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. Country music originated in the Appalachian mountains of the Southern United States and has traditional folk roots that date from the early 20th century. The commercial history of country music began in the Southern United States in the 1920’s, during a ‘period of intense modernization’ (Ellison, 1995). It wasn’t until this time that country was considered a viable music genre. It was first identified as ‘hillbilly’ music in 1925 and later became known officially as ‘country’ by its designation on the Billboard Music charts (Shmoop, 2014). Widely considered the ‘Mother Church’ of country, the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville became the home of many emerging and already established artists (Tichi, 1994:21). Coupled with the rise of radio and barn dance programs, country’s popularity increased greatly. Ellison (1995) describes country’s evolution from ‘rustic radio programs’ to a genre with an ‘extensive national network of fans unparalled in other forms of popular music’. During the 1930’s, the Great Depression assisted in the spread of country music throughout the US, with many poor unemployed Southerners migrating north, t... ... middle of paper ... ... culture from hard times to Heaven. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. Pecknold, Diane. 2007. The Selling Sound: The Rise of the Country Music Industry. Durham: Duke University Press. RIAA [Web site]. RIAA - Top Selling Artists. Accessed 25 May 2014 at: http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinum.php?content_selector=top-selling-artists Shmoop Editorial Team. Country Music History Timeline of Important Dates. Shmoop.com [Web site]. Accessed 21 May 2014 at: http://www.shmoop.com/country-music-history/timeline.html Tichi, Cecelia. 1994. High lonesome: the American culture of country music. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. World Guides [Web site]. Nashville Tourist Information and Tourism. Nashville Travel Guide and Tourist Information: Nashville, Tennessee. Accessed 18 May 2014 at: http://www.world-guides.com/north-america/usa/tennessee/nashville/
Country music is “a branch of American Popular Music (Country Music)” that dates back to the 1920s. The music itself is a combination of folk music arising from the southern United States, with “cowboy” music from the Wild West. The beats, the harmony, and the flow are generally simple and allow for listening at ease. Lyrical analysis separates country music from mixing with other categories, as it is associated with ballads and stories – the songs are fit to tell. Any and all accompaniment is, in general, strings, fiddles, and harmonica. While modern music balances the artist with digital sound, country music remains true with unity of said instruments. When describing country, upon interpretation the term “twang” is used; twang can range
Thesis Statement: Originating in the 1920s, country music developed four distinct generations and it reflected American’s lives and values.
...lliam’s career were 1950and 1951. He was one of the most successful touring acts in country music. Every one of his records charted, except for those issued as “Luke the Drifter” and his religious songs with a female artist named Audrey. His songs had matured greatly since the demos he had submitted to Molly o Day, began finding a wider market than his own recordings of them ever could. Started with “Honky Tonkin” in 1949, his songs had been covered for the pop market, but it was not until Tony Bennett covered “Cold Cold Heart” in 1951 that he had began to recognize as an important popular songwriter. From that point, there was a rush to revise his songs for the pop market. Guy Mitchell, for instance, had a hit with “I Can’t Help It If I’m Still in Love with You”, and the pair of Frankie Lane and Jo Stafford took Hey, Good looking in the pop top ten. (Hank Williams)
Unlike other genres of music, country music did not begin until August 1, 1927. On this day in Bristol, Tennessee, Ralph Peer signed Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family to recording contracts for Victor Records. These two acts set the tone for others to follow – Rodgers with his unique singing style and the Carters with their extensive recording of old-time music (Roughstock’s History of Country Music). However, it was not until 1950 when the “Nashville Sound” began. The “Nashville Sound” is defined as a blend of pop and country music. This is the category of country music in which Kenny Chesney falls into.
Tichi, Cecilia. High lonesome: the American culture of country music. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill. 1994. Print.
The influences of long ago have come and gone from the radio air waves, but the extreme driving force of the country music industry, WSM Radio and the Grand Ole Opry turned a small town into a big city, nicknamed "Music City". Today, seventy-five plus years later, the Opry still broadcasts to listeners on the same radio station.
