Roots of America: Country Music

 Yeah, I know, get your grumbles out now. I realize this genre of music is the most popular among this generation, but I have always loved country music and now I get to explore its history and elements. To start, I should preface that I am going to cover how country music began, way back when. Then I'm going to jump in time to more modern times, specifically country music after the turn of the century. 

Okay, intro out the way, let's dive in!

It's probably not such a shocker that country music comes from the blues. The early 1900s brought on the first buds of the garden of country music. It was most popular in the Appalachian Mountain region. This is where the blues married Celtic and Irish fiddle songs. Along came country, a genre of music that used the string instruments like fiddle and banjo to sing ballads about tragic things that happen. Just to clarify, a ballad is a song that tells a story. 

So... the farmers up in the mountains started singing about their troubles. The travelers who heard this music were probably baffled and thought that this was some redneck, yee-hawing music. They decided to call it "hillbilly music," which is kind of an apt name for some of the songs you'll hear if you listen to early country music. Here's a fun song from 1975 that fits the description, at least in my brain. 

Artists eventually spread out and soon, "hillbilly music" was appreciated by lots of people. Like lots of other music genres, country music needed a leader. That person was Jimmie Rodgers, known as the Father of Country Music. He wrote and recorded the first song to have a million units sold. Said song was titled Blue Yodel #1, and I've graciously attached it here. 

As you listen, you will notice that there isn't really any percussion. This is because when country music came into creation, early artists didn't like the sound of percussion with string instruments. They liked having guitars, banjos, and autoharps. What's an autoharp, you may ask? I'll tell you because I absolutely love them! I learned about them a few months ago when I was helping Dr. Lalama inventory the Music Ed instruments. This is kind of like a guitar that you hold in your lap. The white buttons you see in the picture below are chord buttons. They are labeled with the chords they create. It works kind of like a piano, with dampeners to mute certain strings depending on which chord you want to play. For example, if you hold down the C-major button, all the strings except C, E, and G are dampened. You can then strum and voila! A C-major chord! 

One of the groups that used the autoharp was the Carter Family. They started recording their songs and became the first family of country music. They were, along with many other country artists, featured on the Grand Ole Opry radio station when it began in Nashville in 1925. Over the next few years, more and more radio stations started playing country music. Enjoy this lovely video of the Carter Family playing Wildwood Flower. 

Time Jump!

Okay, so decades have passed, and thankfully, country music still exists! A lot has changed, but also a lot has stayed the same. Let's start with what stayed the same. There are 5 main characteristics of country music. 

Folk Harmonies:

Country music uses traditional chord progressions; there is very little use of non-diatonic chords or anything funky

String Instruments:

The instrumentation is based on string instruments like guitar, bass, banjo, fiddle, and pedal or lap steels. 

Twangy Vocals:

The twang is the best part! Almost every country artist has some sort of twang or accent, making their music distinctly country. 

Confessional Lyrics:

Many songs tell stories of love, heartache, hard work, and personal pride.

Frequent Duets:

Country music really emphasizes singing in groups and many artists team up to write and perform songs. 

Just before the turn of the century, country artists start to gain international fame as the music spreads across the globe. Artists also start to adopt aspects of different genres, like the use of electric guitars and basses. Drums also become popular in music to give it a stronger percussive side. Here is a song that I really like that embodies these characteristics. 

So we talked about the similarities, let's talk differences. For one, times have changed in the last 100 years since country music was born. For one, medical and technological advances are like nothing the early artists could have ever imagined. Crazy light shows at concerts, cellphones, parking lots, commercial planes, modern-day Nashville. All these things have influenced country music in some sort of way. This next song is one of my personal favorites. It has the twang, the guitar, the ballad of love, all the general characteristics of country music. But there's Walmart, parking lots, and security cops. These things are central to the song, allowing for the telling of the story and the feelings to be accurately expressed. The rhythms and use of electronics are very modern ideas. Enjoy!

Another piece I really like is As She's Walking Away. This song is honestly such a bop, but it also has a good message. Sure, on the surface it's about a guy falling in love with a girl as she leaves, but I always hear a message about missed opportunities. There are tons of things that can bring you joy in life, but they don't wait for you to get involved. Opportunities can be missed. In my head, Alan Jackson and the Zac Brown Band encourage people to take the opportunity to be happy and enjoy life. Fall in love. Go fishing. Buy that car. Whatever it is, life is short and happiness is obtainable. Okay, rant aside, have a listen. 

Okay, well that's all I have for you! I hope you have a bit more of an appreciation for country music, and if not, that's okay too! This was such a blast to research!

Works Cited:

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "country music". Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Oct. 2021,              https://www.britannica.com/art/country-music. Accessed 19 January 2022. 

Dooley, Sean. “The History of Country Music.” LiveAbout, LiveAbout, 23 May 2019, https://www.liveabout.com/the-history-of-country-music-934030.

Egge, Sara. “The Origins of Country Music.” Centre College's Norton Center For The Arts, 1 June 2017, https://nortoncenter.com/2017/03/19/the-origins-of-country-music/.

MasterClass. “Country Music Guide: History and Sounds of Country Music.” MasterClass, MasterClass, 6 May 2021, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/country-music-guide#5-characteristics-of-country-music.