History of Country Music

History of Country MusicThe Beginning of Country MusicAlthough musicians had been recording fiddle tunes (known as Old Time Music at that time) in the southern Appalachians for several years, It wasnt until August 1, 1927 in Bristol, Tennessee, that Country Music really began. There, on that day, Ralph Peer signed Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family to recording contracts for Victor Records. These two recording acts set the tone for those to follow - Rodgers with his unique singing style and the Carters with their extensive recordings of old-time music.Known as the Father of Country Music, James Charles Rodgers was born in Meridian, Mississippi on September 8, 1897. He never appeared on any major radio show or even played the Grand Ole Opry during his lifetime. But he, Fred Rose, and Hank Williams were the first persons to be elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961, which is indicative of his importance in the history of Country Music.The Grand Ole OpryPerhaps no other institution is more synonymous with country music than WSM Radios Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. Since 1925, it has featured country music acts on its stage for live Saturday night broadcasts. This program has introduced the nation to most, if not all, of the greats of country music. To this day, membership on the Opry remains one of a Country Music artists greatest ambitions. The Opry began as a show with primarily part-time artists who used the show to promote their live appearances throughout the South and Midwest, but with the help of Roy Acuff, the professionalism of country music became established at the Opry.The King of Country Music could well have become another Lou Gehrig or Babe Ruth. Making his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry in 1938, Acuff soon became a regular on the show, changing the name of the band once more to the Smoky Mountain Boys. He won many friends with his sincere, mountain-boy vocal style and his dobro-flavoured band sound, and eventually became as popular as Uncle Dave Macon, who was the Oprys main attraction at the time. Acuffs tremendous contribution to country music was recognized in November 1962, when he became the first living musician to be honored as a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. He guested on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Bands triple album set Will The Circle Be Unbroken? in 1972, lending credence to contemporary and country-rock music. He continued to appear regularly on the Grand Ole Opry throughout the 70s and 80s, but cut down on his previously extensive touring schedule, until by the early 90s his only appearances were infrequent guest spots at Opryland. He died on November 23, 1992 following a short illness.Cowboy MusicThe songs of Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and the Sons of the Pioneers put the Western in Country and Western Music. Much of this music was written for and brought to the American public through the cowboy films of the 30s and 40s and was widely popular.Known as the King of the Cowboys, and a major western movie star between 1938 and 1953, Roy Rogers started out as Leonard Slye in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1911. Influenced by his father, who played mandolin and guitar, Rogers began playing at local functions during the 1920s. After stints with such groups as the Rocky Mountaineers and the Hollywood Hillbillies, he formed his own band, the International Cowboys. Later - with the aid of Tim Spencer and Bob Nolan - he formed the Sons of the Pioneers. Though this outfit established a considerable reputation, Rogers set his sights higher and began playing bit parts in films, first under the name of Dick Weston, and then assuming his guise as Roy Rogers, eventually wining a starring role in Under Western Skies, a 1938 production.Western SwingThis very popular style of Country Music developed in Texas and Oklahoma the 1930s and saw enormous popularity in the 40s. The style is a blend of big band, blues, dixieland, and jazz, among others. Musically, it contributed the drums and Hawaiian Steel Guitar to Country Music. It was a Saturday night dance type of music which combined the style of jazz and big band swing with the culture of the Southwest.Bob Wills, born east of Kosse, Texas in an area known as The Moss Springs Community, is known as the King of Western Swing. He perfected this style in the late 1930s with his band the Texas Playboys. Many of his greatest hits were recorded between 1936 and 1943. They include San Antonio Rose and Take Me Back to T ulsa. Find included here a less well-known, but nonetheless typical Wills recording called Liza, Pull Down the Shade from 