzell, by 1966 it was known as theBakersfield sound. It relied on electric instruments and amplification, in particular theTelecaster electric guitar, more than other subgenres of the country music of the era, and it can be described as having a sharp, hard, driving, no-frills, edgy flavor—hard guitars and honky-tonk harmonies.[67] Leading practitioners of this style wereBuck Owens,Merle Haggard,Tommy Collins,Dwight Yoakam,Gary Allan, andWynn Stewart, each of whom had his own style.[78][79]
Ken Nelson, who had produced Owens and Haggard andRose Maddox became interested in the trucking song subgenre following the success ofSix Days on the Road and askedRed Simpson to record an album of trucking songs. Haggard'sWhite Line Fever was also part of the trucking subgenre.[67]
The country music scene of the 1940s until the 1970s was largely dominated by western music influences, so much so that the genre began to be called "country and western".[80] Even today, cowboy and frontier values continue to play a role in the larger country music, withwestern wear,cowboy boots, andcowboy hats continues to be in fashion for country artists.[81]
As Outlaw country music emerged as subgenre in its own right, Red Dirt, New Mexico, Texas country, and Tejano grew in popularity as a part of the Outlaw country movement. Originating in the bars, fiestas, and honky-tonks of Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas, their music supplemented outlaw country's singer-songwriter tradition as well as 21st-centuryrock-inspiredalternative country andhip hop-inspiredcountry rap artists.[86]
Outlaw country was derived from the traditional western, includingRed Dirt,New Mexico,Texas country,Tejano, andhonky-tonk musical styles of the late 1950s and 1960s. Songs such as the 1963Johnny Cash popularized "Ring of Fire" show clear influences from the likes ofAl Hurricane andLittle Joe, this influence just happened to culminate with artists such asRay Price (whose band, the "Cherokee Cowboys", includedWillie Nelson andRoger Miller) and mixed with the anger of an alienated subculture of the nation during the period, a collection of musicians that came to be known as theoutlaw movement revolutionized the genre of country music in the early 1970s.[87][88] "After I left Nashville (the early 70s), I wanted to relax and play the music that I wanted to play, and just stay around Texas, maybe Oklahoma. Waylon and I had that outlaw image going, and when it caught on at colleges and we started selling records, we were O.K. The whole outlaw thing, it had nothing to do with the music, it was something that got written in an article, and the young people said, 'Well, that's pretty cool.' And started listening." (Willie Nelson)[89] The termoutlaw country is traditionally associated withWillie Nelson,Jerry Jeff Walker,[90]Hank Williams, Jr., Merle Haggard,Waylon Jennings andJoe Ely.[91] It was encapsulated in the 1976 albumWanted! The Outlaws.
Though the outlaw movement as a cultural fad had died down after the late 1970s (with Jennings noting in 1978 that it hadgotten out of hand and led to real-life legal scrutiny), many western and outlaw country music artists maintained their popularity during the 1980s by formingsupergroups, such asThe Highwaymen,[92]Texas Tornados,[93] andBandido.[94]
Country pop or soft pop, with roots in thecountrypolitan sound, folk music, andsoft rock, is a subgenre that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over toadult contemporary music. It started with pop music singers likeGlen Campbell,Bobbie Gentry,John Denver,Olivia Newton-John,Anne Murray,B. J. Thomas,the Bellamy Brothers, andLinda Ronstadt having hits on the country charts. Between 1972 and 1975, singer/guitarist John Denver released a series of hugely successful songs blending country and folk-rock musical styles ("Rocky Mountain High", "Sunshine on My Shoulders", "Annie's Song", "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", and "I'm Sorry"), and was named Country Music Entertainer of the Year in 1975. The year before, Olivia Newton-John, an Australian pop singer, won the "Best Female Country Vocal Performance" as well as the Country Music Association's most coveted award for females, "Female Vocalist of the Year". In response George Jones, Tammy Wynette,Jean Shepard and other traditional Nashville country artists dissatisfied with the new trend formed the short-lived "Association of Country Entertainers" in 1974; the ACE soon unraveled in the wake of Jones and Wynette's bitter divorce and Shepard's realization that most others in the industry lacked her passion for the movement.
During the mid-1970s,Dolly Parton, a successful mainstream country artist since the late 1960s, mounted a high-profile campaign to cross over to pop music, culminating in her 1977 hit "Here You Come Again", which topped the U.S. country singles chart, and also reached No. 3 on the pop singles charts. Parton's male counterpart,Kenny Rogers, came from the opposite direction, aiming his music at the country charts, after a successful career in pop, rock and folk music withthe First Edition, achieving success the same year with "Lucille", which topped the country charts and reached No. 5 on the U.S. pop singles charts, as well as reaching Number 1 on the British all-genre chart. Parton and Rogers would both continue to have success on both country and pop charts simultaneously, well into the 1980s. Country music propelled Kenny Rogers’ career, making him a three-timeGrammy Award winner and six-timeCountry Music Association Awards winner. Having sold more than 50 million albums in the US, one of his Song "The Gambler," inspired several TV films, with Rogers as the main character.[95] Artists likeCrystal Gayle,Ronnie Milsap andBarbara Mandrell would also find success on the pop charts with their records. In 1975, author Paul Hemphill stated in theSaturday Evening Post, "Country music isn't really country anymore; it is a hybrid of nearly every form of popular music in America."[96]
During the early 1980s, country artists continued to see their records perform well on the pop charts.Willie Nelson andJuice Newton each had two songs in the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 in the early eighties: Nelson charted "Always on My Mind" (#5, 1982) and "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" (#5, 1984, a duet withJulio Iglesias), and Newton achieved success with "Queen of Hearts" (#2, 1981) and "Angel of the Morning" (#4, 1981). Four country songs topped theBillboard Hot 100 in the 1980s: "Lady" byKenny Rogers, from the late fall of 1980; "9 to 5" byDolly Parton, "I Love a Rainy Night" byEddie Rabbitt (these two back-to-back at the top in early 1981); and "Islands in the Stream", a duet by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers in 1983, a pop-country crossover hit written by Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb of theBee Gees. Newton's "Queen of Hearts" almost reached No. 1, but was kept out of the spot by the pop ballad juggernaut "Endless Love" byDiana Ross andLionel Richie.[97] The move of country music toward neotraditional styles led to a marked decline in country/pop crossovers in the late 1980s, and only one song in that period—Roy Orbison's "You Got It", from 1989—made the top 10 of both theBillboardHot Country Singles" and Hot 100 charts, due largely to a revival of interest in Orbison after his sudden death.[98][99][page needed] The only song with substantial country airplay to reach number one on the pop charts in the late 1980s was "At This Moment" byBilly Vera and the Beaters, an R&B song with slide guitar embellishment that appeared at number 42 on the country charts from minor crossover airplay.[100] The record-setting, multi-platinum groupAlabama was named Artist of the Decade for the 1980s by the Academy of Country Music.
