Country and Western

Country and Western

● Country: developed in Southeastern US; 1920s; blues influence

● Western: developed in Southwest; early 20th century; Mexican influence

● Both share qualities of Appalachian folk genres; Irish, Scottish, English; Ballads

● These two distinct genres eventually grew together into one; Hillbilly → Country → Country and Western → Country

Early Country ● Sometimes called

“Hillbilly”● Atlanta -- cotton mills,

industrious city = jobs● Appalachia: coming from

rural mountains to city; bringing culture (music!) with them

● Earliest country recording artists in 1920s

Early Country Examples

● Turkey In The Straw (Henry Gilliland and A.C. Robertson, 1922)

● Big Eyed Rabbit (Samantha Bumgarner and Eva Davis, c. 1924)

● Hobo Bill’s Last Ride (Jimmie Rodgers, 1929)

Samantha Bumgarner

Jimmie Rodgers

The Carter Family● Recorded from 1927 to

1956; group changes over time

● Influenced genres including country, bluegrass, gospel, pop, and rock

● Keep On The Sunny Side● Wildwood Flower (Carter

Sisters, Grand Ole Opry)

The Carter Family Over TimeAP, husband; Sara, wife; Maybelle, sister-in-law (AP);

Ezra, Maybelle’s husband, AP’s brother, Sara’s first cousin;The children: Janette, Helen, June, Anita, Joe

The Second Generation (30s and 40s)

● Now becoming Country and Western; popularized genre(s)

● The singing cowboys: Back in the Saddle Again, Gene Autry; Don’t Fence Me In, Roy Rogers (by Cole Porter!)

● I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart, Patsy Montana

Grand Ole Opry

● A huge factor in the popularization of Country artists and Country as a genre

● Began as radio, 1925; transitioned to television

● Minnie Pearl -- culture built around Country

● Still On Air today

Drums!? … in Country!?

● Early Country: almost exclusively string bands○ Instrumentation?

● Addition of drums in 30s/40s; considered “un-country” and “too loud” by many early Country artists

● In early years, the Grand Ole Opry and similar shows kept their drummers back stage so they would not be seen in performance

● 1960s: drums are common in Country bands

Third Generation (50s and 60s)

● The blend of genres (country, western, mexican [tejano], honky tonk, etc) is common in the “Country” sound

● John Denver, Thank God I’m A Country Boy○ Folk Revival, crossover into country; challenge

● 1950s: Rockabilly, one of the earliest forms of Rock n’ Roll; influenced by Country, Western, Pop, and Rock○ Elvis Presley, Good Rockin’ Tonight ○ Elvis as country artist: Wild In The Country

● Nashville becomes the center of Country music○ $$$$$$$

● Patsy Cline, Walkin’ After Midnight

● Tammy Wynette, Stand By Your Man○ 1968○ Song criticised; why?

50s and 60s cont’d -- The Nashville Sound

Country Rock (60s and early 70s)

● Difficult to escape the influence of Rock n’ Roll during the 1960s

● Term usually, but not always, refers to artists who recorded Rock albums with country themes

○ I Threw It All Way, Bob Dylan○ Tulsa Queen, Emmylou Harris○ Take It Easy, Eagles

Decline of the Cowboy Persona

● 1960s saw deteriorating interests in the “Western” part of Country and Western

● Cowboy songs became less popular, sold less music● Heavier emphasis on rock and pop fusion with country

Country Fusion (70s and 80s)

● “Country music isn’t really country anymore; it is a hybrid of nearly every form of popular music in America.” -- Paul Hemphill, Saturday Evening Post, 1975○ Country Pop

■ Nine to Five, Dolly Parton■ Islands In The Stream, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton■ Always On My Mind, Willie Nelson

○ “Neocountry Disco Music”■ The Devil Went Down To Georgia, The Charlie Daniels

Band

Contemporary Country Artists

● 1980s: Country music on the radio moved from being primarily AM radio stations, to primarily FM; higher quality

● Access to an even wider range of audiences; urban, suburbs, rural

● Alternative rock of the 90s: “noisier” and “less melodic” ○ Changing sound of rock n’ roll; “outdated” rock

musicians sought country sound

● Boot Scootin’ Boogie, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn● Man! I Feel Like A Woman, Shania Twain● Travelin’ Soldier, Dixie Chicks● Inside Your Heaven, Carrie Underwood

Bluegrass

● “traditional” instruments○ free from the influence of pop?

● Origins in the 1930s○ Blue Moon of Kentucky, Bill Monroe, Father of

Bluegrass● Influential Artists

○ Earl Scruggs○ Lester Flatt

Contemporary Bluegrass

● The Lucky One, Alison Krauss and Union Station● I Will Wait, Mumford and Sons

○ Neo Bluegrass?● Bluegrass Fusion

○ Big Country, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones● Bluegrass in Movies

○ I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow, Soggy Bottom Boys, from O Brother, Where Art Thou