1938.Bill Monroe and BluegrassThe virtual base on which the whole of bluegrass music rests, William Smith (Bill) Monroe was born at Rosine, Kentucky, on September 13, 1911, the youngest of eight children. Bill Monroe was elected to the Country Music Hall Of Fame in 1970. His contribution to country music is inestimable. On August 13, 1986, one month to the day before his 75th birthday, the US Senate passed a resolution recognizing his many contributions to American culture and his many ways of helping American people enjoy themselves. It also said, As a musician, showman, composer, and teacher, Mr. Monroe has been a cultural figure and force of signal importance in our time.Honky Tonk MusicPerhaps no other style of country music has had a greater influence on todays artists than the style known as Honky Tonk. Honky Tonk music embodied the spirit of dancing and drinking, and of loving and then losing the one you love. Its greatest practitioners owe their singing style to Jimmie Rodgers and much of the music to the steel guitar and drums of Bob Wills and Western Swing.One of the most charismatic and enduring figures in country music - his Opry performance of June 11, 1949, when his audience required him to reprise Lovesick Blues several times, is still considered the Rymans greatest moment - Hank was born Hiram King Williams in Georgiana, Alabama on September 17, 1923.The Nashville SoundThe Nashville Sound is a blend of pop and country that developed during the 1950s. The music in this era was an outcropping of the big band jazz and swing of the 30s, 40s and early 50s, combined with the storytelling of honky-tonkers.A country crooner with a smooth, very commercial voice, Arnold has probably sold more records than any other C&W artist, with few exceptions. Born in Henderson, Tennessee, in 1918, Arnold first learned guitar from his father - an old time fiddler - teaching him guitar at the age of ten. Outlaw CountryThe late 1960s and 1970s saw the resurgence of a more traditional country sound. The Nashville sound, by 1970, was well-worn, and had merged into the pre-British Revolution pop culture in many areas. Aside from the outlaws profiled below, new artists such as Charley Pride and Conway Twitty emerged to break the mold of the Nashville Sound. Southern Country Rockers such as The Outlaws, The Marshall Tucker Band, David Allan Coe, The Charlie Daniels Band, and others took country to a new, higher level. Without a doubt, though, it was the outlaws who defined this era in country music.We need a change, Waylon Jennings sings in Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way, the piercing kickoff track to his greatest album, Dreaming My Dreams. Waylon is singing about the country-music industry in this song, but the sentiment could apply to any element of this ramblin mans life or career. Jennings, more than any of the outlaws, epitomized this era of battling the now oft-abused Nashville Sound. Waylon became a spokesman for the iconoclastic outlaw movement, and, incidentally, has a near encyclopedic knowledge of country music history. Urban CowboyThe most infamous era in country music was in the early 80s. The Urban Cowboy movement led country music away from its roots. Countrys move toward pop culture was popularized by John Travoltas Urban Cowboy, and spurred on by Dolly Partons movie 9 to 5 and the title song, which you can find here. In the early 80s, country attempted to cross-over to the easy-listening pop audience. The result was a lot of shallow and tacky music that was neither good country, nor good pop. In many cases, Urban Cowboy country was nothing but regurgitated 60s and 70s pop music. The outlaw heroes of the 1970s - Willie, Waylon, Johnny, and Merle - faded into obscurity on the country scene. Aside from Parton, the biggest hits of the time were crossover tunes, including the Oak Ridge Boys Elvira and others.Discovered singing the national anthem at the 1974 National Finals Rodeo, Rebas early country career revealed a different singer altogether from the polished professional Reba of 1997. Greatly influenced by her small town upbringing, and by the music of Patsy Cline, McEntires early work is true honky-tonk country with a twist. Although her musical legacy during her early years at Mercury Records pales in comparison to today, McEntire did cut several songs that helped to build the solid foundation to the career of one of the most acclaimed women in the history of country music. New CountryAfter the dismal failure of the Urban Cowboy era, a generation of new traditionalists - George Strait, Ricky Skaggs, the Judds, Randy Travis, and Ricky Van Shelton - brought country out of its post-Urban Cowboy doldrums by reminding young audiences what made the music great in the first place