In 1980, a style of "neocountry disco music" was popularized by the filmUrban Cowboy.[105] It was during this time that a glut of pop-country crossover artists began appearing on the country charts: former pop starsBill Medley (ofthe Righteous Brothers),"England Dan" Seals (ofEngland Dan and John Ford Coley),Tom Jones, andMerrill Osmond (both alone and with some ofhis brothers; his younger sisterMarie Osmond was already an established country star) all recorded significant country hits in the early 1980s. Sales in record stores rocketed to $250 million in 1981; by 1984, 900 radio stations began programming country or neocountry pop full-time. As with most sudden trends, however, by 1984 sales had dropped below 1979 figures.[105]
George Strait, a pioneer of the neotraditionalist movement and dubbed the "King of Country,"[110] Strait is one of the best selling musicians of all time.[110]
Country music was aided by the U.S.Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Docket 80–90, which led to a significant expansion ofFM radio in the 1980s by adding numerous higher-fidelity FM signals to rural and suburban areas. At this point, country music was mainly heard on ruralAM radio stations; the expansion of FM was particularly helpful to country music, which migrated to FM from the AM band as AM became overcome bytalk radio (the country music stations that stayed on AM developed theclassic country format for the AM audience). At the same time,beautiful music stations already in rural areas began abandoning the format (leading to its effective demise) to adopt country music as well. This wider availability of country music led to producers seeking to polish their product for a wider audience. In 1990,Billboard, which had published acountry music chart since the 1940s, changed the methodology it used to compile the chart: singles sales were removed from the methodology, and only airplay oncountry radio determined a song's place on the chart.[111]
In the 1990s, country music became a worldwide phenomenon thanks toGarth Brooks,[112][113][114] who enjoyed one of the most successful careers in popular music history, breaking records for both sales and concert attendance throughout the decade. TheRIAA has certified his recordings at a combined (128×platinum), denoting roughly 113 million U.S. shipments.[115] Other artists who experienced success during this time includedClint Black,John Michael Montgomery,Tracy Lawrence,Tim McGraw,Kenny Chesney,Travis Tritt,Alan Jackson and the newly formed duo ofBrooks & Dunn;George Strait, whose career began in the 1980s, also continued to have widespread success in this decade and beyond.Toby Keith began his career as a more pop-oriented country singer in the 1990s, evolving into an outlaw persona in the early 2000s withPull My Chain and its follow-up,Unleashed.
Female artists such asReba McEntire,Patty Loveless,Faith Hill,Martina McBride,Deana Carter,LeAnn Rimes,Mindy McCready,Pam Tillis,Lorrie Morgan,Shania Twain, andMary Chapin Carpenter all released platinum-selling albums in the 1990s. TheDixie Chicks became one of the most popular country bands in the 1990s and early 2000s. Their 1998 debut albumWide Open Spaces went on to become certified 12× platinum while their 1999 albumFly went on to become 10× platinum. After their third album,Home, was released in 2003, the band made political news in part because of lead singerNatalie Maines's comments disparaging then-PresidentGeorge W. Bush while the band was overseas (Maines stated that she and her bandmates were ashamed to be from the same state as Bush, who had just commenced theIraq War a few days prior). The comments caused a rift between the band and the country music scene, and the band's fourth (and most recent) album, 2006'sTaking the Long Way, took a more rock-oriented direction; the album was commercially successful overall among non-country audiences but largely ignored among country audiences. AfterTaking the Long Way, the band broke up for a decade (with two of its members continuing as theCourt Yard Hounds) before reuniting in 2016 and releasing new material in 2020.
Canadian artistShania Twain became the best selling female country artist of the decade. This was primarily due to the success of her breakthrough sophomore 1995 album,The Woman in Me, which was certified 12× platinum sold over 20 million copies worldwide and its follow-up, 1997'sCome On Over, which was certified 20× platinum and sold over 40 million copies. The album became a major worldwide phenomenon and became one of the world's best selling albums for three years (1998, 1999 and 2000); it also went on to become the best selling country album of all time.
Unlike the majority of her contemporaries, Twain enjoyed large international success that had been seen by very few country artists, before or after her. Critics have noted that Twain enjoyed much of her success due to breaking free of traditional country stereotypes and for incorporating elements of rock and pop into her music. In 2002, she released her successful fourth studio album, titledUp!, which was certified 11× platinum and sold over 15 million copies worldwide.Shania Twain has been nominated eighteen times forGrammy Awards and won five Grammys. [[116]] She was the best-paid country music star in 2016 according to Forbes, with a net worth of $27.5 million. [[117]]Twain has been credited with breaking international boundaries for country music, as well as inspiring many country artists to incorporate different genres into their music in order to attract a wider audience. She is also credited with changing the way in which many female country performers would market themselves, as unlike many before her she used fashion and her sex appeal to get rid of the stereotypical 'honky-tonk' image the majority of country singers had in order to distinguish herself from many female country artists of the time.
In the early-mid-1990s, country western music was influenced by the popularity ofline dancing. This influence was so great thatChet Atkins was quoted as saying, "The music has gotten pretty bad, I think. It's all that damn line dancing."[118] By the end of the decade, however, at least one line dance choreographer complained that good country line dance music was no longer being released. In contrast, artists such asDon Williams andGeorge Jones who had more or less had consistent chart success through the 1970s and 1980s suddenly had their fortunes fall rapidly around 1991 when the new chart rules took effect.
