The origins of country music

The roots of country music originated in the folk traditions of the British Isles. In the new world these roots were mixed up with other ethnic musics and those of African slaves. The music was played on fiddles and homemade banjos.

The origins of country music can be found in recordings Southern Appalachian fiddle players made in the late 1910s. It wasn’t until the early ‘20s, however, that country music as a viable recorded genre took hold. The first commercial country record was made by Eck Robertson in 1922 on the Victor Records label. Vernon Dalhart had the first national country hit in 1924 with “Wreck of the Old ’97.” But most historians point to 1927, the year Victor Records signed Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family, as the true moment country music was born.

Jimmie Rodgers

Jimmie Rodgers, known as the "Father of Country Music," was an instant national success. He is credited with the first million-selling single, “Blue Yodel #1,” and his catalog of songs, all recorded between 1927 and 1933, established him as the first preeminent voice in country music. Rodgers died from complications of tuberculosis in 1933. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961.

Jimme Rodgers-Blue Yodel (T for Texas)



The First Family of Country Music

The Carter Family was country music’s first famous vocal group. Comprised of A.P. Carter, his wife, Sara Dougherty Carter, and A.P.’s sister-in-law, Maybelle Addington Carter, the group flourished in the late ‘20s after the release of their first collection of songs in 1927. Different variations of The Carter Family continued recording and performing for decades. Two of their earliest hits, “Keep on the Sunny Side” and “Wildwood Flower” remain country standards to this day.

The Carter Family - Wildwood Flower

The Rise of Bob Wills and Western Swing

Originating in Texas and up through the Midwest in the late 1920s, western swing reached its peak in the early ‘40s. It blended the upbeat horn-driven sounds of the big band with New Orleans jazz, blues and Dixieland. Drums were first incorporated by western swing, and the eclectic musical mix included saxophones, pianos, and a Hawaiian instrument called the steel guitar. Prominent western swing figures included Bob Wills (the "King of Western Swing"), the Light Crust Doughboys and Milton Brown (the “Father of Western Swing”).

Milton Brown And His Musical Brownies 

Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys

Dubbed the “Father of Bluegrass,” Bill Monroe is credited with first popularizing bluegrass, a form of old-time mountain hillbilly music with its origins in Great Britain and western Africa. Bluegrass got its name from Monroe’s band, the Blue Grass Boys, which eventually included future legends Lester Flatt (guitar) and Earl Scruggs (banjo). After six years, Flatt and Scruggs struck out on their own in 1949 to great success. Bill Monroe was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

Bill Monroe & the Bluegrass Boys - Blue Moon of Kentucky

Hollywood Goes Country

The cowboy films of the 1930s and ‘40s contributed greatly to the evolution of country music. Stars like Roy Rogers (the “King of the Cowboys”) and Gene Autry parlayed their musical careers into very successful acting careers. Much of the great music from this era was actually written specifically for the movies. As these films flourished at the box office, their soundtracks were pressed to vinyl, and the buying public ate them up. Great cowboy stars of the era also included Rogers’ wife, Dale Evans, the Sons of the Pioneers and Spade Cooley.

HOME ON THE RANGE - ROY ROGERS/GENE AUTRY (AUDIO ONLY)

The Honky-Tonk Heroes

In 1942, Ernest Tubb's recording of “Walking the Floor Over You” made him an overnight sensation, which thrust his brand of country, honky-tonk, into national prominence. Hank Williams further popularized the genre with his emergence in the late ‘40s, while Lefty Frizzell ascended to almost Elvis-like popularity in country music circles in the ‘50s. Unlike all other styles of country music, honky-tonk has never taken a backseat to any new trend. Go into any establishment today with live country music, and you’re bound to find a honky-tonk band on the bill.

Ernest Tubb - Walkin' the floor over you

The Nashville Sound

In direct contrast to honky-tonk music, the Nashville Sound movement of the ‘50s and ‘60s polished up country’s rougher edges by blending big band jazz and swing with great storytelling. Lush orchestrations backed up the smooth crooning of stars like Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves and Jim Ed Brown.

Eddy Arnold - Cattle Call

The Bakersfield Sound

Developed in the mid-1950s, the Bakersfield Sound originated in the honky-tonk bars in and around Bakersfield, California. Grittier than the polished and highly produced music coming out of Nashville, Bakersfield country drew on many aspects of rock and roll and rockabilly, predominately loud amp-up guitars, usually twin Telecasters played through Fender amplifiers, and loud drums. The biggest Bakersfield stars of the day included Buck Owens (the “Baron of Bakersfield”), Merle Haggard and Webb Pierce.

Buck Owens - Hot Dog

The Outlaw Movement

Fed up with the perceived “selling-out” of most country performers in Nashville, a number of frustrated and independent-minded artists decided in the mid-‘70s they would no longer follow the rules of Music City’s establishment. N’er-do-wells like Willie Nelson, his good friend and frequent collaborator, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, David Allan Coe and a host of others “outlaws” burned their leisure suits, grew their hair out, and sang whatever and however they chose to. These Outlaws gave country music the timely kick in the pants it desperately needed.

Merle Haggard, Toby Keith, Willie Nelson - Mama Tried

Urban Cowboy

The 1979 John Travolta movie, Urban Cowboy, popularized a movement in country that focused heavily on easy-listening crossover success. Artists like Johnny Lee, Dolly Parton and Mickey Gilley scored major hits on both the country and pop charts, while the “outlaws” of the mid-‘70s saw their music wane in popularity. History has proven that much of the music from this era, referred to by some as country’s disco era, was quite disposable. However, a number of notable artists did emerge during this dark period to forge wonderful careers, including Alabama, George Strait, Reba McEntire and Steve Wariner.

Urban Cowboy- -Stand By Me

The Class of '89
Arista NashvilleThe list of superstars who debuted in 1989 reads like a future Country Music Hall of Fame induction class: Garth Brooks, Clint Black, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt and Dwight Yoakam all scored their first country hits in 1989. They drastically altered the direction of country music by infusing a youthful vitality and rock-and-roll mentality into a genre that was quickly growing stale and predictable. The amazing Class of ’89 bridged the gap between 20th and 21st Century country music.

Garth Brooks -The Thunder Rolls

Hank Williams
Hank Williams' recording career spanned only a few short years, 1946 through 1952, but Williams has lived on in the songs he gave the world and the power of his voice. Williams took the Appalachian cry of country music and made it popular across the nation, crossing over to the pop charts with 1949's "Lovesick Blues." But he was really the first country "outlaw," the first crazy wildman, the first one to really set the already established country music industry on its ear. Despite his popularity, the Grand Ole Opry fired him due to his excesses; and Hank himself, suffering from crippling back pain (many today speculate he may have had spina bifida), drank to excess and took many different prescribed painkillers, including morphine. He burned himself out before his thirtieth birthday, dying in the back seat of a Cadillac on his way to a New Year's Eve concert in Canton, Ohio. He was officially declared dead on January 1, 1953. His last recording was, ironically, "I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive."

Hank Williams Sr. didn't live to see the legacy he left, but the torch burns on. "Old Hank" has touched everyone in country music. Every singer alive today, no matter what genre they sing, owes it all to Hank. His "Cold, Cold Heart" remains one of the most recorded songs in all of music.

Hank Williams - I'll never get out of this world alive

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