The history of country and western music
It's interesting:"Oh. Is there a wedding going on? .... You may never see a wedding like this one again … not now that they've banned multi-buys on supermarket booze. ..."
Country and western music will, as a genre, reach the century mark somewhere between 2022 and 2027. The western sound is only a limited aspect of the country sound, having as a strong influence lasted only about two decades of the almost 90 years of country music's existence as a genre as of August 2009. The truncated history provided, here, is largely drawn from the rather ambitious website "Roughstock's History of Country Music." Despite the ambitiousness of Roughstock's documentation, however, the history of country music as detailed on this website demonstrates several omissions of important trends or influences that have, as of the latter part of the first decade of the 20th century, had significant impact on the country and western genre.
Country Music's Start as a Genre
Country music as a recording genre began in the 1920s. The first commercial country music recording was made in 1920: "Sallie Gooden," performed by fiddler A.C. Robertson. Some of the earliest vocal recordings of the new country music genre were made for Victor Records by Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family. The original Carter family made its last recording in 1941, but one member of the group, Maybelle, formed a new act with her daughters, "Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters." These two acts provided the taproot for country music and still influence the styles of authentic country music performers in the first decade of the 21st century. During this interval up to the 1940s, the "barn dance" shows, the Grand Ole Opry being the most important, enjoyed significant popularity.
Roy Acuff, the Grand Ole Opry, Bill Monroe and Bluegrass
During the 1940s through the 1960s, the Grand Ole Opry became recognized as the Institution that most characterized country music, especially during the time with Roy Acuff at the helm of the Opry. Country music stars today still aspire to Grand Ole Opry membership. One of the country standards to come about out of this influence was "Wabash Cannonball."
Another influence on the development of the country music genre during the 1940s into the 1960s was the bluegrass movement, under the lead of Bill Monroe. Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs helped popularize this upbeat, dance-tune branch of country music through the distinctive sound of the "three finger banjo" technique.
Western Swing and Cowboy Music
The 1930s brought the western influence into the country music genre. As a strong influence, the western touch would last four decades, with occasional attempts at either direct or indirect revival by later artists in the 1970s (Marty Robbins and the Statler Brothers) and the 1990s (Michael Martin Murphy and Suzy Bogguss.).
The heyday of western music in the country-and-western genre broke down into two particular influences: Western swing and cowboy songs. Western swing was essentially a blend of multiple music styles, primarily Dixieland, jazz and big band sound. This phase also introduced the steel guitar influence into the country music genre. The term "western swing" was derived from a Duke Ellington hit "It Don't Mean a Thing (If it Ain't Got That Swing)." The bright lights of this country music sub-genre included Bob Wills and Milton Brown. Wills recorded his greatest hits between 1935 and 1942.
The cowboy music influence on the country-and-western genre occurred generally between 1940 and 1960, and was as an influence different from other country music influence strains. Whereas early country music derived from authentic music played in the Appalachian countryside, much of the cowboy song material was written specifically for the cowboy movies of the time, then became recording hits afterward. Gene Autry was the most successful singing cowboy. The Sons of the Pioneers were the leading cowboy song group and one of the longest surviving country music acts lasting into their seventh decade. A country standard that arose during this stage was the eerie ballad "Ghost Riders in the Sky," recorded by both Vaughn Monroe and the Sons of the Pioneers.
Honky Tonk and The Nashville Sound
Honky tonk music, the 1950s manifestation of country music, has continued to have a distinct influence on country music right through most of the first decade of the 21st century. The key performers in this stage of country music's history were Hank Williams and the Drifting Cowboys, Ernest Tubb and Lefty Frizzell. Frizzell's influence can be heard in modern country in such performers as Merle Haggard, George Strait, Keith Whitley and Doug Stone. This era in country music was also haunted by tragedy. Two of the three shining stars of this era died untimely deaths. Though Frizzell did not die until 1975, he was only 47 at the time of his death. Williams, however, died at the pinnacle of success at age 29.