Traditionally, an image of Honky tonk girls permeate the collective unconscious of the American country music (Wilson, 2000). Honkey tonk are referred to bars that play country music and women in country music are represented as corrupted temptresses who sit in honky tonks with painted lips and tinted hair to seduce men or as innocent virgins who are loving and patient (Wilson, 2000). However, contemporary female country musicians reject this traditional view on women because such simplistic dichotomy fails to recognise diverse identities that are adopted by women in a contemporary world (Wilson, 2000). In other words, country music provides a space for female musicians to challenge normative gender roles that dominant culture embraces and
This paper examines recorded country music from about 1920 to 1990 as a source of popular impressions of aging and old age. A sample of 100 songs, primarily from Billboard's Top 40 charts are content-analyzed and the data categorized into image areas. Overall, as expected, the images of aging in the lyrics of country music, both as a process and as a demographic category, are positive; however, interesting variations appear when gender and specific image category are controlled.
Country music has recently become more radical. In the past country tunes were sluggish and slow, but a group of up and coming artists would revolutionize the music industry forever. These new artist did more for the southern/western genre than anyone in the past. They sold millions of record. Cumulatively they made billions of dollars! Artists had gigantic concerts that attracted hundreds of thousands of spectators. Their songs began to do something no country artist had done before… top the pop charts. The 1980’s brought forth some of the most dominant and influential country singers of all time, while seasoned veterans, who were previously successful in other decades, continued to create great music. In the 1990’s the money began to flow. Artists composed albums that went Diamond (sell over 10,000,000 units) and sold out stadiums. The “good time” singers of the 2000’s sang songs about love, drunkenness, and the party life. These topics appealed to regular folks and attracted new followers. Overall, this period of country music brought light to the genre and delivered great wealth to its artists.
Of all musical genres country music is perhaps the one most influenced by a male presence. Country music is often associated with the classic cowboy strumming a guitar around a campfire or riding his horse with a guitar strapped to his back. Even the politics of country music is inclined towards a male-dominated, republican, conservative, pro-war stance (Spong 184). The stereotypical women of country music “behave properly” and passively follow the same values as men do. Therefore, in 2003 when the Dixie Chicks, a three member all female country music band, became the top selling female group of all time it was quite an accomplishment. Their success began in 1997 with an image that embraced their versatility. Martie Maguire and Emily Robison, who are sisters, played fiddle and banjo and provided background vocals to lead vocalist Natalie Maines, gifted with a strong, clear voice. Maines stood out from the others with her forceful stage presence. They wore feminine, bling infused, non-countrified outfits. They were pretty to look at and kind of goofy in demeanor (129). The kind of young women fans could imagine having a lot of fun with, but also the kind that young women could identify with through their music. Songs like “Goodbye Earl” described a strong woman who has had enough of her abusive husband and ends up killing him. However, the band delivered it in a style that was far from morose. It sent a clear message of girl power for many women (129). Many accolades followed from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association (CMA) which included Entertainer of the Year, Top Vocal Group, and album of the Year (Towner 293). During the first five years of their career they sold 28 million copies of the three records...
After a rough day, when people come home from work, they need something that will make their day better. Any music helps to release people from their everyday lives. For some it is like going on vacation, or a home away from home. It not only gives strength, hope, but it helps relieves stress. Music is essential to everyday life in this world. People have become what they listen to. “The most important requirement of popular music is that is must appeal to a large number of people” (Yudkin 284). Pop country music is one of America’s favorite genre’s to listen to. Its roots began in rural America. Looking back, country music has drastically evolved and changed moving away from its original sound. Pop country is what has taken over much of the country genre. The joining of country and pop began in
Kahn, Ed. “The Carter Family on Border Radio.” American Music 14, no. 2 (Summer 1996): 206-217.
Society in general was becoming more mobile, so people were taking their lifestyles, ideas, and music with them to all parts, all over the country. The cowboy films and westerns of the 1930’s and 40’s did much to spread the popularity of country music as well. Additionally, country music was played on radio stations around the country, as well as armed services radio. While there was no one who opposed the playing of country music, it did have to continually fight for airplay on radio stations around the country. Many stations were playing the more popular music of the day, such as big band, and swing, and country music was continuing to evolve into differing sub-genres such as bluegrass and
Clugston, R. W. (2010). Country lovers (p. 3.1). San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from http://content.ashford.edu/books
Many musicological studies that have made available to us in recent years seem to suggest that music is inherently tied to the Western culture. A case in point is the account presented by several historians of country music suggesting that this particular genre of music has its social origins in the early 20th-century Southern United States, and that New Orleans is the center of many African American musical styles (Manuel 417). Although these accounts may be valid, it may be misleading to hold the perspective that music is inescapably tied to the Western culture and its assumptions. If we take a closer look at all the societies and cultures known to us and evaluate all the historical societies to the level that we can possibly discern, we