What are the origins of country music?
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.
Is country music rooted in black culture?
According to The True Origins of Country Music, a very powerful TED Talk by vocalist/ historian Queen Esther, not only is country music rooted in Black culture, but it also originated with blues music and West African music traditions.
How did country music grow in the 1920s?
More important than recordings for the growth of country music was broadcast radio. Small radio stations appeared in the larger Southern and Midwestern cities in the 1920s, and many devoted part of their airtime to live or recorded music suited to white rural audiences.
Who are some famous people that started country music?
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. Roy Rogers. The cowboy films of the 1930s and ‘40s contributed greatly to the evolution of country music.
What race did country music come from?
Country music originated in the early twentieth century among working-class Americans living in the south, especially in the Appalachian Mountains. Generations of musicians had blended English ballads with Celtic and Irish fiddle songs, adding influences from various European immigrants who settled nearby.
Did black people make country music first?
The answer is yes! Country music may be white-dominated, but the genre is deeply rooted in Black culture. According to Black History, when enslaved people were uprooted from their homes and brought overseas to the Americas, they introduced white people to all layers of their culture — including food, slang, and music.
Is country music from black?
For almost a century, the Appalachia-born genre, more than almost any other subset of American popular music, has largely excluded Black artists and performers. However, the roots of country music lay in the hands of banjo-playing Black slaves and minstrel-show performing sharecroppers.
What music did black people start?
Some of the most popular music types today, such as rock and roll, country, rock, funk, jazz, rap, blues, hip-hop, rhythm, and rhythm and blues were created and influenced by African-American artists. It has been said that "every genre that is born from America has black roots."
Did country music come from slaves?
Dr. Dina Bennett, senior curator at the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, said country music can trace its roots back to 17th-century slave ships, where captors made Africans bring instruments from their homeland.
What race invented rock and roll?
African-AmericanRock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm and blues, boogie woogie, gospel, as well as country music.
Who invented cowboy music?
Charley Willis and his wife, Laura, in the late 1800s. Willis is credited with the original version of the classic cowboy song "Goodbye Old Paint."
What was black hillbilly music?
Hillbilly music, which would later be renamed country, became the music of the south. Hillbilly music was not solely centered around the banjo; the first hillbilly artists drew inspiration from slave spirituals, field songs, hymns, and the blues, which itself has black origins.
What influenced country music?
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated with blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, old-time, and American folk music forms including Appalachian, Cajun, Creole, and the cowboy Western music styles of New Mexico, Red Dirt, Tejano, and Texas country.
Is all American music black?
The research shows that nearly all American-made music genres come from black gospel and the blues. The blues, which is a combination of early black spirituals, plantation songs, and folk music, is a very flexible genre.
What was invented by black people?
The folding chair, gas mask, traffic signal, automatic elevator doors, potato chips and the Super Soaker childrens's water gun toy were all invented by Black innovators.
Did black people invent rock and roll?
The fact is, while rock was invented primarily by black performers, it's always incorporated a hybrid of styles. The fact is, while rock was invented primarily by black performers, it's always incorporated a hybrid of styles. Chuck Berry borrowed Appalachian fiddle tunes; Elvis borrowed jump blues.
Who first started country music?
Jimmie Rodgers, sometimes called the father of country music, was known for combining the blues, gospel, jazz, cowboy, and folk styles in his songs. Music Theory: The most common structure of blues is called the 12-bar blues.
How did black people contribute to country music?
The black influence on country music starts with the banjo, which often conjures the hazy image of a white pastoral South. But the instrument is a descendant of West African lutes, made from gourds, that were brought to America by slaves and which became a central part of slave music and culture in the South.
Who was the first country artist?
1922. The Victor and Okeh recording companies begin recording the first country music artists. Fiddler Eck Robertson records "Arkansas Traveler" and "Sallie Gooden" for Victor Records, becoming the first pure country music artist to make a recording.
Who invented cowboy music?
Charley Willis and his wife, Laura, in the late 1800s. Willis is credited with the original version of the classic cowboy song "Goodbye Old Paint."
What was the name of the Nashville music venue that Hank Williams played in?
Hank Williams’ meteoric rise to fame in the late 1940s helped establish Nashville as the undisputed centre of country music, with large recording studios and the Grand Ole Opry as its chief performing venue.
What were the most important influences on the growth of country music in the 1920s?