Country influences combined withPunk rock andalternative rock to forge the "cowpunk" scene in Southern California during the 1980s, which included bands such asthe Long Ryders,Lone Justice andthe Beat Farmers, as well as the established punk groupX, whose music had begun to include country and rockabilly influences.[119] Simultaneously, a generation of diverse country artists outside of California emerged that rejected the perceived cultural and musical conservatism associated with Nashville's mainstream country musicians in favor of more countercultural outlaw country and the folk singer-songwriter traditions of artists such asWoody Guthrie,Gram Parsons andBob Dylan.
Artists from outside California who were associated with early alternative country included singer-songwriters such asLucinda Williams,Lyle Lovett andSteve Earle, the Nashville country rock bandJason and the Scorchers, the Providence "cowboy pop" bandRubber Rodeo, and the British post-punk bandthe Mekons. Earle, in particular, was noted for his popularity with both country andcollege rock audiences: He promoted his 1986 debut albumGuitar Town with a tour that saw him open for both country singerDwight Yoakam and alternative rock bandthe Replacements.[120] Yoakam also cultivated a fanbase spanning multiple genres through his stripped-downhonky-tonk influenced sound, association with the cowpunk scene, and performances at Los Angeles punk rock clubs.[121]
These early styles had coalesced into a genre by the time the Illinois groupUncle Tupelo released their influential debut albumNo Depression in 1990.[122][123] The album is widely credited as being the first "alternative country" album, and inspired the name ofNo Depression magazine, which exclusively covered the new genre.[122][123] Following Uncle Tupelo's disbanding in 1994, its members formed two significant bands in the genre:Wilco andSon Volt. Although Wilco's sound had moved away from country and towardsindie rock by the time they released their critically acclaimed albumYankee Hotel Foxtrot in 2002, they have continued to be an influence on later alt-country artists.
Lucinda Williams played a pivotal role in defining the early alt-country genre with her unique blend of country and rock.
Despite the genre's growing popularity in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, alternative country and neo-traditionalist artists saw minimal support from country radio in those decades, despite strong sales and critical acclaim for albums such as the soundtrack to the 2000 filmO Brother, Where Art Thou?.[125] In 1987, the Beat Farmers gained airplay on country music stations with their song "Make It Last", but the single was pulled from the format when station programmers decreed the band's music was too rock-oriented for their audience.[126] However, some alt-country songs have beencrossover hits to mainstream country radio in cover versions by established artists on the format; Lucinda Williams' "Passionate Kisses" was a hit forMary Chapin Carpenter in 1993, Ryan Adams' "When the Stars Go Blue" was a hit forTim McGraw in 2007, and Old Crow Medicine Show's "Wagon Wheel" was a hit forDarius Rucker (member ofHootie & The Blowfish) in 2013.
The sixth generation of country music continued to be influenced by other genres such as pop, rock, and R&B.Richard Marx crossed over with hisDays in Avalon album, which features five country songs and several singers and musicians.Alison Krauss sang background vocals to Marx's single "Straight from My Heart." Also,Bon Jovi had a hit single, "Who Says You Can't Go Home", withJennifer Nettles ofSugarland.Kid Rock's collaboration withSheryl Crow, "Picture," was a major crossover hit in 2001 and began Kid Rock's transition from hard rock to a country-rock hybrid that would later produce another major crossover hit, 2008's "All Summer Long." (Crow, whose music had often incorporated country elements, would also officially cross over into country with her hit "Easy" from her debut country albumFeels like Home).Darius Rucker, frontman for the 1990s pop-rock bandHootie & the Blowfish, began a country solo career in the late 2000s, one that to date has produced five albums and several hits on both the country charts and the Billboard Hot 100. Singer-songwriterUnknown Hinson became famous for his appearance in theCharlotte television showWild, Wild, South, after which Hinson started his own band and toured in southern states. Other rock stars who featured a country song on their albums wereDon Henley (who releasedCass County in 2015, an album which featured collaborations with numerous country artists) andPoison.
In 2005, country singerCarrie Underwood rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season ofAmerican Idol; she has since become one of the most prominent recording artists in the genre, with worldwide sales of more than 65 million records and sevenGrammy Awards.[133] With her first single, "Inside Your Heaven", Underwood became the only solo country artist to have a number 1 hit on theBillboard Hot 100 chart in the 2000–2009 decade and also brokeBillboard chart history as the first country music artist ever to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100. Underwood's debut album,Some 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 ranked byBillboard as the number 1 Country Album of the 2000–2009 decade. She has also become the female country artist with the most number one hits on theBillboardHot Country Songs chart in the Nielsen SoundScan era (1991–present), having 14 #1s and breaking her ownGuinness Book record of ten. In 2007, Underwood won theGrammy Award for Best New Artist, becoming only the second Country artist in history (and the first in a decade) to win it. She also made history by becoming the seventh woman to win Entertainer of the Year at theAcademy of Country Music Awards, and the first woman in history to win the award twice, as well as twice consecutively.Time has listed Underwood as one of the100 most influential people in the world.In 2016, Underwood topped theCountry Airplay chart for the 15th time, becoming the female artist with the most number ones on that chart.
One of the most commercially successful country artists of the late 2000s and early 2010s has been singer-songwriterTaylor Swift. Swift first became widely known in 2006 when her debut single, "Tim McGraw", was released when Swift was only 16 years old. In 2006, Swift released herself-titled debut studio album, which spent 275 weeks onBillboard 200, one of the longest runs of any album on that chart. In 2008, Taylor Swift released her second studio album,Fearless, which made her the second longest number-one charted onBillboard 200 and the second best-selling album (just behindAdele's21) within the past 5 years. At the2010 Grammys, Taylor Swift was 20 and won Album of the Year forFearless, which made her the youngest artist to win this award. Swift has received fourteenGrammys already.
