Informative Speech: The Development Of Country Music

Rong Rong

Professor Haley

Speech Two

October 27, 2016

Speech: The Development of Country Music

Specific Purpose Statement: By the end of my speech, I want my audience to describe the 4 generations of country music and its depiction of American’s lives and values.

INTRODUCTION:

Attention Getter: When I was 12, my father bought many albums of American music and played them on car, and it was the first time I got to know different types of American music. I liked rock by Bon Jovi, and pop by Whitney Houston, but the one I loved the most was a lively and lovely music, the country music.

Thesis Statement: Originating in the 1920s, country music developed four distinct generations and it reflected American’s lives and values.

Credibility

Statement: I listened to country music of different times and I became interested in the development of country music. As I did research on the topic, I was able to share the knowledge with you guys.
Preview: Today, I would like to show you a glimpse of the four distinct generations of country music, and it’s depiction of American lives and values.

BODY:
I. Country music experience four distinct generations.
A. Country music originated in the 1920s.
According to “Country Music” published by Wikipedia, country music originated “in the Southern United States in the 1920s, taking its roots from folk music and blues music”. Country music was characterized by simple and smooth melody during the time. Also, according to “Country Music” published by “World Book” in Ebsco Host, musicians used “traditional southern moutain vocal techniques and instrumentation” to perform country music during the time.
B. Country music developed two new styles in 1930s and 1940s.
1. A new style called Western swing became popular in the 1930s. This western music was played by cowboys and it was spread by Hollywood movies and radio.
2. Another style, Bluegrass, became popular in the 1940s. Bluegrass was played on stringed instruments such as banjo, fiddle as well as guitar and it was characterized by vocal harmony. According to “Grass’s Root” published by Cincinnati Magazine in Ebsco Host, bluegrass music was also characterized by “hard-driving sound”.
C.

Country music experienced a great transition from the mid-1950s.

1. Country music went to a crossroad in the mid-1950s that a new style called rockabilly emerged. Rockabilly was a style combining rock and roll and country music. According to “Country Music” published by “World Book” in Ebsco Host, “many early stars of rock and rockabilly had country roots, including Everly Brother and Elvis Presley”. As rock and roll thrived, the traditional western cowboy music declined in the 1960s, but another style, countrypolitan, which aimed at mainstream market, kept growing in the late 1960s.

2. In the 1970s, a new style called Country pop emerged. Country pop was a blend of countrypolitan, folk and rock. The 1970s was the golden time of country music that it became the mainstream of music and made a great success on mainstream markets. Famous songs such as “Country Road, Take me home” by John Denver, “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton and “Top of the World” by The Carpenters was very classic.

D. As pop thrived and became the mainstream in the 1980s, country music began to decline. Country pop was still the dominant style of country music

nowadays.

Preview: Now that we have taken a look at the four generation of country music, let’s investigate its depiction of American’s lives and values.
II. Country music reflected American’s lives and values.
A.

The lyrics of country music reflect people’s lives as times changed. According to "Poetry For The People: Country Music And American Social Change", published by Southern Quarterly in Ebsco Host, country music depicted “the white, Protestant and working-class Southerner”, “addressed their pain, their dreams struggles, beliefs and moral dilemma”.

1. For example, the song “Waiting for a Train” depicted “unemployed rambler during the Great Depression”, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” depicted the separation of lovers during a war, and “California Dreaming” depicted the singers’ nostalgia for California.

B. The lyrics of country music reflect people’s values as times changed. According to “Real Country: Music and Language in Working-Class Culture", published by MasterFILE Premier in Ebsco Host, country music depicts the ethos of American people, for instance, country music “demands a consideration of race, and “speaks to aspects of gender identity…and intersections of religion with contemporary mas culture”.

2. For example, the song “When Our Army And Our Navy Overtake the enemy” disseminated patriotism during the WWII, “Vietnam Blues” reflected that a majority of American opposed to the Vietnam War, and “Man In Black” protested racism in 1970s.

CONCLUSION:
Review: Country music began with a simple style in the 1920s and experienced a great transition from the mid-1950s. Also, country music reflected the lives and values of American people, giving a portrait of changes of society and the voice of people.
Restate Thesis: Originating in the 1920s, country music developed four distinct generations and it reflected American’s lives and values.
Tie to Attention Getter: Those albums that my father bought are no longer played in his car. They are in unknown corner at my home in China, and that is, I don’t know where they are. It did not matter because I’ve kept those most beautiful songs and lyrics in my mind.