Emmylou Harris

Like its cousin alternative rock, Alternative Country exists outside of the mainstream -- in this case, Nashville. Taking its cue from "outlaw country" and progressive country, Alternative Country strips country to the basics and then subverts it, both musically and lyrically. The music is hardcore country, and whatever traditional country merely suggests, Alternative Country spells it out explicitly. It is the work of mavericks and outsiders, not conformists, and as such it covers many... [+] Read More

Like its cousin alternative rock, Alternative Country exists outside of the mainstream -- in this case, Nashville. Taking its cue from "outlaw country" and progressive country, Alternative Country strips country to the basics and then subverts it, both musically and lyrically. The music is hardcore country, and whatever traditional country merely suggests, Alternative Country spells it out explicitly. It is the work of mavericks and outsiders, not conformists, and as such it covers many different styles, from alternative country-rockers to simple singer-songwriters. Often, Alternative Country was used interchangeably with Americana -- the difference between the two is that alt-country had its roots in country, while Americana grew out of the roots rock movement of the '80s, and found former rock & rollers turning to folk and country as they grew older. In fact, much of what fell under the Americana and Alternative Country umbrellas were in fact revivals of dormant country styles, including Western swing and rockabilly. Although they were considered an alternative radio format, Alternative Country and Americana did not break with country tradition, they embraced it -- something, ironically enough, which the music hitting the Nashville charts throughout the era did not do. [-] Hide

Steve Earle

Contemporary Country is the mainstream country and country-pop that evolved after the slick country-pop of the Urban Cowboy movement in the early '80s. At the outset, Contemporary Country incorporated subtle pop production techniques, such as synthesizers, and it often sounded slick and polished. At times, the country roots of contemporary country were fairly well-hidden beneath pop trappings, but new traditionalists like George Strait and Randy Travis began returning country to its honky... [+] Read More

Contemporary Country is the mainstream country and country-pop that evolved after the slick country-pop of the Urban Cowboy movement in the early '80s. At the outset, Contemporary Country incorporated subtle pop production techniques, such as synthesizers, and it often sounded slick and polished. At times, the country roots of contemporary country were fairly well-hidden beneath pop trappings, but new traditionalists like George Strait and Randy Travis began returning country to its honky tonk roots. These artists reworked and updated the classic sounds of honky tonk and traditional country, adding contemporary production touches to make it more commercially viable -- even with the slick production flourishes, the music was essentially hardcore country. After the first wave of new traditionalists (George Strait, Randy Travis, Dwight Yoakum), the genre became a bit slicker and demonstrated a more overt rock influence, paving way for the New Country led by Garth Brooks, who skillfully positioned himself between New Traditionalism and rock-influenced country-pop. Brooks and the legions of artists he influenced dominated the '90s, and they laid the groundwork for such artists as Shania Twain, who owed more to middle-of-the-road pop than country. [-] Hide

Lynn Anderson

Country-Pop is country music that has country instrumentation and song structures yet emphasizes pop melodies and lush, orchestrated production, in order to win a larger audience. The most familiar and popular form of country-pop was the Nashville Sound, which later metamorphisized into Countrypolitain. The Nashville Sound emerged in the '50s as a way to bring country music to a broad pop audience. The movement was led by Chet Atkins, who was the head of RCA Records country division. Atkins... [+] Read More

Country-Pop is country music that has country instrumentation and song structures yet emphasizes pop melodies and lush, orchestrated production, in order to win a larger audience. The most familiar and popular form of country-pop was the Nashville Sound, which later metamorphisized into Countrypolitain. The Nashville Sound emerged in the '50s as a way to bring country music to a broad pop audience. The movement was led by Chet Atkins, who was the head of RCA Records country division. Atkins designed a smooth, commercial sound that relied on country song structures but abandoned all of the hillbilly and honky tonk instrumentation. He hired session musicians and coordinated pop-oriented, jazz-tinged productions. Similarly, Owen Bradley created productions -- most notably with Patsy Cline -- that featured sophisticated productions and smooth, textured instrumentation. Eventually, most records from Nashville featured this style of production and the Nashville Sound began to incorporate strings and vocal choirs. In the late '60s, the Nashville Sound evolved into Countrypolitain, which emphasized these kinds of pop production flourishes. Featuring layers of keyboards, guitars, strings, and vocals, countrypolitain records were designed to crossover to pop radio and they frequently did. The sound dominated the country charts in the '70s and stayed popular until the early '80s, when it was replaced by Urban Cowboy, a country-pop genre that was explicitly influenced by rock. [-] Hide

