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Country MusicCountry music is a form of folk music dating back to Colonial America. Early country music was primarily played in the Southern United States and blended the area's regional sounds, including gospel, African spirituals, and Anglo-Saxon, Scottish, and Celtic ballads.
The first known mention of the term "country" to describe music was in 1736, in an article about a local fiddling contest. As the modern recording industry emerged in the 1920s, country was deemed "hillbilly music," a derogatory term aimed at the white people who typically recorded the songs. Though Black people were also making country music at the time, their records were categorized as "race music."
In its centuries-long existence, the style has experienced several evolutions and spawned countless subgenres. In keeping with history, the music's sound keeps evolving, drawing in elements from electronic, hip-hop, and indie rock.Explore Country Music
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Three rock stars who made great country musicSteven Tyler, Tina Turner, and Darius Rucker all crossed into country. The author claims the trio shared a common trait: they weren't chasing a new audience. Instead, they were delving deeper into a sound already present in their work. American SongwriterCountry musicians grappled with the outlaw archetype on screenAs country grew more popular, some of its biggest stars leapt to the silver screen, with Johnny Cash in "Five Minutes to Live," Kris Kristofferson in "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid," and Dolly Parton in "9 to 5." Kristin Hunt notes that all of these films featured country stars toying with the outlaw archetype, a prevalent theme throughout the history of country music. JSTOR DailyBluegrass, a subgenre of country music, allows every participant to take a soloThe music grew popular after World War II and, like country, was based on a combination of blues, spirituals and Celtic folk songs. Bluegrass has a "high, lonesome sound," as pioneered by Bill Monroe, and features breaks for every melody instrumentalist to take a solo. Smithsonian Folkways RecordingsThe sound of country music has evolved over its lifespanLike any genre, country music is constantly evolving. This in-depth analysis from NPR illustrates how the notoriously traditionally minded industry has been redefined, time and time again, by its greatest artists. More recently, it highlights stars like Kacey Musgraves, Sam Hunt, and Maren Morris for taking it in new directions. NPR20th-century country music was influenced by Hawaiian instrumentsWhen people talk about influences on country music, they mention the European and African folk traditions that blended together to form the earliest country standards. Hawaiian music has had an incredible influence on country music, too, though, especially in terms of the genre’s sound: the steel guitar and lap steel. Sidedoor'The Grand Ole Opry' turned Nashville into the country music capitalBy 1932, country was being broadcast to 30 states and parts of Canada. That influence turned the Tennessee city into a destination for those interested in working in the budding industry. HowStuffWorksThe electric microphone led to a country music boomThe electric microphone provided enhanced audio and greater portability, saving the fledgling record industry and making recording outside of New York and Camden, New Jersey, possible. This proved critical for capturing early country and rock ‘n’ roll. The1920sChannelRead an early piece of journalism on country musicThis 1904 Harper’s Weekly article from Emma Bell Miles offers an early example of country music criticism. Miles traces the music’s roots to the mountaineers who pioneered it. It’s a famous piece for music writers: Miles saw a phenomenon building in the hills long before any major record label. Roots Rock WeirdoKen Burns believes country music is an essential American art formKen Burns’ massive 2019 miniseries “Country Music” explores the genre and its rich history. In this interview with writer Walter Isaacson, Burns explains what drew him to country, his definition of this “mongrel” music, and why he considers it to be an integral part of American culture. Amanpour and CompanyCountry music can be traced back to Colonial AmericaThe genre begins with the folk music of the Colonial settlers, blending the area’s regional sounds, including gospel, African spirituals, and Anglo-Saxon, Scottish, and Celtic ballads. Library of CongressWatch one of country music's most infamous performancesJerry Lee Lewis started in the 50s as a supercharged rock ‘n’ roll star. His career imploded when it was revealed he’d married his teenaged cousin. By the time he was invited to the Grand Ole Opry, he’d reinvented himself as a country troubadour