Over the years, country music has transformed, developed, gone pop and taken a jazzy sound. Since the early 1900s to the present, country music managed to build various faces. Let’s check out some of them together!
Early country music
In fact, it was named ‘hillbilly music’, presenting British folk ballads mixed with New World forms of music, such as blues and jazz.
The primary instrument in early country music was the fiddle.
Bluegrass
Bill Monroe is usually referred to as the “Father of Bluegrass”. This genre’s instrumental core is made of fiddle, banjo, mandolin, bass, and six-string guitar.
Cowboy music
During the 1930s, the singing cowboys became popular due to the Hollywood movie industry. Thanks to their fame, country singers took to performing in decked-out cowboy suits and the radio was filled with romantic stories of riding the Western prairies.
Honky-tonk music
In the 1940s, “hillbilly music” officially identified as “country music.” Singers like Lefty Frizzell and Hank Williams burst into the mainstream, reaching a wide audience through 45 records, jukeboxes, and border radio.
Country rock
In the period between the 1960s and 1970s, country music and rock’n’roll significantly influenced each other. As a result, they share a kid, called “country rock”.The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers are the most famous artists.
New traditionalist country
In the 1980s, some musicians took country music back to its origins. Their music sported a modern sound that brought influence from traditional country and was kindly greeted by the pop-country audience.
New country music
Here comes the new country music of today!
Contemporary country artists such as Shania Twain, Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, and Sugarland often bring as much inspiration from the ’70s’ pop as a traditional country.
