Essay about Country Music

Submitted By grassjones
Words: 774
Pages: 4

Country Music
Eric Jones

Brief History
• The origins of country music are said to be from Southern Appalachian fiddle players from the late 1910s

• Country music did not become a well known and accepted genre until the
1920s

• Eck Robertson made the first commercial country record in 1922
• The first national country hit was in 1924, and it was “Wreck the Old ‘97” by Vernon Dalhart

The Father of Country Music
• Jimmie Rodgers is known as the Father of Country Music
• He was the first artist in country music to have a millionselling single, and it was titled “Blue Yodel #1”

• Rodgers died from complications with tuberculosis in 1933
• In 1961 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame

Jimmie Rodgers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEIBmGZxAhg • Above is a link to “Yodel #1 by Jimmie Rodgers

Country Music Family
• The Carter family was considered Country Music’s first famous group
• The vocal group consisted of 5 family members: A.P
Carter, his wife Sara Dougherty, and his sister-in law
Maybelle Addington Carter

Country in Hollywood
• Films in Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s played a big role in expanding country music
• A lot of the great music during the 30s and 40s was written specifically for these films

Honky Tonk Heroes
• Hank Williams
• Ernest Tubb’s
• Honky tonk was a style that came about in the 1940s and is still a popular style today for some country artist’s.
Hank Williams and Ernest Tubb’s played a major roll in this style of country music.

The Nashville Sound
• The Nashville sound was nearly the complete opposite of the styles of the Honky Tonk Heroes
• This style polished up some of country’s rough edges from previous years
• The style emerged in in the 50s and 60s
• Stars that incorporated this style included Eddy Arnold,
Jim Reeves, and Jim Ed Brown

The Outlaw Movement
• These artist were independent-minded, and decided they would not follow the rules of Music City’s establishment, hence the name Outlaw
• This movement came about in the 1970s
• Artists that made an impact during this movement included Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Merle
Haggard

Urban Cowboy
• After the Outlaw Movement came the era of the Urban
Cowboy in country music
• The 1979 movie, Urban Cowboy, with John Travolta popularized this movement
• The focus was on easy-listening country music
• Artists that fit this category include Johnny Lee, Dolly
Parton, and Mickey Gilley

The Class of ‘89
• 1989 was a very important year for country music
• Artists who debuted in this year included Garth Brooks,
Clint Black, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, and Dwight Yoakam
• These artist incorporated a rock and roll mentality that got more youthful music listeners interested
• This group altered the direction of country music, and can be accredited with guiding country music to where it is today Traditional Country vs. Modern
Country
• Traditional Country Artists lived out their music and the songs had






more meaning
Traditional music focused more on instruments than the vocals
There is more focus on making money in the music industry today
There is more of a pop style involved with most modern country music
Instruments used have