Country Music
I'm gonna just come out and say it: I love country music.
I am not the stereotypical country fan. I have always lived in big cities. I don't have roots in the Deep South or the Appalachian mountains, where the musical traditions brought from Europe coalesced into country music. For a long time, I believed that country, like rap, was as much a lifestyle as a musical genre: you listened to it only if you came from certain places and believe in certain things.
Maybe it's because I've always loved the mythology of the West, tales of hard lands and the stern men who settled them. Maybe it's because I got sick of the indie rock I grew up with, which was full of vague, inaccessible lyrics. Maybe I just got drunk and maudlin in the right bar at the right night. It was probably a combination of all three, but the important thing is, I came around.
If you're already a fan of country music, nothing I write is going to convince you of anything new. You've already shared a beer and a bruised heart with poor doomed
Dixie Chicks debate. For the rest of you, give the greats a listen. Country music has a way of cutting directly to the bone, and the best of it shines with honesty, humor, pain, humility, and humanity.
Country Sub Genres
Getting into any new genre of music is a daunting task. It's origins go all the way back to the Depression and there are a ton of subgenres, each with its own sound.
* Early country was full of singing cowboys, mountaineers groups from the Appalachians, gospelblues fusion performers, and bad men from the honky tonks. Famous performers include Hank Williams, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and Red Foley.
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Rockabilly music, which was a fusion of rock and roll and country, is a tricky category to pin down as most major performers seem to straddle genre lines. Most people associate the genre with Johnny Cash and the earlier works of
Elvis Presley. Cross the genre with punk music and you get psychobilly like The Reverend Horton Heat, who will rock your face off.
* Nashville became the heartbeat of country music in the late fifties revitalized country with a smoother sound and skillful vocals. Notable performers include Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, and Conway Twitty.
* Outlaw Country, which appeared in the 70s, rejected the overly refined sound of Nashville in favor a more stripped down, aggressive sound. Classic performers include the awesome Waylon Jennings,
Willie Nelson, and Hank Williams Jr.
* Modern Country includes a wide variety of styles, from the backfused songs of Shania Train, Carrie Underwood, and Kenny Chesney. Ain't my cup of tea, but to each their own. I do like the Dixie Chicks, though."Sin Wagon" puts boot to ass and "Top of the World" will break your heart.
* Finally, there's a bunch of alternative country acts out there. You should go out and buy everything William Elliott Whitmore has every made. Seriously.
Top Sellers
Related Guides
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Merle Haggard
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Dolly Parton
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Loretta Lynn
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Bluegrass
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Musical Instruments