The Mamas & the Papas

Folk-Rock and Country-Rock attempt to fuse the direct, honest style of traditional American music with the power, energy and melodicism of rock & roll. Folk-Rock emerged during the mid-'60s, as such groups as the Byrds attempted to play Bob Dylan songs as if they were Beatles songs. Their signature sound -- chiming electric guitars and sweet, clear vocal harmonies -- became the template for folk-rock. As the '60s drew to a close, more folk-rock groups emphasized the acoustic origins of folk... [+] Read More

Folk-Rock and Country-Rock attempt to fuse the direct, honest style of traditional American music with the power, energy and melodicism of rock & roll. Folk-Rock emerged during the mid-'60s, as such groups as the Byrds attempted to play Bob Dylan songs as if they were Beatles songs. Their signature sound -- chiming electric guitars and sweet, clear vocal harmonies -- became the template for folk-rock. As the '60s drew to a close, more folk-rock groups emphasized the acoustic origins of folk and backed away from the ringing electric arrpeggios of the Byrds. At the time, certain folk-rock pioneers, began moving toward country music. Under the direction of new member Gram Parsons, the Byrds tackled country music on their 1968 album =Sweetheart of the Rodeo.= Parsons proved to be the guiding force in country-rock, as his solo records and albums with the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Byrds provided the blueprint for country-rock. As it turned out, Country-Rock was not just country played by rock bands, it was country informed by rock's counter-culture ideals, loud amplification, prominent back-beat, and pop melodies. Most of the initial country-rockers borrowed from traditional country, honky tonkers like Hank Williams and the Bakersfield Sound (Merle Haggard and Buck Owens). As it moved into the '70s, Country-Rock had its rough edges smoothed out by the Eagles, Poco, Pure Prairie League, and Linda Ronstadt. Their laid-back, mellow music was predominant sound of country-rock in the '70s, much like how the gentle sound of singer/songwriters like James Taylor and Jackson Browne were the sound of Folk-Rock. Starting in the mid-'80s, however, a new generation of musicians revived the classic Folk-Rock and Country-Rock sounds, updating them with a stripped-down, underground, do-it-yourself spirit, and they spawned yet another new generation of musicians, who kept the music alive in the '90s. [-] Hide

Lefty Frizzell

For many listeners, Honky Tonk is the most familiar style in country music. It's spare and direct, driven acoustic guitars, steel guitars, fiddles, and a high, lonesome vocal. Ernest Tubb was the first honky tonk musician to popularize the genre, but Hank Williams, George Jones, and Lefty Frizzell became the definitive artists in the '50s. As the genre aged, it essentially remained the same, but there was one notable permutation of Honky Tonk: the Bakersfield Sound. Bakersfield was the first... [+] Read More

For many listeners, Honky Tonk is the most familiar style in country music. It's spare and direct, driven acoustic guitars, steel guitars, fiddles, and a high, lonesome vocal. Ernest Tubb was the first honky tonk musician to popularize the genre, but Hank Williams, George Jones, and Lefty Frizzell became the definitive artists in the '50s. As the genre aged, it essentially remained the same, but there was one notable permutation of Honky Tonk: the Bakersfield Sound. Bakersfield was the first genre of country music to rely heavily on electric instrumentation, as well as a defined backbeat -- in other words, it was the first to be significantly influenced by rock & roll. Named after the town of Bakersfield, California where a great majority of the artists performed, the sound was pioneered by Wynn Stewart and popularized by Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. Using telecaster guitars, the singers developed a clean, ringing sound that stood in direct opposition to the produced, string-laden Nashville sound. The Bakersfield sound became one of the most popular -- and arguably the most influential -- country genres of the '60s, setting the stage for country-rock and outlaw, as well as reviving the spirit of Honky Tonk. After Bakersfield, Honky Tonk would forever rely on electric guitars as much as acoustics, yet at its core it remained faithful to the sound pioneered by Ernest Tubb and Hank Williams. [-] Hide

Johnny Paycheck

Progressive country developed in the late '60s as a reaction to the increasingly polished and pop-oriented sound of mainstream, Nashville-based country. Inspired equally by the spare, twangy, hard-driving sound of Bakersfield country, the singer-songwriter introspection of Bob Dylan, classic honky tonk and rock & roll, progressive country was the first anti-Nashville movement to emerge since the dawn of rock & roll. Progressive country was rootsier and more intellectual than many of its... [+] Read More