Buoyed by herteen idol status among girls and a change in the methodology of compiling theBillboard charts to favor pop-crossover songs, Swift's 2012 single "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" spent the most weeks at the top of Billboard'sHot 100 chart andHot Country Songs chart of any song in nearly five decades. The song's long run at the top of the chart was somewhat controversial, as the song is largely a pop song without much country influence and its success on the charts was driven by a change to the chart's criteria to include airplay on non-country radio stations, prompting disputes over what constitutes a country song; many of Swift's later releases, such as album1989 (2014),Reputation (2017), andLover (2019) were released solely topop audiences.[136][137][138] Swift returned to country music in her recent folk-inspired releases,Folklore (2020) andEvermore (2020), with songs like "Betty" and "No Body, No Crime".
With his distinctive voice, exceptional guitar skills, and witty songwriting,Brad Paisley became one of the most successful male artists.
In the mid to late 2010s, country music began to increasingly sound more like the style of modern-dayPop music,[131] with more simple and repetitive lyrics, more electronic-based instrumentation, and experimentation with "talk-singing" and rap, pop-country pulled farther away from the traditional sounds of country music and received criticisms from country music purists while gaining in popularity with mainstream audiences.[139] The topics addressed have also changed, turning controversial such as acceptance of theLGBT community, safe sex, recreational marijuana use, and questioning religious sentiment.[132] Influences also come from some pop artists' interest in the country genre, includingJustin Timberlake with the albumMan of the Woods,[140]Beyoncé's song "Daddy Lessons" fromLemonade,[141]Kelly Clarkson,[134]Gwen Stefani with "Nobody but You",[142]Bruno Mars,[143]Lady Gaga,[144]Alicia Keys,[145] andPink.[146]
The influence ofrock music in country has become more overt during the late 2000s and early 2010s as artists likeEric Church,Jason Aldean, andBrantley Gilbert have had success;Aaron Lewis, former frontman for the rock groupStaind, had a moderately successful entry into country music in 2011 and 2012, as didDallas Smith, former frontman of the bandDefault.
Maren Morris success collaboration "The Middle" withEDM producerZedd is considered one of the representations of the fusion of electro-pop with country music.[147]
In the early 2010s, "bro-country", a genre noted primarily for its themes on drinking and partying, girls, and pickup trucks became particularly popular.[154][155][156] Notable artists associated with this genre areLuke Bryan,Jason Aldean,Blake Shelton,Jake Owen andFlorida Georgia Line whose song "Cruise" became the best-selling country song of all time.[31][157] Research in the mid-2010s suggested that about 45 percent of country's best-selling songs could be considered bro-country, with the top two artists being Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line.[158] Albums by bro-country singers also sold very well—in 2013, Luke Bryan'sCrash My Party was the third best-selling of all albums in the United States, with Florida Georgia Line'sHere's to the Good Times at sixth, and Blake Shelton'sBased on a True Story at ninth.[159] It is also thought that the popularity of bro-country helped country music to surpass classic rock as the most popular genre in the American country in 2012.[159] The genre however is controversial as it has been criticized by other country musicians and commentators over its themes and depiction of women,[160][161][162] opening up a divide between the older generation of country singers and the younger bro country singers that was described as "civil war" by musicians, critics, and journalists."[163] In 2014,Maddie & Tae's "Girl in a Country Song", addressing many of the controversial bro-country themes, peaked at number one on theBillboardCountry Airplay chart.
Bluegrass is a genre that contain songs about going through hard times, country loving, and telling stories. Its history can be traced back to the 1600s. During this time, many people were coming to America from Ireland, Scotland and England.[164] Those people brought the first version of Bluegrass to the Americas. After several years of bluegrass' development, Bill Monroe became the "father" of bluegrass.[165] Other sources argue that The Monroe Brothers were the first stars of bluegrass.[166] Newer artists likeBilly Strings,the Grascals,Molly Tuttle,Tyler Childers andthe Infamous Stringdusters have been increasing the popularity of this genre, alongside some of the genres more established stars who still remain popular includingRhonda Vincent,Alison Krauss andUnion Station,Ricky Skaggs andDel McCoury. The genre has developed in theNorthern Kentucky andCincinnati area. Other artists includeNew South (band),Doc Watson,Osborne Brothers, and many others.
In an effort to combat the over-reliance of mainstream country music on pop-infused artists, the sister genre ofAmericana began to gain popularity and increase in prominence, receiving eightGrammy categories of its own in 2009. Though Americana music gained popularity in 2009, the first Americana singer was likely Hank Williams in the 1950s.[167] Americana music incorporates elements of country music, bluegrass, folk, blues, gospel, rhythm and blues, roots rock and southern soul and is overseen by theAmericana Music Association and theAmericana Music Honors & Awards.[168] As a result of an increasingly pop-leaning mainstream, many more traditional-sounding artists such asTyler Childers,Zach Bryan andOld Crow Medicine Show began to associate themselves more with Americana and thealternative country scene where their sound was more celebrated. Similarly, many established country acts who no longer received commercial airplay, includingEmmylou Harris andLyle Lovett, began to flourish again.[169]
Beginning in 1989, a confluence of events brought an unprecedented commercial boom to country music. New marketing strategies were used to engage fans, powered by technology that more accurately tracked the popularity of country music, and boosted by a political and economic climate that focused attention on the genre.Garth Brooks ("Friends in Low Places") in particular attracted fans with his fusion of neotraditionalist country andstadium rock. Other artists such asBrooks and Dunn ("Boot Scootin' Boogie") also combined conventional country with slick, rock elements, whileLorrie Morgan,Mary Chapin Carpenter, andKathy Mattea updated neotraditionalist styles.[171]
Midland, one of the most popular neotraditional honky-tonk bands
Roots of conservative country was Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA".[172] TheSeptember 11 attacks of 2001 and the economic recession helped move country music back into the spotlight. Many country artists, such as Alan Jackson with his ballad on terrorist attacks, "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)", wrote songs that celebrated the military, highlighted the gospel, and emphasized home and family values over wealth. Alt-Country singer Ryan Adams song "New York, New York" pays tribute to New York City, and its popular music video (which was shot 4 days before the attacks) shows Adams playing in front of the Manhattan skyline, Along with several shots of the city. In contrast, more rock-oriented country singers took more direct aim at the attacks' perpetrators; Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)" threatened to "a boot in" the posterior of the enemy, while Charlie Daniels's "This Ain't No Rag, It's a Flag" promised to "hunt" the perpetrators "down like a mad dog hound." These songs gained such recognition that it put country music back into popular culture.[173] Darryl Worley recorded "Have You Forgotten" also. There have been numerous patriotic country songs throughout the years.[174][175]
Maddie & Tae country duo known for their empowering songs and witty commentary on the gender stereotypes in country music.
