History Main / AlternativeCountry

Alt-country was pioneered by folk- and punk- influenced singer-songwriters like Lyle Lovett in the mid-eighties. Other early pioneers of the sound were artists in an alt-rock subgenre called "Cowpunk", such as Meat Puppets, Lone Justice and the British group The Mekons. This came to prominence in TheNineties, with artists like Steve Earle, LucindaWilliams and Music/DwightYoakam and bands such as Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, and Music/{{Wilco}} (who quickly moved into more general AlternativeRock) and broke into the rock mainstream in the 2000s with the success of Drive-By Truckers, HankWilliamsIII and Music/RyanAdams.

* Steve Earle

* Hayes Carll

* Townes Van Zandt

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* RyanBingham

* Ryan Bingham

Alternative Country is what happens when you cross the outlaw strand of [[CountryMusic country]] with [[RockMusic rock 'n' roll]] and the American folk tradition, held together by the [[ThreeChordsAndTheTruth do-it-yourself attitude]] of [[PunkRock punk]]. Influenced by Neotraditional Country, Cowpunk and AlternativeRock, the scene coalesced in the mid-eighties and is going strong today.

Alternative Country is what happens when you cross the outlaw strand of [[CountryMusic country]] with the American folk tradition, held together by the [[ThreeChordsAndTheTruth do-it-yourself attitude]] of [[PunkRock punk]]. Influenced by Neotraditional Country, Cowpunk and AlternativeRock, the scene coalesced in the mid-eighties and is going strong today.

From its humble origins as rock-infused music played in dive bars, Texas country includes some of the best known alt-country acts.

!!Tropes common in alt-country include:

* AsTheGoodBookSays
* CrapsackWorld: Alt-country protagonists tend to grow up there.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to mainstream country.
* TheDrifter: Protagonists frequently are this.
* DrowningMySorrows: All the time, whiskey being the most popular option.
* MurderBallad
* RatedMForManly: Not universal (there are plenty of female artists), but common.
* ThreeChordsAndTheTruth

!Noteable Artists

Alt-country was pioneered by folk- and punk- influenced singer-songwriters like Lyle Lovett in the mid-eighties. Other early pioneers of the sound were artists in an alt-rock subgenre called "Cowpunk", such as Meat Puppets, Lone Justice and the British group The Mekons. This came to prominence in TheNineties, with artists like Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams and Music/DwightYoakam and bands such as Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, and Music/{{Wilco}} (who quickly moved into more general AlternativeRock) and broke into the rock mainstream in the 2000s with the success of Drive-By Truckers, HankWilliamsIII and Music/RyanAdams.

Alternative Country is what happens when you cross the outlaw strand of [[CountryMusic country]] with various folk styles, held together by the [[ThreeChordsAndTheTruth do-it-yourself attitude]] of [[PunkRock punk]]. Influenced by Neotraditional Country, Cowpunk and AlternativeRock, the scene coalesced in the mid-eighties and is going strong today.

->''"The defining mood of what is now usually described as 'Americana'... is something deep and folksy and slightly creepy, about family and nostalgia and [[MurderBallad blood]] and [[InterCourseWithYou sex]] and [[NotChristianRock religious faith]] and death."''

->''"The defining mood of what is now usually described as 'Americana'... is something deep and folksy and slightly creepy, about family and nostalgia and blood and sex and religious faith and death."''

->''"'Americana'... is something deep and folksy and slightly creepy, about family and nostalgia and blood and sex and religious faith and death."''

Alternative Country is derivative of the Neotraditional Country, Cowpunk and AlternativeRock genres which first started appearing in the mid 1980's

Alternative country (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, or Americana) is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music. It has been used to describe country music bands and artists that have incorporated influences ranging from roots rock, bluegrass, rockabilly, honky-tonk, alternative rock, folk rock, and particularly punk.

The basic musical features of the genre are having a number of instruments including banjos, pianos, guitars, rifts, keyboards, drums, and heavy to medium vocals with a mix of various other sub-genres (light rock, soft jazz, etc).

Alt country was pioneered by folk and punk influenced singer/songwriters like Lyle Lovett in the mid 1980's. Other early pioneers of the sound were artists in an alt-rock subgenre called "Cowpunk", such as Meat Puppets, Lone Justice and the British group The Mekons. This came to prominence in TheNineties, with artists like Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams and Music/DwightYoakam and bands such as Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, and Music/{{Wilco}} (who quickly moved into more general AlternativeRock) and broke into the rock mainstream in the 2000's with the success of Drive-By Truckers, HankWilliamsIII and Music/RyanAdams. There has traditionally been ''very little'' overlap between the fandoms of regular country and alternative country, with the latter being treated more as a subgenre of Rock than of Country.

* RyanAdams

Alt country was pioneered by folk and punk influenced singer/songwriters like Lyle Lovett in the mid 1980's. Other early pioneers of the sound were artists in an alt-rock subgenre called "Cowpunk", such as Meat Puppets, Lone Justice and the British group The Mekons. This came to prominence in TheNineties, with artists like Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams and Music/DwightYoakam and bands such as Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, and Music/{{Wilco}} (who quickly moved into more general AlternativeRock) and broke into the rock mainstream in the 2000's with the success of Drive-By Truckers, HankWilliamsIII and RyanAdams. There has traditionally been ''very little'' overlap between the fandoms of regular country and alternative country, with the latter being treated more as a subgenre of Rock than of Country.

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Alternative Country is derivative of the ProgressiveCountry, Cowpunk and AlternativeRock genres which first started appearing in the mid 1980's

* Music/DwightYoakam

The genre is a loosely defined term that means, more or less, the attitude of AlternativeRock with a country sound, pioneered by folk and punk influenced singer/songwriters like Lyle Lovett in the mid 1980's. This came to prominence in TheNineties, with artists like Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams and Music/DwightYoakam and bands such as Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, and Music/{{Wilco}} (who quickly moved into more general AlternativeRock) and broke into the rock mainstream in the 2000's with the success of Drive-By Truckers, HankWilliamsIII and RyanAdams. There has traditionally been ''very little'' overlap between the fandoms of regular country and alternative country, with the latter being treated more as a subgenre of Rock than of Country.

See also: ProgressiveCountry, GothRock ''(under Gothabilly)''

* Music/MyMorningJacket

* DriveByTruckers

AlternativeCountry is derivative of ProgressiveCountry and thus heavily influenced by it in the early 1980's.

* Brantley Gilbert

* Mindy Smith
* Langhorne Slim