Country music is one of the most popular music genres in America. There is a reason it is called Country music: because it reflects the heart and soul of the entire country. This unique genre of music can trace its roots to the very beginning of Southern culture. Through its rich history, Country music has always represented the life of the American little-man, the working-class hero, and has spawned many other forms of American culture in music, movies, television and style.
Country music, as we know it today, was first called “Hillbilly music”. The name “Country” was not widely used until around the 1950s. The creation of this Hillbilly music, very much like American culture, was influenced from many different cultures and styles of music.
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Originally, it most reflected the Folk music of the Scot-Irish immigrants living in the Southern mountains of America. The music was formed by instruments that were imported from countries like Spain, Ireland, Britain, Germany and Africa. The most commonly used instrument in Hillbilly music was the banjo, which was made by Africans during the colonial period. Hillbilly music represented the voices of the Southern working-class: the people who lived off the land. Hillbilly music’s first big recorders were Jimmy Rogers and The Carter Family. The Carter Family’s first big gig was at the Bristol Sessions in 1927. The family was actually late to their recording because they were driving an old, borrowed vehicle that broke down on their way to Bristol. Ironically, this actually made them more famous. People saw that the music was coming from everyday people facing everyday hardships. Jimmie Rodgers also represented the bottom-class Americans. He set the foundation of Hillbilly music through his blend of Blues, Gospel and yodeling. He is known as the creator of what many Southerners call “twang”. “Twang” is a term that can be described by Southerners in very different ways. Some see it as part of the Southern accent. Others, like Rodgers, describe it as a feeling; a sort of “I don’t give a damn about the rest of the world. I am me.” It is a part of every true Country song, no matter what sub-genre. It’s the whine in the guitar, the slang in the voice, the deep riff in the bass, the high-pitched pick of the banjo; it’s “twang”. Hillbilly music quickly boomed as lower-class Southerners heard a sound they could relate to. Quickly, a rhythm known as the “train rhythm” began integrating itself in all Hillbilly music. The “train rhythm” is a certain up-beat pulse that many songs, even today, have. Many of the first Hillbilly musicians used this rhythm because of what the train meant to the South. The train symbolized the progression and advancement, not only in the South but across the country. The train is what modern life thrived from; it brought and took people, supplies, mail, etc. Soon after Hillbilly music emerged onto the scene, so did the Great Depression.
People were imagining and seeking a way out of the chaos. From this, came the singing cowboy idea into Hillbilly music. Fans adored the idea of the singing cowboy: the free feeling, being one’s own boss, no worries, and the vast country-side absent from the rest of the chaotic world. People saw that these cowboy artists had beautiful women, loved singing, played the guitar and were quickly becoming famous. The cowboy/western trend quickly spread across Hillbilly music. In Nashville, the industrial center for Southern music, the Grand Ole Opry was formed. The Opry’s vast broadcasting helped to disperse Hillbilly music to the nation. It stands as a monument to the original upbringing and tradition of country music still today. The Opry began using this cowboy/western trend to show fans that Hillbilly music was about the working-class family. They used hay bells, overalls, flannel clothing and boots in most of the performances. This gave fans, still mostly Southerners, a sense of pride and acceptance of who they were and what they stood for in society. They no longer had to feel any less than their Northern brothers and sisters. The Southern, lower-class people took on the role of certain pastimes and traditions that would last throughout American …show more content…
history. In the 1930s, a man named Bill Monroe felt that the cowboy/western Hillbilly music had gone too far from its roots, a very recurring feeling in country music history.