Australian country music has a long tradition. Influenced by US country music, it has developed a distinct style, shaped by British and Irish folk ballads and Australianbush balladeers likeHenry Lawson andBanjo Paterson. Country instruments, including the guitar,banjo,fiddle and harmonica, create the distinctive sound of country music in Australia and accompany songs with strong storyline and memorable chorus.
Folk songs sung in Australia between the 1780s and 1920s, based around such themes as the struggle against governmenttyranny, or the lives ofbushrangers,swagmen,drovers,stockmen andshearers, continue to influence the genre. This strain of Australian country, with lyrics focusing on Australian subjects, is generally known as "bush music" or "bush band music". "Waltzing Matilda", often regarded as Australia's unofficialnational anthem, is a quintessential Australian country song, influenced more by British and Irish folk ballads than by US country and western music. The lyrics were composed by the poet Banjo Paterson in 1895. Other popular songs from this tradition include "The Wild Colonial Boy", "Click Go the Shears", "The Queensland Drover" and "The Dying Stockman". Later themes which endure to the present include the experiences of war, of droughts and flooding rains, ofAboriginality and of the railways and trucking routes which link Australia's vast distances.[180][181]
Kasey Chambers arguably one of the most successful Australian female country singers.
Pioneers of a more Americanised popular country music in Australia includedTex Morton (known as "The Father of Australian Country Music") in the 1930s. Author Andrew Smith delivers a through research and engaged view of Tex Morton's life and his impact on the country music scene in Australia in the 1930s and 1940s. Other early stars includedBuddy Williams,Shirley Thoms andSmoky Dawson. Buddy Williams (1918–1986) was the first Australian-born to record country music in Australia in the late 1930s and was the pioneer of a distinctly Australian style of country music called the bush ballad that others such as Slim Dusty would make popular in later years. During the Second World War, many of Buddy Williams recording sessions were done whilst on leave from the Army. At the end of the war, Williams would go on to operate some of the largest travelling tent rodeo shows Australia has ever seen.
In 1952, Dawson began a radio show and went on to national stardom as a singing cowboy of radio, TV and film.Slim Dusty (1927–2003) was known as the "King of Australian Country Music" and helped to popularise the Australianbush ballad. His successful career spanned almost six decades, and his 1957 hit "A Pub with No Beer" was the biggest-selling record by an Australian to that time, and with over seven million record sales in Australia he is the most successful artist in Australian musical history.[182] Dusty recorded and released his one-hundredth album in the year 2000 and was given the honour of singing "Waltzing Matilda" in the closing ceremony of theSydney 2000 Olympic Games. Dusty's wifeJoy McKean penned several of his most popular songs.
Sara Storer celebrated for her heartfelt songwriting and authentic storytelling.
Popular contemporary performers of Australian country music includeJohn Williamson (who wrote the iconic "True Blue"),Lee Kernaghan (whose hits include "Boys from the Bush" and "The Outback Club"),Gina Jeffreys, Forever Road andSara Storer. In the U.S.,Olivia Newton-John,Sherrié Austin andKeith Urban have attained great success. During her time as a country singer in the 1970s, Newton-John became the first (and to date only) non-US winner of theCountry Music Association Award for Female Vocalist of the Year which many considered a controversial decision by the CMA; after starring in the rock-and-roll musical filmGrease in 1978, Newton-John (mirroring the character she played in the film) shifted to pop music in the 1980s. Urban is arguably considered the most successful international Australian country star, winning nine CMA Awards, including threeMale Vocalist of the Year wins and two wins of the CMA's top honourEntertainer of the Year. Pop starKylie Minogue found success with her 2018 country pop albumGolden which she recorded in Nashville reaching number one in Scotland, the UK and her native Australia.
Country music has been a particularly popular form of musical expression amongIndigenous Australians.Troy Cassar-Daley is among Australia's successful contemporary indigenous performers, andKev Carmody andArchie Roach employ a combination of folk-rock and country music to sing about Aboriginal rights issues.[186]
Country HQ showcases new talent on the rise in the country music scenedown under. CMC (theCountry Music Channel), a 24‑hour music channel dedicated to non-stop country music, can be viewed onpay TV and features once a year the Golden Guitar Awards, CMAs and CCMAs alongside international shows such asThe Wilkinsons,The Road Hammers, andCountry Music Across America.
Outside of the United States, Canada has the largest country music fan and artist base, something that is to be expected given the two countries' proximity and cultural parallels. Mainstream country music is culturally ingrained in theprairie provinces, theBritish Columbia Interior, Northern Ontario, and inAtlantic Canada.[187]Celtic traditional music developed in Atlantic Canada in the form of Scottish, Acadian and Irish folk music popular amongst Irish, French and Scottish immigrants to Canada's Atlantic Provinces (Newfoundland,Nova Scotia,New Brunswick, andPrince Edward Island).[187] Like the southern United States andAppalachia, all four regions are of heavyBritish Isles stock and rural; as such, the development of traditional music in the Maritimes somewhat mirrored the development of country music in the US South and Appalachia. Country and western music never really developed separately in Canada; however, after its introduction to Canada, following the spread of radio, it developed quite quickly out of the Atlantic Canadian traditional scene. While true Atlantic Canadian traditional music is very Celtic or "sea shanty" in nature, even today, the lines have often been blurred. Certain areas often are viewed as embracing one strain or the other more openly. For example, in Newfoundland the traditional music remains unique andIrish in nature, whereas traditional musicians in other parts of the region may play both genres interchangeably.
