Country Music Guide: History and Sounds of Country Music

Country music is an American musical style that incorporates elements of folk, bluegrass, blues, and rural dance music. Music historians trace its origins to the southern Appalachian Mountains in the late 1920s, particularly in eastern Tennessee and southwest Virginia. Over the course of the twentieth century, the genre spread in all directions, particularly westward, which has led some to refer to it as country western music.

There have been robust country music scenes all throughout the United States, including in Austin, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Bakersfield, California. However, the modern hub of the country music genre is Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville is home to the legendary Grand Ole Opry venue, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and countless studios where country stars record chart-topping hits.

Country music emerged in the mountain towns surrounding Bristol, Tennessee in the 1920s. Early stars of the genre included Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family.

• Country music first became popular on local radio. In the mid-’20s a syndicated radio program recorded in Nashville, called Grand Ole Opry, brought country music to a national audience.
• String bands were popular in the 1930s and ’40s. Country music had many virtuosic players on the guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and bass. Performing as bluegrass string bands, artists like Earl Scruggs and Doc Watson created country hits based around dynamic playing. These players became stars of Appalachia, Texas, and rural America after performing in clubs known as honky tonks and on radio broadcasts.
• Country singers dominated rural radio. During the same period, "singing cowboys" such as Gene Autry and crooners like Hank Williams brought country songs to the masses.
• Country's popularity grew in the second half of the century. Artists including Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Reba McEntire, and Shania Twain racked up best-selling albums and Grammy awards.
• Outlaw country emerges. Following in the footsteps of Johnny Cash, a star of 1950s and 1960s country music, some artists rejected the commercial trappings of mainstream country. Over time, Cash and his peers pioneered a subgenre known as outlaw country. Outlaw country artists include Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings.
• Alt country took hold among indie rock fans. Country music has long had an alternative side, anchored by songwriters such as Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark. Their songwriting and performance style helped inspire the alt-country movement of the 1990s and 2000s, where artists like Drive-By Truckers and Jason Isbell brought country music to alternative and indie rock audiences.
• Country is a Top 40 genre. In the twenty-first century, mainstream country music rivals hip hop and dance pop for dominance of the Billboard charts. Singer-songwriters like Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood and Lady Antebellum enjoy widespread airplay and inclusion on pop music streaming playlists. Televised industry events like the Country Music Awards (CMA) have brought further awareness to the genre and increased its reach.

In 2019, the PBS network aired an eight-part documentary series on country music, directed by Ken Burns, that broadly documented the evolution of country from hillbilly music to jukebox standards to international pop hits.

The country music of Texas honky tonks may sound different from pop country hits, but several elements unify the genre.

1. 1. Folk harmonies: Most country music is based on traditional chord progressions built off of a major scale. Non-diatonic chords are less common than in other genres.
2. 2. String instruments: Most country groups base their instrumentation around string instruments like guitar, bass, pedal steel, lap steel, banjo, and fiddle.
3. 3. Twangy vocals: Whether country artists are from West Virginia or Canada, most sing with a twang in their voice. This helps distinguish country music from other pop genres.
4. 4. Confessional lyrics: Many country songs tell stories about love, heartache, hard work, and personal pride. A good number take the form of ballads, which are songs that tell a story.
5. 5. Frequent duets: From its inception, country music emphasized group singing. Early acts like the Carter Family featured family members singing together. In more recent years, country singers like Miranda Lambert found pop success by teaming up with other vocalists.

Become a better musician with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Reba McEntire, Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock, St. Vincent, Itzhak Perlman, Tom Morello, and more.