The History of Country Music
Country music has its origins in a variety of musical genres that began in the south of the United States. It seems to have taken its sources from folk music, blues, gospel, and Celtic music. It started in the 1920s not long after, by the 1930s, it became known as hillbilly music. Eventually this term was said to be degrading, an insult to the music field, and it became known instead as country music in the 1940s. It was not until the 1970s that the term was changed again and the music became known instead as country and western. Lately this genre is referred to merely as country music.
Calling it country is really only giving it a name. There are so many sub genres here that they needed to have one name just to make sure it would be easier to classify this type of music. Each has its own name. For example, there is the Nashville sound, which is more like pop country. It became popular in the 1960s. Bluegrass came out in the 1940s. It was music that favored the use of banjos and fiddles. People like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers popularized western music. It was the kind of music you could sit around the campfire and sing. This genre brought out Western swing, which was an extension of western but with a beat you could dance to. Outlaw country appeared in the 1970s. The Bakersfield sound grew out of using drums more actively in the music. As well, it embraced the new guitars made by Fender. These were the Telecasters and they made a different sound. The Bayou in Louisiana brought Cajun style country music to the forefront, while other styles like honky tonk and rockabilly appeared. Each of these sub genres had their own style, their own chord structures and rhythm patterns, they were all different, but came together because they stemmed from one style and so they were all related.
Country music seems to be traced directly to two different styles, each of which gained acceptance and each of which are credited with bringing country music to the forefront. One of these styles came from the music of the Carter Family. The original group was Sara, her husband A.P. and their sister-in-law Maybelle. A.P. may have been the patriarch of the group, but his real contribution was the fact that the women were able to perform and tour because there was a man in the group. It was the women who organized the music he picked and wrote their own songs to add to what the group sang. It is felt that because of the talent of these two women other female country singers were able to break into the country music business. This includes Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton. June Carter eventually joined her family and had a long career, as did the man she later married, Johnny Cash.
Jimmie Rodgers was said to be the other strong influence on the way country music went. Those who enjoyed country folk music felt his influence. His songs were more like stories. They were sung for the common man. He took his own life and put it to song telling everyone about his travels and the people he had met. His music was more like a combination of country, folk and ballads. He is responsible for the music of people like Kris Kristofferson and Hank Williams. He is also credited just a little for the songs of Johnny Cash who seems to have been steered in his music by both the major country influences.