Don Messer's Jubilee was aHalifax, Nova Scotia-based country/folk variety television show that was broadcast nationally from 1957 to 1969. In Canada it out-performedThe Ed Sullivan Show broadcast from the United States and became the top-rated television show throughout much of the 1960s.Don Messer's Jubilee followed a consistent format throughout its years, beginning with a tune named "Goin' to the Barndance Tonight", followed by fiddle tunes by Messer, songs from some of his "Islanders" including singersMarg Osburne andCharlie Chamberlain, the featured guest performance, and a closing hymn. It ended with "Till We Meet Again". The guest performance slot gave national exposure to numerous Canadian folk musicians, includingStompin' Tom Connors andCatherine McKinnon. Some Maritime country performers went on to further fame beyond Canada.Hank Snow,Wilf Carter (also known as Montana Slim), andAnne Murray are the three most notable. The cancellation of the show by the public broadcaster in 1969 caused a nationwide protest, including the raising of questions in the Parliament of Canada.
Lindsay Ell career gained momentum in the mid-2010s with a combination of strong guitar skills and country-pop appeal.
The Prairie provinces, due to their western cowboy and agrarian nature, are the true heartland of Canadian country music.[187] While the Prairies never developed a traditional music culture anything like the Maritimes, the folk music of the Prairies often reflected the cultural origins of the settlers, who were a mix ofScottish,Ukrainian,German and others. For these reasonspolkas and western music were always popular in the region, and with the introduction of the radio, mainstream country music flourished. As the culture of the region is western and frontier in nature, the specific genre of country and western is more popular today in the Prairies than in any other part of the country. No other area of the country embraces all aspects of the culture, from two-step dancing, to the cowboy dress, to rodeos, to the music itself, like the Prairies do. The Atlantic Provinces, on the other hand, produce far more traditional musicians, but they are not usually specifically country in nature, usually bordering more on thefolk orCeltic genres.[187]
Canadian country pop starShania Twain is the best-selling female country artist of all time and one of thebest-selling artists of all time in any genre.[188][189] Furthermore, she is the only woman to have three consecutive albums be certifiedDiamond.
Country music artists from the U.S. have seen crossover with Latin American audiences, particularly inMexico. Country music artists from throughout the U.S. have recorded renditions of Mexican folk songs, including "El Rey" which was performed onGeorge Strait'sTwang album and duringAl Hurricane'stribute concert. AmericanLatin pop crossover musicians, likeLorenzo Antonio's "Ranchera Jam" have also combined Mexican songs with country songs in aNew Mexico music style.[citation needed]
Regional Mexican is a radio format featuring many ofMexico's versions of country music. It includes a number of different styles, usually named after their region of origin. One specific song style, theCanción Ranchera, or simply Ranchera, literally meaning "ranch song", found its origins in the Mexican countryside and was first popularized withMariachi. It has since also become popular withGrupero,Banda,Norteño,Tierra Caliente,Duranguense and other regional Mexican styles. TheCorrido, a different song style with a similar history, is also performed in many other regional styles, and is most related to thewestern style of the United States and Canada. Other song styles performed in regional Mexican music includeBallads,Cumbias,Boleros, among others. Country en Español (Country in Spanish) is also popular in Mexico. Some Mexican artists began performing country songs in Spanish during the 1970s, and the genre became prominent mainly in the northern regions of the country during the 1980s. A Country en Español popularity boom also reached the central regions of Mexico during the 1990s. For most of its history, Country en Español mainly resembledNeotraditional country. However, in more modern times, some artists have incorporated influences from other country music subgenres.
Country music is popular in the United Kingdom, although somewhat less so than in other English-speaking countries. There are some British country music acts and publications. Although radio stations devoted to country are among the most popular in other Anglophone nations, none of the top tenmost-listened-to stations in the UK are country stations, and national broadcasterBBC Radio does not offer a full-time country station (BBC Radio 2 Country, a "pop-up" station, operated four days each year between 2015 and 2017). The BBC does offer a country show onBBC Radio 2 each week hosted byBob Harris.[194]
The most successful British country music act of the 21st century areWard Thomas andthe Shires. In 2015, the Shires' albumBrave, became the first UK country act ever to chart in the Top 10 of theUK Albums Chart and they became the first UK country act to receive an award from the AmericanCountry Music Association.[195] In 2016,Ward Thomas then became the first UK country act to hit number 1 in theUK Albums Chart with their albumCartwheels.[196]
There is theC2C: Country to Country festival held every year, and for many years there was a festival atWembley Arena, which was broadcast on theBBC, the International Festivals of Country Music, promoted byMervyn Conn, held at the venue between 1969 and 1991. The shows were later taken into Europe, and featured such stars asJohnny Cash,Dolly Parton,Tammy Wynette,David Allan Coe,Emmylou Harris,Boxcar Willie,Johnny Russell andJerry Lee Lewis. A handful of country musicians had even greater success in mainstream British music than they did in the U.S., despite a certain amount of disdain from the music press. Britain's largest music festivalGlastonbury has featured major US country acts in recent years, such asKenny Rogers in 2013 and Dolly Parton in 2014.[197]
Nathan Carter a British-born Irish country music singer based in the UK and Ireland.
From within the UK, few country musicians achieved widespread mainstream success. Many British singers who performed the occasional country songs are of other genres.Tom Jones, by this point near the end of his peak success as a pop singer, had a string of country hits in the late 1970s and early 1980s. TheBee Gees had some fleeting success in the genre, with one country hit as artists ("Rest Your Love on Me") and a major hit as songwriters ("Islands in the Stream");Barry Gibb, the band's usual lead singer and last surviving member, acknowledged that country music was a major influence on the band's style.[198] SingerEngelbert Humperdinck, while charting only once in the U.S. country top 40 with "After the Lovin'", achieved widespread success on both the U.S. and British pop charts with his covers of Nashville country ballads such as "Release Me", "Am I That Easy to Forget" and "There Goes My Everything". Welsh singerBonnie Tyler initially started her career making country records, and in 1978 her single "It's a Heartache" reached number four on theUK Singles Chart. In 2013, Tyler returned to her roots, blending the country elements of her early work with the rock of her successful material on her albumRocks and Honey which featured a duet withVince Gill. The songwriting tandem ofRoger Cook andRoger Greenaway wrote a number of country hits, in addition to their widespread success in pop songwriting; Cook is notable for being the only Briton to be inducted into theNashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
InIreland,Country and Irish is a music genre that combines traditionalIrish folk music with US country music. Television channelTG4 began a quest for Ireland's next country star calledGlór Tíre, translated as "Country Voice". It is now in its sixth season and is one of TG4's most-watched TV shows. Over the past ten years, country and gospel recording artistJames Kilbane has reached multi-platinum success with his mix ofChristian and traditional country influenced albums. James Kilbane like many other Irish artists is today working closer with Nashville.Daniel O'Donnell achieved international success with his brand of music crossing country, Irish folk andEuropean easy listening, earning a strong following among older women[201] both in the British Isles and in North America. A recent success in the Irish arena has beenCrystal Swing.
