Country and Western History

•  Country and Western music is a well-known and popular genre of American music that originated from the Southern States of America in the early 1920’s. The roots of the genre are a descendent of Western cowboy music and southeastern American folk music that fused sounds that were used some 300 years prior to the establishment of the genre.

• In it’s 80 or so years of it’s history, certain aspects of Country music have changed drastically in it’s sounds and styles, which is in stark contrast to the ‘honky tonk’ style sounds that were heard by early pioneers such as Ernest Tubb and Hank Williams. Being a new phenomenon in music, it quickly caught the attention of the everyday American hillbilly and curious citizens eager to listen in on this new-fangled ‘Country Music.’ It became quite a social event, much like modern gigs and pub events, that people would congregate in roadside pubs and meeting houses throughout the Southern states from Oklahoma to Texas on Friday and Saturday evenings and with the removal of alcohol prohibition in 1933, American citizens could relax and feel free to enjoy the new music they were hearing.

• After a while, and country music began it’s journey of growing popularity, Western states of America began to add their twist on the genre. Mainly that of a personal portrayal of the tough struggles of everyday life on the Western frontier, with the genre’s roots originating from Louisiana and Tennessee. The lonely and heroic adventures of the cowboy were also directly added to the genre in an over-romantic way, which you could typically expect a solo section from a flute or other mellowing woodwind instrument to occur to truly express the pain and sorrow felt by some Western citizens.

• It was in the 50’s that the genre morphed again into a much more fast-paced, energetic and rhythmic style that spread quickly up and down America that correlated to the younger Americans that were living a faster paced life than that of their previous generation. This style of country was made popular by well-known artists such as Jerry Lee Lewis but most famous by far was Elvis Presley, also known as ‘The King’ due to his ability to correlate his teenage life to the styles and rhythms of the genre. The difference between this style of country and that of the style heard 20 years prior to the 1950’s, is the Great Depression that swept the American nation in the 1930’s and was one of the lowest points in American history in terms of poverty and unemployment, but this new style of country music is a reflection of celebration and a prosperous outlook on the American society of the time.

• Another ten years on, and Country music had found itself a permanent home, in a town in the state of Tennessee called Nashville. It was here that the genre became more similar to what we know to be like in today’s world, with a full orchestra of different instruments; including newly-developed synthesisers which previously had never existed and cleverly discovered studio effects that brought about this is glamorous, shiny new style. It was this sound that would be the beginning of a new era that would bring about contemporary Country music.

• From this new sound came other popular names in the modern day Country music scene such as Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers who eventually crossed over into Pop music and taking elements of their succession in the new style with them along the way.

• Modern day artists of country music give their thanks and respects to those who paved a way for country music to become what it is in the modern world. From the hard, slow and dark times of the Great Depression of the 1930’s, to the flourish of American society in the 1950’s and 60’s, and into a complete, polished musical package that we hear today that is broadcast worldwide online, on CD’s, DVD’s, on the radio and on television.