Creation of a Country Music Genre
Back in the 1920s, country songs were known as “Old Familiar Tunes.” Then, as the listening audience expanded from Appalachia, the songs became known as “Old-Time Melodies of the Sunny South” and alternatively as “Hill Country Songs and Ballads.” The genre title morphed over time, with the following being a few of the many names by which this music style was known:
Mountain Ballads and Old Time Songs
Hillbilly Music (mostly taken as a derogatory term by the 1950s)
Honky-Tonk
Folk Music
Country and Western (from the 1930s to the 1980s)
Country
Country is a Crowd-Pleaser
Popular throughout the United States, country music (CM) became America’s favorite genre in 2012, surpassing classic rock across all age demographics, according to NPD Group, a market research firm. The top 10 states where CM rules the airwaves, starting from number 10, are:
10. Pennsylvania
9. Mississippi
8. Arkansas
7. Missouri
6. West Virginia
5. Georgia
4. Kentucky
3. Oklahoma
2. Tennessee
And, can you guess the number one state where CM reigns? Yep, TEXAS! In fact, Texas hosts the most CM concerts, and has the most CM nightclubs and Opry shows anywhere.
The Heart of Country
That being said, Nashville, Tennessee is the modern center of country music’s commercial heart. It’s the home of Dolly Parton, the CM Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry (a weekly radio stage show running since 1925), the Ryman Auditorium (the “Mother Church of Country Music”), and the Bluebird Café (Amy Kurland’s sought-after club for singers and songwriters to showcase in an intimate setting). Music Row, also in Nashville, houses the world’s largest CM recording companies and music publishing houses, recording studios, managers, video production companies, and PR firms.
For a brief period, from 1940s–1960s, Bakersfield, California was dubbed “Nashville of the West,” due to migrants from Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas who went west looking for work and brought their music with them to the San Joaquin Valley.
Country Goes Global
Most fans already know that CM is popular in Australia—does the name Keith Urban ring a bell? But, would you believe people in the northern provinces of India listen and tweet about CM? And Italians love CM, from Milano to Napoli. It’s also popular in and around Moscow, Denpasar in Indonesia, Thailand, South Africa, Argentina (home of the historical cowhand gauchos roaming the pampas since the 1600s!), Ireland, and the UK. Time magazine reported that CM has widespread appeal, with tweets and followers for everything “country” coming from every corner of the world.
Black American Country Stars
Although country music is commonly labeled “white American music,” black musicians had a powerful presence in this genre. Six names every country fan should know:
“Harmonica Wizard” DeFord Bailey: The first black star performer in the Grand Ole Opry in 1927.
Charley Porter: The first major modern country act who had 39 number one singles on his label. He was only outsold by Elvis on that label.
Tina Turner: A Tennessee native, she crossed into country in 1975 with her first solo album.
Ray Charles: Recorded CM in the late 1950s and gave the modern sound to country and western music.
Cowboy Troy: Of hick-hop fame, fusing country with rock and hip hop lyrics.
Darius Rucker: Originally from Hootie and the Blowfish fame, his song “Wagon Wheel” is one of the most-played country songs ever.