InJapan, country and western music first developed a following before World War II, but many Japanese became exposed to it after the war due to theFar East Network.[202][203] One of the first Japanese western acts was Biji Kuroda & The Chuck Wagon Boys, other vintage artists include Jimmie Tokita and His Mountain Playboys, The Blue Rangers, Wagon Aces, andTomi Fujiyama.[202] While the majority of these musicians sung in English, a few of them sang in the Japanese language, such as Fujiyama and Kazuya Kosaka.[202] The genre continues to have a dedicated following in Japan, thanks to Charlie Nagatani, Katsuoshi Suga, J.T. Kanehira, Dicky Kitano, and Manami Sekiya.[202] Country and western venues in Japan include the former annual Country Gold which were put together by Charlie Nagatani, and the modern honky tonks atLittle Texas in Tokyo and Armadillo inNagoya.[204][205][206]
InIndia, there is an annual concert festival called "Blazing Guitars"[207] held inChennai brings together Anglo-Indian musicians from all over the country (including some who have emigrated to places like Australia). The year 2003 brought home-grown Indian,Bobby Cash to the forefront of the country music culture in India when he became India's first international country music artist to chart singles in Australia.
In thePhilippines, country music has found their way into Cordilleran way of life, which often compares theIgorot lifestyle to that of US cowboys. The Philippines was once a US Commonwealth from 1900 to 1946, and country music began to be exported to the islands in the early 20th centurty.Baguio City has an FM station that caters to country music,DZWR 99.9 Country, which is part of theCatholic Media Network. Bombo Radyo Baguio has a segment on its Sunday slot for Igorot, Ilocano and country music. And as of recently,DWUB occasionally plays country music. Many country music musicians tour thePhilippines.Original Pinoy Music has influences from country.
Tom Roland, from theCountry Music Association International, explains country music's global popularity: "In this respect, at least, Country Music listeners around the globe have something in common with those in the United States. In Germany, for instance, Rohrbach identifies three general groups that gravitate to the genre: people intrigued with the US cowboy icon, middle-aged fans who seek an alternative to harder rock music and younger listeners drawn to the pop-influenced sound that underscores many current Country hits."[208] One of the first US people to perform country music abroad wasGeorge Hamilton IV. He was the first country musician to perform in theSoviet Union; he also toured in Australia and the Middle East. He was deemed the "International Ambassador of Country Music" for his contributions to theglobalization of country music.[209] Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Keith Urban, and Dwight Yoakam have also made numerous international tours.[208] TheCountry Music Association undertakes various initiatives to promote country music internationally.[208]
InIran, country music has appeared in recent years. According toMelody Music Magazine, the pioneer of country music in Iran is the English-speaking country music bandDream Rovers, whose founder, singer and songwriter is Erfan Rezayatbakhsh (elf).[210] The band was formed in 2007 inTehran,[211] and during this time they have been trying to introduce and popularize country music in Iran by releasing two studio albums[212] and performing live at concerts, despite the difficulties that the Islamic regime in Iran makes for bands that are active in the western music field.[213]
MusicianToby Keith performed alongside Saudi Arabian folk musicianRabeh Sager in 2017.[214][215] This concert was similar to the performances ofJazz ambassadors that performed distinctively American style music internationally.[216]
Vanha Isäntä, aFinnish country rock band, performing at theHelsinki Festival's open-air concert inKaivopuisto in 1974. Seppo Sillanpää (violin) on the left and Olli Haavisto (guitar) on the right.
In theNetherlands there are many artists producing popular country and Americana music, which is mostly in the English language, as well as Dutch country and country-like music in the Dutch language. The latter is mainly popular on the countrysides in the northern and eastern parts of the Netherlands and is less associated with its US brethren, although it sounds sometimes very similar. Well-known popular artists mainly performing in English areWaylon,Danny Vera,Ilse DeLange,Douwe Bob andHenk Wijngaard.
Norway had a significant country scene from the late 1970s[217] to the late 2000s, with bands and artists includingHellbillies,Bjøro Håland,Terje Tysland,Vassendgutane,Øystein Sunde, and Rotlaus. The scene and its concerts were considered mostly a rural scene, such that most bands sang in dialects, but occasional songs made it to national fame even in the larger cities.[218] The songs occasionally used inspirations fromrock music,Norwegian folk music, andpolka, but remained recognisable as country music.
The Nashville Network (TNN) was launched in 1983 as a channel devoted to country music, and later added sports and outdoor lifestyle programming. It actually launched just two days after CMT. In 2000, after TNN and CMT fell under the same corporate ownership, TNN was stripped of its country format and rebranded asThe National Network, thenSpike TV in 2003,Spike in 2006, and finallyParamount Network in 2018. TNN was later revived from 2012 to 2013 afterJim Owens Entertainment (the company responsible for prominent TNN hostsCrook & Chase) acquired the trademark and licensed it toLuken Communications; that channel renamed itself Heartland after Luken was embroiled in an unrelated dispute that left the company bankrupt.
Great American Country (GAC) was launched in 1995, also as a country music-oriented channel that would later add lifestyle programming pertaining to the American Heartland and South. In Spring 2021, GAC's then-owner,Discovery, Inc. divested the network toGAC Media, which also acquired the equestrian networkRide TV. Later, in the summer of that year, GAC Media relaunched Great American Country as GAC Family, a family-oriented general entertainment network, while Ride TV was relaunched as GAC Living, a network devoted to programming pertaining to lifestyles of the American South. The GAC acronym which once stood for "Great American Country" now stands for "Great American Channels".
