A blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern USA with roots in traditional folk music, Celtic music, blues and gospel. It is quite distinct from the Western music originating from a different mix of ethnic groups in the Southwestern USA which was largely based on the cowboy culture with some Mexican influences.
It evolved rapidly in the 1920s and the term 'country music' began to be used in the 1940s when the earlier term hillbilly music was deemed to be degrading. The term was widely embraced in the 1970s, while 'country and western' has declined in use since that time.
Immigrants to the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North America brought the music and instruments of the Old World along with them. Common instruments included the Irish fiddle, the German-derived dulcimer, the Italian mandolin, the Spanish guitar and the African banjo. The interactions among musicians from different ethnic groups produced music unique to this region of North America. Appalachian string bands of the early 20th century primarily consisted of the fiddle, guitar and banjo. The steel guitar entered country music as early as 1922 through encounters with Hawaiian guitarists.
Columbia Records began releasing 'hillbilly music' records as early as 1924. However, the origins of modern country music can be traced to Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family, who are widely considered to be the founders of country music, and a historic recording session in 1927.
Rogers built on the traditional ballads and musical influences of the South, and wrote and sang songs that ordinary people could relate to. He took the experiences of his own life in the Meridian, Mississippi, area and those of the people he met on the railroad, in bars and on the streets to create his lyrics. He used the musical influences of the traditional ballads and the folk to create his tunes. Pathos, humour, women, whiskey, murder, death, disease and destitution are all present in his lyrics and these themes have been carried forward and developed by his followers. People like Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Townes van Zandt, Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash have also suffered, and shared their suffering, bringing added dimensions to those themes. Rodgers also sang about life and death from a male perspective and this viewpoint has dominated some areas of country music. His influence led to the development of subgenres such as honky tonk and rockabilly.
The Carter Family consisted of A.P. Carter, his wife Sara and their sister-in-law Maybelle. They built a long recording career based on the sonorous bass of A.P., the beautiful singing of Sara and the unique guitar playing of Maybelle. A.P.'s main contribution was the collection of songs and ballads that he picked up in his expeditions into the hill country around their home in Virginia. In addition, being a man, he made it possible for Sara and Maybelle to perform without stigma at that time. Sara and Maybelle arranged the songs that A.P. collected and wrote their own songs. They were the precursors of a line of talented female country singers such as Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Skeeter Davis, Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton and June Carter Cash, the daughter of Maybelle and the wife of Johnny Cash.
Other influential artists of the late 1940s and 1950s included Hank Williams, Sr., whose songs have been covered by many artists in a wide range of genres, Eddy Arnold, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins.
What is now commonly referred to as rockabilly was most popular with country music fans in the 1950s and was recorded and performed by country musicians. Within a few years many rockabilly musicians returned to a more mainstrean style or had defined their own unique style.
During the 1960s, country music became a multimillion-dollar industry centred on Nashville, Tennessee. Under the direction of producers such as Chet Atkins, the Nashville sound brought country music to a diverse audience. This sound was notable for borrowing from 1950s pop stylings, with a prominent and 'smooth' vocal, backed by a string section and vocal chorus. Instrumental soloing was de-emphasised in favor of trademark 'licks'. Leading artists in this genre included Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, and later Tammy Wynette and Charlie Rich. The 'slip note' piano style of session musician Floyd Cramer was an important component of this style.
Although country music has great stylistic diversity, some critics say this diversity was strangled by the formulaic approach of the Nashville Sound producers, together with the need to re-invent country in the face of competition from rock and roll and the British influence. Even today the wide variety of country music is not well reflected in commercial radio airplay and the popular perception of country music is of maudlin ballads.
In the 1960s there was a reaction among musicians against Nashville and several artists such as Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson recorded music centred around Texas and Oklahoma which had something of an 'outlaw' feel. Within Nashville in the 1980s, Randy Travis, Ricky Skaggs and others brought a return to the traditional values and their talent helped to revive the genre momentarily. However, even they, and such long-time greats as Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard, fell from popularity as the record companies again imposed their formulas.
The two strands of country music have continued to develop since the 1990s. The Jimmie Rodgers influence can be seen in a pronounced 'working man' image promoted by singers such as Garth Brooks. On the Carter Family side, singers like Nanci Griffith have written on more traditional 'folk' themes, albeit with a contemporary point of view.
A new form of country music emerged in the 1990s, often termed alternative country. Performed by generally younger musicians and inspired by traditional country performers and the country reactionaries, it shunned the pop-oriented Nashville-dominated sound of mainstream country and borrowed more from punk and rock groups.