During the 1960s, country music's character shifted to an influence that seems lasting: the Nashville Sound. In this phase, country music became a mix that combined big band jazz and swing with the storytelling of folk and country artists.
The key performers of this phase of country music history include Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves and Eddy Arnold. Arnold is one of the top-selling country performers of all time.
Outlaw Country and "Urban Cowboy"
During the 1980s, the trend in Nashville was to return to more traditional country music. Fundamental to this resurgence were four individual performers who collectively became known as "the outlaws": Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash.
The return to traditional sound was at this phase not to last long, relatively speaking. During the 1990s, country music as a genre tried to broaden its appeal by way of crossover into a more popular sound, a trend influenced by the "Urban Cowboy" movie phenomenon of the early 1980s. Still, some acts successfully negotiated this phase of country music's history while remaining more faithful to the traditional, authentic country sound. Most notably, female vocalist Reba McEntire and the group Alabama continued to record, and sell, a more traditional country sound during this interval.
Garth Brooks and New Country
During the 1990s, one artist, Garth Brooks, made the strongest mark on the country music scene. Roughstock (which ends its history with the 1990s) describes Garth Brooks as "undeniably the most popular country music artist of all time." Doubtless this observation was true at the time of the writing, but would today need to be called into question with reference to the extreme popularity of Kenny Chesney in today's market. Singling out Garth Brooks as the sole influence of the 1990s also overlooks the importance of the 1990s as the era of the singer-songwriter in country music, diminishing the contributions of such artists as Alan Jackson and Clint Black on the songwriting side of the equation.
General Influences
A general influence that, with the possible exception of the western strain, carries throughout the country music genre is that of gospel music. Time and again, one hears country recording artists across the spectrum of success levels report in interviews that their formative years as vocalists were spent performing gospel music. While this influence is more subtle on the country music sound than the distinctive influences of banjo, steel guitar and the Nashville Sound, it is certainly observable in the canon of many country music artists.
Additionally, while Roughstock's compilation is an admirably comprehensive discourse on the country music genre, it exhibits some glaring oversights as to historical country music influences, four of which are significant enough to include. All four of the described oversights involve specific artists, but one also involves a general trend.
During the 1980s and particularly the 1990s, the popularity of country music, even in its crossover to popular form, declined sharply. A strong influence in renewed post-1990 popularity is not mentioned in the Roughstock history, that of the country line dance influx led by Billy Ray Cyrus' hit "Achy Breaky Heart."
Also of note: Roughstock's history gives short shrift to three acts that have had uncontested influence on modern country music: two solo artists and one duo.
Few would contest the significant influences on country music as a genre exerted by solo artists George Jones and George Strait. While Roughstock may give information about these performers in its pages about specific artists themselves, in the genre history pages, Roughstock does not mention George Jones at all, whereas most country music traditionalists consider George Jones the apex of country music. Similarly, Roughstock's only mention of George Strait, historically speaking, involves the influence of Lefty Frizzell on Strait's style, despite Strait's range of accomplishments unsurpassed by any other country music performer. Indeed, one of Garth Brooks' common confessions on award or interview appearances is that of his own recognition of influence from "my two Georges: George Jones and George Strait." George Strait also had, at one time, an unbroken string of recordings go to No. 1 on the charts, unequaled by any artist in country history, the closest being Alabama, with less than half of Strait's mark. Strait's influence would, therefore, seem an essential inclusion in any history on the genre.
Similarly, in the country music history compilation, Roughstock makes no mention whatsoever of the vocal duo the Judds, who owned the duo or group award category for years before illness forced Naomi Judd into early retirement. Wynona Judd has gone on to record as a solo artist, though there are no indications that she will make the sort of mark on country music as did the Judds as a duo. However, as a duo, the Judds' music set the gold standard for duo or group for post-1990s country music artists.
All of these omissions make for curious gaps in the Roughstock compilation of country music history.
Tags: country music, country music, country music, country music genre, music genre, country music history, Garth BrooksSource: www.ehow.com