More important than recordings for the growth of country music was broadcast radio. Small radio stations appeared in the larger Southern and Midwestern cities in the 1920s, and many devoted part of their airtime to live or recorded music suited to white rural audiences. Two regular programs of great influence were the “National Barn Dance” from Chicago, begun in 1924, and the “Grand Ole Opry” from Nashville, begun in 1925. The immediate popularity of such programs encouraged more recordings and the appearance of talented musicians from the hills at radio and record studios. Among these were the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers, whose performances strongly influenced later musicians. These early recordings were of ballads and country dance tunes and featured the fiddle and guitar as lead instruments over a rhythmic foundation of guitar or banjo. Other instruments occasionally used included Appalachian dulcimer, harmonica, and mandolin; vocals were done either by a single voice or in high close harmony.
What is country music?
Country music, also called country and western, style of American popular music that originated in rural areas of the South and West in the early 20th century. The term country and western music (later shortened to country music) was adopted by the recording industry in 1949 to replace ...
What is the encyclopedia Britannica?
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. ... See Article History. Alternative Titles: country and western, hillbilly music. Country music, also called country and western, ...
When did country music become popular?
But commercialization proved a much stronger influence as country music became popular in all sections of the United States after World War II. In 1942 Roy Acuff, one of the most important country singers, co-organized in Nashville the first publishing house for country music. Hank Williams’ meteoric rise to fame in the late 1940s helped establish Nashville as the undisputed centre of country music, with large recording studios and the Grand Ole Opry as its chief performing venue. In the 1950s and ’60s country music became a huge commercial enterprise, with such leading performers as Tex Ritter, Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette, Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, and Charley Pride. Popular singers often recorded songs in a Nashville style, while many country music recordings employed lush orchestral backgrounds.
Where is the Country Music Hall of Fame?
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Nashville.
When was string band music first recorded?
In the early 1920s the traditional string-band music of the Southern mountain regions began to be commercially recorded, with Fiddlin’ John Carson garnering the genre’s first hit record in 1923.
What kind of guitars did Bakersfield Country use?
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.
When did Flatt and Scruggs get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
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.
What was the Nashville sound movement?
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.
What instruments were used in the early Western swing?
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”).
What was Jimmie Rodgers famous for?
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.
When did John Travolta and Debra Winger talk?
John Travolta and Debra Winger talk in a scene from 'Urban Cowboy' circa 1980.
Where did western swing originate?
Bob Wills. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images. Originating in Texas and moving 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 era with New Orleans jazz, blues, and Dixieland.
How many Grammy nominations did Yola have?
Yola’s been having a moment. The British singer’s debut album, Walk Through Fire, netted her four Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist. She graced many year-end lists and won the U.K. Album of the Year at the U.K. Americana Awards. Vogue described her as “breaking the country stereotype of mournful white guys strumming guitars.”
Why don't people know how to get out of the way?
“Maybe it’s the story of black people in country music. People don’t know how to get out of the way because they don’t realize the privilege they have. As long as we have to navigate white people’s fragility, we’re going to have a difficult time with these conversations.”
How long does it take for string bands to be erased?
At the turn of the 20th century, Giddens tells me, “half of the string bands are black. Within 20 or 30 years, you have complete erasure because what gets recorded is what gets remembered.”
What is Yola's story about?
In an updated version of Jimmy Webb’s “Highwayman,” where each new verse tells the story of a persecuted woman in history, Yola’s is about a Freedom Rider — a protester who rode buses into segregated states to confront discrimination in public transit — who gets killed during a protest. The protests of the Freedom Riders form an especially dark part of America’s history. At times, police would work with local Ku Klux Klan chapters and turn a blind eye to planned violence by white supremacists against Freedom Riders.
What is the line that Pride says "so the music can speak for itself"?
The line they use is “so the music can speak for itself,” but of course the line they leave out is: “so the picture of a smiling black man doesn’t do all the talking.”. In his memoir, Pride describes a conversation with the country giant Webb Pierce, who told Pride, “It’s good to have you in our music.”.
Who is blowing up the image of country music being white and being poor?
Artists like Yola and Rhiannon Giddens are blowing up what Giddens calls a “manufactured image of country music being white and being poor”
What was Peer's greatest contribution to the genre?
But if that sounds a little too tidy, it is. Peer’s greatest contribution was as an innovator of the genre as a commercial tool: He found that by marketing hillbilly records to white audiences, and “race records” to black audiences, he could sell more records. It didn’t matter that what he found in the South were white and black musicians recording the same songs and playing the same music with the same instruments. It didn’t matter that the boundaries between genres didn’t exist. It didn’t matter that black musicians were teaching white musicians the art of the string band, and the white musicians were learning fast. For Peer, the label became the tool to sell the record. Then the sell became the story.