He used his influences from growing in a poor, lower-class family in Kentucky in order to create a new type of music genre that did not include the mainstream trends of Hillbilly music. He and his musical partners created a band that did not use any electrical instruments or drums; they kept everything very traditional. Monroe and his friends named their band “The Bluegrass Boys”. Bluegrass became very popular in the South. It was a smoky mountain sound like the Folk music of the Scot-Irish immigrants. Monroe did not know that Bluegrass would boom to be one of the most popular genres of music in America. Today, there are thousands of Bluegrass, Blues and barbeque festivals every year in America. There is even a region in Western Kentucky called the “Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue Region”. It is “famous across the world” for its food, shopping and
festivals. As oil boomed in the South-West, many lower-class families began to modernize. Bluegrass stayed away from modernization, kind-of like the rebel child of Hillbilly music. Singing cowboys and western Hillbilly music thrived from it, which then created another spawn from the Hillbilly genre: “Western Swing”. Western Swing was highly influenced by Jazz and Blues and used more modern, electrical instruments like the steel guitar. Because many farming families in the South-West had their farms blow away in dust, many were moving to California to work industrial jobs created from the war effort. This highly helped boom Western Swing by spreading it across the West and intertwining it with other music genres. Now, the cowboy/western trend became even more mainstream. Every hillbilly musician was jumping on the bandwagon and Hillbilly music was going Hollywood. This influenced much of American society to accept the common Southerner and his/her lifestyle. With vast modernization and influence from Hollywood, the original Hillbilly music quickly washed-out and Country music emerged. After WWII, military men returned home and the American society began to experience a happy, worry-free lifestyle. Many Southerners were flocking to local bars and clubs to socialize and drink, just like their Irish ancestors. Country music and the new Honky-Tonk sub-genre was the soundtrack of it all. Hillbilly music in the 1930s spoke of more innocent topics like fields of wild-flowers and old cabins in the woods. After WWII, this changed. Country musicians began to sing about more adult topics while still staying true to their working-class fans and still including the Southern “twang”. In 1947, a man that some will claim was the “King of Country” emerged into the music industry: Hank Williams. Williams looked like he was reflecting everything about the modern Country music lifestyle. He wore fancy, rhinestone covered suits with cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. But, he sang about very different topics than the mainstream country musicians. Williams brought back the true Blues feeling of Country by singing about his own, personal and true hardships like heartbreak, sorrow, divorce and starting over alone. He represented the many social changes that were beginning to occur in American society. In the 1950s, another blues based musician, singing of social changes appeared: Kitty Wells. She is considered, by most, to
Times have changed, and along with the times so has country music. American country music lovers have went from Loretta Lynn and Waylon Jennings, just two of the many classic oldies, to Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan, two very appealing country music artists. However, it is not only the tune of the music that has changed, it is the image, the appeal, and overall the type of icons the media is portraying these modern music stars as. Icons such as Lynn and Jennings had identifiable features within their music as well as their appearance that spoke sweet southern belle and rugged twang. Whereas Underwood’s and Bryan’s appeal now is much more sexualized than it was during the oldies. These changes affect the way modern day singers are marketed compared to former country music stars, instead of focusing on talent it is now looks.
In conclusion, Appalachian music can be defined as old time music, Appalachian folk music, country music, back woods country music and American Folk Music, but this type of music is and has been a staple in our society and has survived decades and with the beauty of the music it will hopefully continue for all time.
For almost 90 years, The Grand Ole Opry has withstood the test of time to become one of the tried and true traditions in country music. From the show's humble beginnings as an obscure radio program, to it's renowned place today as one of the premiere stages for music, The Grand Ole Opry has had an extremely colorful and interesting existence. Over the 88 years that have passed since the show's inception, The Grand Ole Opry has featured many talented performers. Those performers, along with social changes and economics, have all contributed to the growth and success of The Grand Ole Opry.
The fall of Tin Pan Alley gave rock and roll and country music a chance to become part of the American popular music industry (pg. 113, Willoughby). This allowed Hillbilly, Bluegrass, and the Nashville sound to take center stage. This is what has allowed the artists Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw and many more to become part of the popular music industry. Not just country, but also the diminishing of Tin Pan Alley gave rise to rock and roll. This impacted our popular music in a huge way. It was rebellious and the teenagers loved it. It wasn’t just popular with people back then, but it also is still hugely popular today with all generations. Many songs from rock and roll are considered standards because so many became popular songs. Even though I wasn’t alive during this era, I love listening to the Beatles and Pink Floyd. Without the fall of Tin Pan Alley none of this would have been possible.
Country music is one of the most popular genres of music throughout America. There are many influential figures that have changed the way country music sounds, and how people interpret it. Two important people who have made a huge impact on country music overtime are Johnny Cash and Luke Bryan. From their early life, their career, and how society views them, they have opened the minds of people and country musicians all over the country. Johnny Cash’s songs help people to experience his life growing up through the Great Depression and how people lived back then. Through Luke Bryan’s songs people could understand what life was like for Luke growing up in Georgia and all the hardships he faced. Johnny Cash and Luke Bryan are two of the many country singers that have influenced country fans to be more optimistic and hopeful.
