Country Music
Eric Jones

Brief History
• The origins of country music are said to be from Southern Appalachian fiddle players from the late 1910s

• Country music did not become a well known and accepted genre until the
1920s

• Eck Robertson made the first commercial country record in 1922
• The first national country hit was in 1924, and it was “Wreck the Old ‘97” by Vernon Dalhart

The Father of Country Music
• Jimmie Rodgers is known as the Father of Country Music
• He was the first artist in country music to have a millionselling single, and it was titled “Blue Yodel #1”

• Rodgers died from complications with tuberculosis in 1933
• In 1961 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame

Jimmie Rodgers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEIBmGZxAhg • Above is a link to “Yodel #1 by Jimmie Rodgers

Country Music Family
• The Carter family was considered Country Music’s first famous group
• The vocal group consisted of 5 family members: A.P
Carter, his wife Sara Dougherty, and his sister-in law
Maybelle Addington Carter

Country in Hollywood
• Films in Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s played a big role in expanding country music
• A lot of the great music during the 30s and 40s was written specifically for these films

Honky Tonk Heroes
• Hank Williams
• Ernest Tubb’s
• Honky tonk was a style that came about in the 1940s and is still a popular style today for some country artist’s.
Hank Williams and Ernest Tubb’s played a major roll in this style of country music.

The Nashville Sound
• The Nashville sound was nearly the complete opposite of the styles of the Honky Tonk Heroes
• This style polished up some of country’s rough edges from previous years
• The style emerged in in the 50s and 60s
• Stars that incorporated this style included Eddy Arnold,
Jim Reeves, and Jim Ed Brown

The Outlaw Movement
• These artist were independent-minded, and decided they would not follow the rules of Music City’s establishment, hence the name Outlaw
• This movement came about in the 1970s
• Artists that made an impact during this movement included Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Merle
Haggard

Urban Cowboy
• After the Outlaw Movement came the era of the Urban
Cowboy in country music
• The 1979 movie, Urban Cowboy, with John Travolta popularized this movement
• The focus was on easy-listening country music
• Artists that fit this category include Johnny Lee, Dolly
Parton, and Mickey Gilley

The Class of ‘89
• 1989 was a very important year for country music
• Artists who debuted in this year included Garth Brooks,
Clint Black, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, and Dwight Yoakam
• These artist incorporated a rock and roll mentality that got more youthful music listeners interested
• This group altered the direction of country music, and can be accredited with guiding country music to where it is today Traditional Country vs. Modern
Country
• Traditional Country Artists lived out their music and the songs had
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more meaning
Traditional music focused more on instruments than the vocals
There is more focus on making money in the music industry today
There is more of a pop style involved with most modern country music
Instruments used have