What instruments were used in the original country music?
Authentic country instruments such as the fiddle, guitar, and banjo weren’t used in the instrumentals, and more heavy-hitting instruments such as the drums were used. Despite the plan working and many more sales were sold, many artists felt like the new style was unpure to the genre, and this sparked a new wave in country music, called outlaw country.
What was the new Hollywood craze in the 1930s?
The Carter Family. In the early 1930s, Western movies were the new Hollywood craze. Many cowboy films would utilize country music, and this propelled many country stars into the limelight and made country music much more mainstream.
What movie popularized the country music genre?
Hollywood continued to propel country music into stardom, as the 1980 John Travolta Movie, Urban Cowboy, popularized a new style of country. The 1980 Film 'Urban Cowboy' .
What happened in the mid 1950s?
In the mid-1950s, many companies from Nashville were losing too many Rock and roll artists, who dominated the charts at the time.
What is the history of country music?
A Brief History Of Country Music. Country music is one of the most well-known genres of music today, and like most genres of music, and the history of country music is long and interesting, so today we’ll be taking you through the history of country music! Country music is a style of music that originated in rural areas ...
Why did the outlaw movement start?
The outlaw movement was sparked by many independent artists feeling that many artists were “selling-out” and that these artists would no longer follow the normal guidelines of country music.
When was Jimmie Rodgers inducted into the Hall of Fame?
He was inducted in the country music hall of fame in 1961. Jimmie Rodgers In 1928. C ountry music continued to grow due to the broadcast radio. Radio stations started to appear in Southern and Midwestern cities in the 1920’s, and many of these stations devoted airtime suited to rural audiences.
What genre of film was Roy Rogers famous for?
Westerns used to be one of the most popular film genres in Hollywood. In fact, the only individual to have been awarded a Hollywood star in every category- film, music, television, radio, and live, was known for his roles as a kindly singing cowboy. Autry and peers such as Roy Rogers ended up creating a strong romanticized vision of the wild west which captured the imagination of America for decades to come.
Why was the Bakersfield sound important?
Much like the punk rockers that would eventually try and put rock’n’roll back into the hands of the people, the Bakersfield Sound was an attempt to bring more humanity and passion back into country. Ordinary guys facing ordinary problems were the focus of many of these songs making them much more relatable and down to earth.
What is country music called?
As rock’n’roll exploded in popularity, even country music began to take inspiration from high energy rock riffs. The style of country known as “Honky Tonk” was a lot more rough and raw than it’s predecessors. Despite the new direction in country music, it was unfortunately still unable to compete with the growing genre of rock’n’roll and many music executives began to see country music as being less commercially viable than previously.
What companies were involved in the 40s country music?
A collection of producers and records companies out of Nashville, including Columbia Records, RCA Records, and Decca Records, ended up taking America by storm with a new style of country music which focused on smoothness ...
What is the song of the people?
The Songs of the People: Early Country (1920’s) Originally country music shared structural similarities with folk tales. The performances were usually live and the songs and instrumentation would vary depending on the geographical location.
What is the evolution of country music?
The Evolution of Country Music. Artistic inspiration is like a giant river- ever changing, but ultimately comprised of what came before it. Whether the medium is film, art, or music, the ideas of the past influence and inform the content of the future. The same of course is true for country music as well.
Who are some of the most famous artists of Honky Tonk?
Country may have been in a rough spot during this period, but the works of Honky Tonk artists such as Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb, and Kitty Wells are still thought of fondly to this day.
What were the new drum styles?
A lot of new styles started popping up and gaining in popularity, some of these were honky tonk, bluegrass, and hillbilly boogie.
What were the Appalachian Mountains like in the early 1900s?
In the early 1900s, the Appalachian Mountains were remote. Not only did very few people live there, but most Americans didn’t even have the opportunity to visit. Many of the settlers were European immigrants who were quite poor, and they were already used to living quite a tough life.
What was the genre of music in the 1970s?
By the 1970s and 1980s, the musical genre had evolved enough to create a few different major styles. The sounds were going to much wider audiences with the start of country pop, but the more rebellious groups started kicking away with what was known as outlaw country . This was even the point where people started to embrace country rock, and the likes of Bob Dylan managed to take off.
What was the second era of music?