and promised to play by the venue’s strict rules. But as this infamous performance shows, Lewis couldn’t help bringing some of his past to the stage, much to the audience’s delight. Saving Country MusicWhy country singer Zach Bryan purchased the original 'On the Road' manuscriptThe superstar paid $12.1M for the original draft of Kerouac's novel, which was written on a 120-foot typescript scroll so the text could be read without stopping. Bryan recently purchased a church in Kerouac's hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts, with plans to turn it into the Jack Kerouac Center. The scroll will likely be housed there. Yahoo EntertainmentThe music theory behind a lonesome country classicTownes Van Zandt's "I'll Be Here in the Morning" might read like a clever inversion of a standard country music trope. But Cush, a musician in his own right, walks through the song's structure to show how its story is far more complicated than its lyrics suggest. Hearing Things'If you can't do it with feeling, don't.'-Singer Patsy Cline (1932-1963) GoodReadsA Tennessee children's hospital changed its name to Dolly Parton Children's HospitalIn 2026, East Tennessee Children's Hospital in Knoxville changed its name to Dolly Parton Children's Hospital. According to an announcement from Parton and the hospital's CEO, Parton will collaborate with the hospital to ensure it continues providing care for children in the Knoxville area. TODAY.comBrazil's tropicália movement fused rock 'n' roll, Latin music, and poetryTropicália was a short-lived Brazilian style of rock 'n' roll that blended samba, bossa nova, modernist poetry, and American rhythm and blues that offered provocative, anti-authoritarian, and avant-garde ideas through popular music, much to the delight of the country's evolving youth culture. The ForumThe Parents Music Resource Center criticized rock 'n' roll's lyrics in the 1980sThe group, spearheaded by Tipper Gore, the wife of then-Senator and eventual Vice President Al Gore, argued that rock music, especially heavy metal, was having an adverse effect on the country, particularly young children. One of the group's fiercest critics was musician Frank Zappa. In the video below, he appears on a 1986 episode of "Crossfire," arguing about the proposed ban of so-called obscene music. Chris CasadyThe Great Migration spread jazz to various parts of the countryThe large-scale migration of Black Americans looking to escape Jim Crow laws in the South began in 1915 and helped bring New Orleans music to other parts of the country, including Chicago, New York, Kansas City, Detroit, and Los Angeles. Jazz.orgRagtime was criticized as dangerous, 'unmusical rot'The genre—short for "ragged time," a reference to the music's syncopation—was wildly popular at the turn of the 20th century, leading some to deem it morally corrupting and an inferior form. In 1901, the American Federation of Musicians, then the most prominent musicians' union in the country, adopted a resolution designating ragtime as "unmusical rot." Library of CongressJazz improvisations are often based on well-known standardsSimilar to blues, folk, and country music, jazz relies on a shared tradition of common songs that its artists learn, cover, and rework in their own unique ways. Jazz musicians are often able to easily improvise with other musicians because they share a knowledge of the songs and their languages. Jazz StandardsAfter Beyoncé won the Grammy for best country album, the Grammys created a new categoryThe singer took home the award for best country album in 2025 for "Cowboy Carter." Months after the awards, and some criticism from the country community, the Grammys announced a new category for 2026: best contemporary country album. Ostensibly, that makes room for the genre's traditionalists and its innovators, though the distinction between the two categories is vague. Taste of CountryChris Stapleton's 'Tennessee Whiskey' is the best-selling country song of all timeThe 2015 track has sold over 20 million units in the US, making it the third single to be certified double diamond. (The other two are Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are" and Post Malone and Swae Lee's "Sunflower.") Stapleton's track is actually a standard that was written in 1981 and recorded by several other artists, including George Jones. PitchforkBefore becoming a country superstar, Dolly Parton recorded girl-group-style singlesParton signed with Monument Records in the mid-1960s and released a few singles that were distinctly not country music. Instead, they sounded like Phil Spector productions, in the vein of records by the Ronettes and the Crystals. Although they weren't hits in the United States, songs like "Don't Drop Out" took off in England's Northern Soul scene, which celebrated American records that had slipped through