Only one television channel was dedicated to country music in Canada:CMT owned byCorus Entertainment (90%) and Viacom (10%). However, the lifting of strict genre licensing restrictions saw the network remove the last of its music programming at the end of August 2017 for a schedule of generic off-network family sitcoms,Cancom-compliant lifestyle programming, and reality programming. In the past, the current-dayCottage Life network saw some country focus as Country Canada and later, CBC Country Canada before that network drifted into an alternate network for overflow CBC content as Bold.Stingray Music continues to maintain several country music audio-only channels oncable radio.
In the past, country music had an extensive presence, especially on the Canadian national broadcaster,CBC Television. The showDon Messer's Jubilee significantly affected country music in Canada; for instance, it was the program that launchedAnne Murray's career.Gordie Tapp'sCountry Hoedown and its successor,The Tommy Hunter Show, ran for a combined 36 years on the CBC, from 1956 to 1992; in its last nine years on air, the U.S. cable network TNN carried Hunter's show.
One music video channel is dedicated to country music in the United Kingdom:Music & Memories, owned by Canis Media. Music & Memories, formerly known as Keep it Country and Spotlight, features a mix of country-western, pop oldies and Celtic folk music.[220]
Mickey Guyton has been praised for breaking barriers as a Black woman.
The history of country music is complex, and the genre draws from influences from bothAfrican and European musical traditions.[221] Despite this multicultural origin, country music is today largely associated withwhite Americans. This has been attributed to the efforts tosegregate the music industry byrecord labels, beginning in the 1920s.[222] However, because country music is a wide genre, subgenres includingIndian andHispanic country, have existed since the early 1970s.[223][224][225] Furthermore, one of the first artists to perform at theGrand Ole Opry, a famous country music show, wasDeFord Bailey, who was African-American.[226] African-American rapper Lil Nas X, whose breakout song Old Town Road, a mixture of country and rap, has achieved widespread success. His aforementioned song topped theBillboard Hot Country Songs list, before controversially being removed, sparking a debate around whether the removal was racially motivated.Billboard denied these allegations, stating that the decision was purely based on musical composition.[227]
The close association ofconservative values and contemporary country music began as a counter-reaction to theanti-war movement of the 1960s. Prior to this, virtually all country music, up until that point referred to ashillbilly music, lacked specific political alignment, and was instead focused on everyday problems and angst of the working class.[226]Merle Haggard's 1969 albumOkie from Muskogee brought a staunchly political, conservative take on country music, which proved popular. Republican presidentRichard Nixon further cemented this conservative musical association during his years in office, by frequently hosting country musicians, declaring October 1970 to be country music month, and by politically pandering to audiences where country music was popular.[228]
Black country-music artistMickey Guyton had been included among the nominees for the 2021 award. Guyton has expressed bewilderment that, despite substantial coverage by online platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, her music, like that of Valerie June,[citation needed] another black musician who embraces aspects of country in her Appalachian- and Gospel-tinged work and who has been embraced by international music audiences, is still effectively ignored by American broadcast country-music radio.[229] Guyton's 2021 albumRemember Her Name in part references the case of black health-care professional Breonna Taylor,[230] who was killed in her home by police.[231][relevant?]
In 2023, "Try That in a Small Town" byJason Aldean became the subject of widespread controversy and media attention following the release of its music video. Tennessee state representativeJustin Jones referred to the song as a "heinous vile racist song" which attempts to normalize "racist, violence, vigilantism and white nationalism".[232] Others understood the lyrics to be supportive oflynchings andsundown towns.[233][234] Aldean himself responded to the criticism by stating that the song at no point made any references to race, nor did he believe that such interpretations were accurate.[235]
^Egge, Sara (March 19, 2017)."The Origins of Country Music".Centre College's Norton Center For The Arts.Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. RetrievedDecember 3, 2022.
^Ripani, Richard J. (August 1, 2006).The New Blue Music: Changes in Rhythm & Blues, 1950–1999. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 22.ISBN978-1-57806-861-6.
^Perkins, Carl; McGee, David (1996).Go, Cat, Go!: The Life and Times of Carl Perkins, the King of Rockabilly. Hyperion Books. pp. 23–24.ISBN978-0-7868-6073-9.
^Morrison, Craig (September 1, 1996).Go Cat Go!: Rockabilly Music and Its Makers. University of Illinois Press. p. 28.ISBN978-0-252-02207-4.
^abcdHamilton, Shane (2008). "Agrarian Trucking Culture and Deregulatory Capitalism, 1960–80".Trucking Country: The Road to America's Wal-Mart Economy. Princeton University Press. pp. 187–232.ISBN9780691135823.JSTORj.ctt7t2vg.12.
^Trucker's Jukebox: Various Artists: Music. RetrievedFebruary 24, 2009.Trucker's Jukebox covers the Country landscape: outlaw, honkey tonk, country-rock, Bakersfield sound, country comedy, truck driving country and more.
Harris, Stacy (October 1, 1993).The Best of Country: The Essential Cd Guide. Collins Pub San Francisco.ISBN978-0-00-255335-3.
Thomas S. Johnson (1981) "That Ain't Country: The Distinctiveness of Commercial Western Music" JEMF Quarterly. Vol. 17, No. 62. Summer, 1981. pp 75–84.
Peter La Chapelle (April 15, 2007).Proud to Be an Okie: Cultural Politics, Country Music, And Migration to Southern California. University of California Press.ISBN978-0-520-24889-2.
Bill Legere (1977).Record Collectors Guide of Country LPs. Limited ed. Mississauga, Ont.: W.J. Legere. 269, 25, 29, 2 p., thrice perforated and looseleaf. Without ISBN
Bill Legere ([1977]).E[lectrical] T[anscription]s: Transcription Library of Bill Legere. Mississauga, Ont.: B. Legere. 3 vols., each of which is thrice perforated and looseleaf. N.B.: Vol. 1–2, Country Artists—vol. 2, Pop Artists. Without ISBN
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