Info about Country Music
Country Music
Music of any kind is a widow into the culture of the performers, an insight into a certain way of life, and a hugely popular art form, enjoyed by millions across the world. Country Music is a mixture of different styles of Music that originate from the Southern United States. Because it is a mix of several styles, Country music produces a number of different and unique artists who all have their own appeal and are successful amongst different audiences, and therefore performers often sell millions of records. The rise in popularity of a number of contemporary musical styles has caused sales of country records to fall in recent years, but in the year 2000, 36 million records were sold in the USA during the first six months. It is also estimated that approximately 77 million American adults listen to country music each week.
Country music can trace its roots back in history, to the time when immigrants to the southern Appalachian Mountains in America brought their different customs and traditions with them, which included various musical instruments and styles of performance. Fiddles were brought over from Ireland, the Mandolin from Italy, the Guitar from Spain and the banjo from West Africa. Music that was unique to this part of America was created due to the interaction between different ethnic groups and a combination of the different styles. The earliest incarnation of what would be called ‘country music’ today appeared in the early part of the twentieth century, when string bands from the Appalachian region would play the guitar, banjo and the fiddle.
The genre really began to take off in the 1920’s, when radio stations began to feature local artists and barn dance programs. Artists such as ‘Fiddlin’ John Carson’, A.C Robertson and Vernon Dalhart- the first country singer to have a nationwide hit, became known to a wide audience as stations played their songs across the country. The great depression caused a drop in record sales, and the radio was relied on as a popular source of entertainment. As a result, country music played on barn dance shows was played throughout America, and a number of different variations of country music began to develop. Bluegrass, Folk, and Gospel music began to intertwine with other styles such as Hillbilly Boogie and Honky tonk to forever alter the style of country music. This mix of styles remained popular through the 1940’s, until the arrival of artists such as Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, who played their own unique ‘Rockabilly’ sound. It was a combination of Rock and Roll with hillbilly music, and was responsible for producing some of the greatest hits of the era, such as ‘Heartbreak hotel’ by Elvis Presley, and ‘Walk the Line’ by Johnny Cash.
Towards the end of the 1960’s, a new form of rock and country began to emerge. This was country rock, and saw artists such as Gram Parsons, Clarence White and Neil Yong perform in bands such as the Monkees and the Grateful Dead. The genre is thought to be responsible for the inspiration of bands such as The Rolling Stones, as well as later artists who followed and continued to move country music towards more of a rock and roll sound.
In the 1970’s, a subset of country emerged which launched the career of Dolly Parton- Country Pop. Due to its more mainstream sound, this style of music became very popular both inside and outside of America, and continues to survive and evolve in the mainstream today, with artists such as Taylor Swift continuing the legacy that began at the turn of the 20th century, and taking it to the top of the charts with the best selling country songs of all time.