Sanneh, Kelefa. "Country Music? Whose Country?" The New York Times. 11 Nov. 2005. Web. 21 April 2011.
For many Americans, country isn’t just a type of music. It’s a lifestyle. From sippin’ sweet tea on the porch, drinking beer at a tailgate or driving a pick up down the backroads, country music has made its way into the hearts and minds of many Americans. It is one of the only truly home grown American art forms. Its relatability and wide appeal has made country music one of the most commercially successful and popular genres in the United States. Using the work of scholars Tichi, Pecknold, and Ellison, I will show how country music grew from its rural southern roots into an integral part of American culture.
Folklores are stories that have been through many time periods. Folklore include Legends, Myths, and Fairy Tales. Legends are traditional tales handed down from earlier times and believed to have a historical basis. Myths are ancient stories dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes. Fairy Tales are fantasy tales with legendary being and creators.
I have listened to country music since I was a little, as did my husband. For him, it's a reminder of a simpler time, helping his father farm, plowing fields into the night. For me, it's a reminiscence of sunning myself in my backyard over summer vacation. The twangy sounds of the guitars and the fiddles always seemed to make me feel at home. For me, country music is a way of life, therefore the reasons I will use in an attempt to persuade you that country music is better than other music include its deep history in America, the quality and content of the music and its relatability.
Art Menius said, “The African-American music of the rural south provided the source for gospel, jazz, and blues, while the often ignored black contribution to country music and hillbilly music went far beyond providing the banjo and Charley Pride.” In 1928, A.P. Carter, the patriarch of the legendary Carter Family, the first family of country music, met a blues guitarist by the name of Lesley “Esley” Riddle. Lesley Riddle had created a unique picking and sliding technique on the guitar while he was recovering from an accident on the job. The Carter Family was looking for a new sound of music, and they were so overwhelmed by the sound that Lesley produced, they wanted him to teach them how to play that way. Lesley Riddle influenced Maybelle Carter’s style of guitar playing called the “Carter Scratch,” which became legendary. According to birthplaceofcountrymusic.org, Riddle’s influe...
Southern hospitality is the best in the world. People that live in the South are very nice and are always willing to help another person in any way they can. If someone is from out of town and needs directions to a certain place southerners will make sure he or she knows how to get there before he or she leaves them. Southerners are very polite. Every time we pass someone on the rode, we are going to wave at him or her. Towns in the South have fewer people and everyone knows everyone. The people in the South are nicer than anywhere else in the United States.
Country Music is everywhere. It may come blaring from a neighbor’s house, blasting the radio from a car or truck, or even playing quietly in a restaurant; but why exactly is Country Music so popular for people to listen to? When it comes to Country Music, the lyrics comes straight from the artist`s hearts where people can relate to them; the rhythm and beat are unique to the specific song, and the artist knows exactly how to tell a perfect story in the song.
Played on acoustic instruments (natural sound): Banjo, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, bass fiddle, dobro (resophonic guitar) Instrumental leads used to show off technical ability Distinctive vocal harmonies Originations of Bluegrass Bill Monroe - "The father of Bluegrass" Grew up in Rosine, Kentucky (Ohio County) Music takes its name from Bill Monroe's band, The Blue Grass Boys &nb Arnold Schultz, black "blues" singer and guitar player. Timeline: 1911 - Bill Monroe born on September 13 1940's - development of bluegrass music 1950's - people began referring to his style of music as Bluegrass 1960's - concept of "bluegrass festival" introduced 1996 - Bill Monroe died on September 9 1997 - Bill Monroe inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Because of his influence on popular music. Bluegrass Music featured in: Films of "Bonnie and Clyde", "Deliverance" Television Shows of "The Beverly Hillbillies", "The Dukes of Hazard". Written Overview A sample overview of the history of bluegrass music follows.
When country music bean in America, there were no professional musicians. The typical musician sang only to entertain himself, his family, or at local events. At first, most country music was sung unaided or played on a lone fiddle or banjo. At the turn of the century, Sears, Roebuck & Co. began advertising affordable guitars in its nationally available catalogs, as well as sheet music and songbooks. The mandolin also became available and soon string bands were being formed with different combinations of instruments.
Guitars were used because they had a broad range of notes, they were portable, affordable, and they were permitted by slave owners at that time. The slave owners didn't permit drums because they thought the drums could be used to signal to each other. There were many beginning Blues musicians but only a few had their songs written, published, or recorded.