This second era took place in the 1930s and 1940s, and it started during the Great Depression. The rough economy meant less records were selling, but the radio surged in popularity. This spurred the beginning of some long lasting shows, including the Grand Ole Opry, the famous performance in Nashville that’s still going strong. Also, western films started getting made in Hollywood, and they featured a lot of “cowboy songs” which helped the sounds travel around the country.
Why is Atlanta the unofficial capital of country music?
It became the unofficial capital of country music because it gave a lot of opportunities to record the music and broadcast it on the radio. However, it only stayed this way through the 1930s, and then Atlanta grew too fancy and ...
When was country music created?
The True Beginning. There isn’t one exact time and place when country music was suddenly created, but it really seemed to pluck its way into life during the 1920s. It started popping up in the Appalachian Mountains, especially in the southern regions, and it slowly started to spread around.
When did the 5th generation of country music start?
The fifth generation took place in the 1990s, and this was the era when FM radio was expanded, and country music took the opportunity to sing to more ears. It helped that rock music was becoming more “alternative,” so many turned to the more melodic tunes of the country singers. Also, Garth Brooks blazed a trail for a bunch ...
What is the genre of country music that was originally called Hillbilly Music?
Meanwhile, white audiences were sold country music — or, as it was originally called, “hillbilly music.”. The genre was musically and thematically rooted in the black American experience, and yet, it “was very explicitly thought of as being the music of white southerners or white folks who had recently moved out of the south into northern ...
What are the three chords and those four truths?
Three chords and those four truths.”. Music scholars often acknowledge the black musical influence on country music chords, pointing out things like the African origin of the banjo and the genre’s deep roots in blues music. But it’s the black influence on the four truths that often gets overlooked, and that ’s also where “the racial fault line,” as ...
What is a country song made of?
But according to Alice Randall, the first black woman to pen a No. 1 country hit, a country song is actually made up of three chords and four very specific truths: “Life is hard. God is real.
Did Lil Nas X remove Old Town Road?
So when Billboard removed Lil Nas X’s smash hit “Old Town Road” from its Hot Country Songs chart in March, some fans weren’t surprised. In a statement to Rolling Stone, Billboard justified its decision, saying, “ [Old Town Road] does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its current version.”.
Where did Allen grow up?
Allen grew up listening to country music in his hometown of Milton, Delaware, and he struggled for years in Nashville before breaking out with his debut album “Mercury Lane” in 2018.
When did the music industry start marketing gospel?
Starting in the 1920s, at the dawn of the recorded music industry and at the height of the Jim Crow era, record companies began marketing genres like gospel and blues specifically to black audiences as “race music” or “race records.”.
When was the 2015 Faster Horses Festival?
The Confederate flag waves in the air on Day 3 of the Faster Horses Festival at Michigan International Speedway on July 19, 2015 in Brooklyn, Michigan.
What was the banjo used for in the 19th century?
The banjo grew in stature worldwide thanks to minstrel shows, a wildly popular form of theater in the 19th century that stemmed from medicine shows, traveling theaters and circuses, music halls, Irish music and dance, and African syncopation.
Where did the banjo originate?
The banjo, a key instrument in country music, originated in Africa. Like blues music and all of its sonic offshoots that continue to flourish from its blood-soaked roots, the banjo is uniquely African-American. Originating in Africa, the banjo – also called banjar, bangie, banjer and banza – was created in the early 17th century by African captives ...
How long did it take to create blues music?
It took 400 years of the Middle Passage, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, arhoolies, spirituals, bloodshed and sorrow to create blues music. There is no question that this genre – with African musical traditions like call and response and the bluing of a note at its essence – is the DNA of American music.
What is the origin of old town road?
According to The True Origins of Country Music, a very powerful TED Talk by vocalist/ historian Queen Esther, not only is country music rooted in Black culture , but it also originated with blues music and West African music traditions.
When did phonographs come along?
Once phonographs came along in the early 20th century and segregated sound, creating categories along racial lines to market and sell music, the longstanding traditions that blurred those lines were virtually discarded. Country grew from a need to appease a Southern audience that had idealized “The Great Cause” in the wake of the Civil War
Who was Chet Atkins' best friend?
Bill Monroe said that Arnold Shultz was his best friend, and always spoke of him fondly. Cultural appropriation at its finest.
Who wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin?
With the explosive acclamation of Harriett Beecher Stowe ’s book Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the subsequent plays, vignettes and “Tom shows” that recreated scenarios from the novel, minstrelsy eventually incorporated those story lines into its presentation, included the banjo for Southern authenticity and brought this to an international audience for more than 100 years.