Progressive country developed in the late '60s as a reaction to the increasingly polished and pop-oriented sound of mainstream, Nashville-based country. Inspired equally by the spare, twangy, hard-driving sound of Bakersfield country, the singer-songwriter introspection of Bob Dylan, classic honky tonk and rock & roll, progressive country was the first anti-Nashville movement to emerge since the dawn of rock & roll. Progressive country was rootsier and more intellectual than many of its contemporary genres; it was more concerned with breaking boundaries than with scoring hits. The genre was also songwriter-based. Many of its key artists -- Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Billy Joe Shaver, Tom T. Hall, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock -- were not "good" singers by conventional standards, yet they wrote distinctive, individual songs and had compelling voices. By the early '70s, such artists had developed a sizable cult following, and it began to inch its way into the mainstream, usually in the form of cover versions (Sammi Smith took Kristofferson's "Help Me Make It Through the Night" to the country Top 10). Progressive country also provided the basis for outlaw country, a harder-edged genre that shook country pop (briefly) off the top of the charts in the mid-'70s. Even after Outlaw's five-year reign in the late '70s, progressive country continued to exist, until it eventually metamorphosized into alternative country in the '80s. [-] Hide

Hank Thompson

Traditional Country is a nebulous term -- it can refer to anything from Roy Acuff's simple songs to the electrified honky tonk of Johnny Paycheck -- but the name does evoke a specific sound, namely the long-standing tradition of simple country songs delivered with simple instrumentation and a distinct twang. The era of Traditional Country didn't begin until the early '30s, when Jimmie Rodgers became the first national country music star. Rodgers brought the formerly rural music into the... [+] Read More

Traditional Country is a nebulous term -- it can refer to anything from Roy Acuff's simple songs to the electrified honky tonk of Johnny Paycheck -- but the name does evoke a specific sound, namely the long-standing tradition of simple country songs delivered with simple instrumentation and a distinct twang. The era of Traditional Country didn't begin until the early '30s, when Jimmie Rodgers became the first national country music star. Rodgers brought the formerly rural music into the industrial era by making streamlining the music and lyrics; in the process, he made the genre a viable commerical property. Following Rodgers' success, Old-Time music faded in popularity and Traditional Country was born. For the next 40 years, most country music fell under the Traditional Country umbrella, regardless if it was the big-band dance music of Western Swing or driving roadhouse honky tonk. The majority of the popular artists from the '30s and '40s -- Roy Acuff, Eddy Arnold, Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams -- became the foundation of the Grand Ole Opry, a weekly radio broadcast that became the definitive word of country music. This generation of musicians inspired all the artists that emerged in the following two decades, who put their own spin on Traditional Country. Following the emergence of rock & roll, country music began to incoroporate more pop produciton techniques, and although this Nashville Sound was smoother than the music of the '40s and early '50s, it still conformed to the conventions of Traditional Country. During the '60s, mainstream country became progressively more pop-influenced, yet Traditional Country held strong until the early '70s, when country-pop became the dominant form of country music. Many fans of hard country turned toward the tougher sounds of progressive country and outlaw country, yet most of the country audience continued to listen to country-pop, especially since Traditional Country singers like George Jones, Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn had turned toward that sub-genre. By the late '70s, most new country singers were either raised on country-pop or pop/rock, and consequently, the reign of Traditional Country came to an end. During the mid-'80s, a wave of New Traditionalist singers such as George Strait emerged, but their music tended to be influenced by contemporaries as well, making the movement as much an evolution as a revival. [-] Hide

Cliff Bruner

Western swing was the most eclectic form of country music and in its free-wheeling diversity, it set the stage for rock & roll. Based in tradtional string band music, western swing also incorporated traditional pop melodies, jazz improvisation, blues and folk, creating a wildly entertaining and eclectic form of American music. Bob Wills and Milton Brown popularized the genre in the '30s and Wills became known as the father of the genre, since he remained popular for several decades, during... [+] Read More

Western swing was the most eclectic form of country music and in its free-wheeling diversity, it set the stage for rock & roll. Based in tradtional string band music, western swing also incorporated traditional pop melodies, jazz improvisation, blues and folk, creating a wildly entertaining and eclectic form of American music. Bob Wills and Milton Brown popularized the genre in the '30s and Wills became known as the father of the genre, since he remained popular for several decades, during which he had a remarkable string of hit singles. Although it sometimes faded away from view, western swing remained popular throughout the 20th century, occasionally experiencing upswings in popularity, such as the early '70s and the early '90s. [-] Hide