Important points about Country Music!
- American Country music was one of the earliest variations of American “folk” music.
- Country music used the radio as a platform in the 1920’s with the station WSM, “The Grand Ole Opry”. Country gained popularity quickly due to its relatable topics: everyday life, family, home.
- Topics presented in Country started with strong family values, but eventually darker topics included: liquor, drugs, adultery and criminal behavior which eventually created diversity within the genre.
- God and the American “motherland” also became core values of Country’s content. The lyrical subject of faith has created a link with Gospel (Country Gospel), and a distance with people of other religions.
- Country works mostly with very classic (string) instruments: banjo, fiddle, acoustic guitar, violin and harmonica. As the genre developed throughout the 1900’s, the genre eventually incorporated many other instruments, especially electronic ones/”rock band setup”.
- Just like Folk Rock, the voice is used to convey emotional stories. Duets, especially man and woman talking about love, are also common within the genre.
- Because Country can be traced back to remote, wild, rural areas, (such as the Appalachian Mountain region) the name is a reminder of its geographical origin.
- The word “Country” also hints at the patriotism embedded in Country’s subculture. A strong link with American culture and the pride of the nation give Country a strong domestic appeal.
- A particular aspect of Country is that it is sometimes regarded as the Caucasian equivalent/parallel of the Blues – the music of one stereotypical image: the common, traditional, Christian, American man.
Some sites to reference…