A Brief History Of Country Music

September 25, 2022 2:11 pm Published by

There is no specific time or place where country music was suddenly created, however, history indicates it moved into the mainstream in the 1920s. Country music has its origins in the 1900s, when it gained wide popularity among the American working class in the southern states, especially in eastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia. Ultimately, country music’s roots lie in the ballads, folk songs, and music of the English, Scottish and Irish settlers of the Appalachians and other parts of the south. Country music grew out of the traditions of the southern Appalachians, setting folk tales of local heroes, stories, and legends to music.    

The origins of country music can be found in recordings made by violinists in the Southern Appalachian Mountains in the late 1910s. Country music is one of the earliest genres of contemporary American pop music. Country (also known as country and western) also has its origins in blues and various genres of American pop, including Appalachian, Cajun, Creole and Mexican. The music of Western swing bands was a lively mixture of Western country music and swing jazz, with Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys being one of the most popular.    

So much history; and country music, even today, continues to be relevant and groundbreaking.

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This post was written by Buzz Reynolds