the cracks. Dolly PartonParton released her first recording at age 13The song was written at the age of 11 with the assistance of her uncle, Bill Owens, and was released by Goldband Records in 1959, when she was 13. The rockabilly song doesn’t sound much like the country music that would make Parton famous in the next decade, but it does hint at the power of her voice. Dolly PartonCBGB, the breeding ground for punk, was intended to be a country barRamones, Talking Heads, Television, Blondie, and many other bands got their start at CBGB. But its owner, Hillel “Hilly” Kristal, didn’t intend for it to be a punk rock venue. CBGB stood for “Country Bluegrass Blues,” though he included “OMFUG” (for “Other Music For Uplifting Gourmandizers”) on the venue’s marquee. New York TimesIn 2025, an AI-generated song became a country hitThe song, “Walk My Walk” by Breaking Rust, racked up over 3 million streams on Spotify in less than a month and went to number one on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales in early November 2025. Because the genre prides itself on authenticity and has a long history of workaday songwriters, the song's success was controversial in the industry. Billboard does not currently have a policy prohibiting AI-generated songs. Straight Arrow NewsThe musical 'The Wizard of Oz' debuted in 1902Following the success of ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,’ Baum adapted the novel for the stage. It premiered at Chicago’s Grand Opera House in 1902 and made it to Broadway’s Majestic Theatre in 1903. It then toured the country through 1909. It was also a musical adaptation of the story. New York Public LibraryWales has had a massive influence on fantasy music, movies and books Many of "The Lord of the Rings" settings and languages are rooted in the country's landscape and dialect. Studio Ghibli icon Hayao Miyazaki was inspired by Wales' countryside. Rock band Fleetwood Mac used Welsh myths as a basis for songs. Literary HubYodeling wasn't intended to be musicAlpine herders originally used the technique to call cattle. When it made its way to the US, in the South and Appalachia, yodeling was a popular singing style in "hillbilly music," which eventually evolved into country. Great Big StoryCountry's popularity skyrocketed in the 21st centuryThanks to the crossover success of '90s artists like Garth Brooks and Shania Twain, country music found a larger audience. By the 2000s, the genre was more popular than ever, at times accounting for nearly a quarter of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Stat SignificantWhy one country legend embraced punk rockDwight Yoakam was among the most popular country music acts of the 1980s, praised for his upbeat rockabilly and neo-Bakersfield sound. In this interview, Yoakam explains why he left the Midwest for California and began playing in punk clubs, including with an iteration of the legendary LA punk outfit X. PBS SoCalCountry's sound continues to evolveCountry music is having a moment. In 2023, it saw the biggest growth in market share of any genre—up nearly 22%. This overview traces country’s rise from Appalachian folk roots to its current pop, rock, and hip-hop-infused wave, with artists like Beyoncé and Post Malone joining the mix. 1440The first Grammys acknowledged only 4 genresAt the first Grammys, there were six awards presented in four genres: classical, jazz, country, and R&B. But over time, it became clear that plenty of music didn't fit neatly into those categories. Now there are more than a dozen genres recognized, spanning multiple cultures and continents. BillboardWatch Johnny Cash’s 1969 concert at San QuentinJohnny Cash is one of the most recognizable names in country music, but by the 1960s, he was also a rock icon. Part of that status was due to his outlaw identity and willingness to play for true outsiders. This documentary from one of his most famous performances shows why. Kortje AlexanderRay Charles' 'Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music' albums blurred genre linesReleased in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, Charles’ records showed that country music, by then largely segregated, was an American music, no matter one’s background. PitchforkExplore 'The Grand Ole Opry' radio archive"The Grand Ole Opry" changed the course of country music, bringing the music from the mountains and hollers to a nationwide audience through its weekly show. This archive of the radio program offers hundreds of hours of Opry radio programs from several decades of the show's existence. Internet ArchiveDolly Parton's 'I Will Always Love You' was written as a goodbye for her musical collaboratorThe Whitney Houston cover is the greatest-selling song by a female artist ever. It also might be one of the most misunderstood songs in country music. The song wasn't written for a lover; Parton wrote it for Porter Wagoner, her musical partner, when she decided to pursue a solo career. Dolly Parton’s AmericaOutlaw Country was a subgenre that emerged in the 1970sOutlaw country was a reaction against popular country music produced in Nashville. The name's origin is disputed, but it was firmly established with the 1976 album “Wanted! The Outlaws,” a record featuring songs by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser—artists who bucked industry norms. Waylon JenningsThe Bakersfield Sound challenged the music's creeping respectabilityAs country music leaned towards the slick Nashville Sound in the 1950s, several artists operating outside that city reacted with rougher sounds more reminiscent of honky tonk and early rock ‘n’ roll. It came to be known as the Bakersfield Sound, reflecting the California agricultural region. Merle HaggardHonky-tonk features a rollicking stompWidely considered the first honky-tonk song, Ernest Tubb’s "Walking the Floor Over You" is a perfect example of the subgenre's upbeat percussion, barroom piano, and chippy lyricism. The song is a country music classic, being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and preserved in the Library of Congress. Ernest TubbWestern swing merged country with jazzFor as long as country music has been set to record, its artists have experimented with the genre’s boundaries. Look no further than this track from 1946, Bob Wills’ “Roly Poly.” The song is a classic example of Western swing, a country subgenre that blended country and jazz. Bob WillsIn the '90s, country aimed for stadiumsWhile the early 1900s built the template for country music as a genre, the 1990s pushed the music into the mainstream, setting the course for country’s modern ubiquity. Artists like Garth Brooks and Shania Twain pushed against the genre’s orthodoxy, turning the music into blockbuster entertainment with a pop sheen. Grand Ole OpryElvis was allegedly chided for playing rock 'n' roll at the Grand Ole OpryElvis Presley had deep roots in country music, though the Grand Ole Opry and its audience weren’t happy with Presley’s rocking take when he performed for his first (and only) time in 1954. Afterwards, the Opry’s manager Jim Denny allegedly told Presley, “Don’t quit your day job.” Saving Country MusicThe 1927 'Bristol Sessions' birthed the modern country industryCountry music has been around since the early American colonies, but the modern country industry began in 1927 in a small town on the Tennessee-Virginia border. Here, Ralph Peer recorded songs from the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, and a dozen more artists through a 12-day stint called "The Bristol Sessions." Birthplace of Country Music MuseumIn the 1920s, country was often called 'hillbilly music'The term was meant to describe the rural people who typically performed the Appalachian folk music. Though Black people were also making country music at the time, their records were categorized as “race music.” University of North Carolina LibrariesThe first known mention of the term 'country' to describe music was in 1736The November 26, 1736 issue of the Virginia Gazette described a fiddling contest for "country" musicians. While the musical style would go by many names over the next two centuries, "country" was the one that eventually stuck. MEIEA JournalRock 'n' roll began as a hybrid of several American musical stylesRock ‘n’ roll combined blues, swing, country, and other American musical forms in the late 1940s. From there, it splintered into countless subgenres and is still evolving. Carnegie HallTaylor Swift is one of the world's most successful artistsSwift is one of the best-selling musicians of all time. She has sold more than 200 million records and won multiple Grammy Awards. Known for her storytelling and ability to reinvent her music, she’s expanded her career from country roots to global pop stardom. 1440Nashville's economy is benefitting from bachelorette parties at what some say is a cultural costIn the past decade, Tennessee’s capital has gone from a destination known for its music scene to the country’s bachelor/bachelorette party hub. This podcast episode reveals that despite the financial benefits that bachelorette tourism brings, residents worry about how these specific tourists could threaten Nashville's reputation as a music city. WHYYTaylor Swift frequently reinvents herself musicallySwift began her career as a country music artist, morphed into a pop singer, and from there experimented with everything from dance to anthemic pop-rock to a more indie singer-songwriter sound. Her introspective 2020 album “Folklore” offered melancholic tunes to accompany the uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic. BBC News
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