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1->''"You're not supposed to say the word 'cancer' in a song.''
2->''And tellin' folks Jesus is the answer can rub 'em wrong.''
3->''It ain't hip to sing about tractors, trucks, little towns, and Mama, yeah that might be true.''
4->''But [[TitleDrop this is country music]], and we do."''
5-->-- '''Music/BradPaisley''', "This Is Country Music"
6
7Ah, country music. The cousin of American FolkMusic that is mostly associated with places like Texas, men wearing cowboy attire unironically, and old-timey instruments like fiddle, pedal steel guitar and banjo. Despite its widespread notoriety amongst latte-sipping urban coastal city {{Bourgeois Bohemian}}s as a deplorable FlyoverCountry genre, country music is not unpopular, as proved by its successful musicians with top hits. It is by some measures the most listened-to genre of music in the United States. Together with {{Blues}} it was a huge influence on RockAndRoll and {{Rockabilly}}. Country music songs do emotional storytelling about issues that are close to the heart, like family and relationships. Heartfelt vocals bring out the narrative, supported by virtuoso lead instrument "pickin" solos.
8
9Country music as a genre of its own originated in the 1920s in the United States, primarily played on string instruments, most notably the acoustic guitar, fiddle, banjo, the big upright bass, and the use of sweet vocal harmonies. It has its roots in the folk ballads of the Appalachian Mountains, which in turn descended from the various folk traditions of the [[UsefulNotes/{{UnitedKingdom}} British Isles]]. Depending on whom you ask, the offshoot genre of {{Bluegrass}} might be referred to as "[[TakeThat good country music]]". In the 1970s, mainstream country developed "Nashville sound", a commercial, radio-friendly style, which layered heavily arranged string sections with lush harmony vocals. A competing, grittier style during the same era called "{{outlaw country|Music}}" which emphasized ThreeChordsAndTheTruth, a more raw singing style, and darker themes. Outlaw country was heavy enough to intrigue PunkRock musicians, some of whom launched cowpunk bands.
10
11While fiddle and pedal steel continued to be used to add a country flavor, the genre electrified like its pop and rock cousins. Twangy Fender Telecaster electric guitar with a tweed amp became a defining sound, and the electric bass took over the upright bass' role.
12
13Country in the 1980s turned to a pop-heavy sound inspired by the film ''Film/UrbanCowboy''. Like their pop counterparts, country artists used synthesizers to add sustained chords to ballads. This followed by a more traditional wave in the 1990s inspired by honky-tonk music. Modern mainstream country music has become a melting pot, ranging from more traditional acts such as Music/GeorgeStrait and Alan Jackson to pop acts such as Music/CarrieUnderwood, and in-betweens such as Music/BradPaisley. Starting in the 1990s, a large number of pop and rock acts, ranging from Music/BonJovi and Music/{{Jewel}} to Music/KidRock and the Music/{{Eagles}}, crossed over to country with varying degrees of success. The crossover acts, in particular Music/TaylorSwift, are often among the most divisive in the fanbase.
14
15TheNewTens saw the rise of "Bro-country", basically a combination of TestosteronePoisoning and modern rap influence, leading to jacked-up songs about driving around in pimped-up pickup trucks, drinking copious amounts of beer with friends, and partying in the woods with a hot girl. The TropeMaker of such was Music/FloridaGeorgiaLine's "Cruise", a review of which even coined the term "bro-country". However, bro-country quickly drew ire for its simplistic themes and marginalization of women (lampshaded heavily in Music/MaddieAndTae's "Girl in a Country Song"), which led to an increased discussion of misogyny in the genre. From this spawned a more romantically-minded "boyfriend country" and a mix of artists with more traditionally country influence drawn from the early 1990s traditionalist boom, as well as a resurgence in female artists who were largely marginalized during the heyday of "bro-country".
16
17On that note, the fanbase is stereotyped as being [[StrawmanPolitical right-wing]] {{Boisterous Bruiser}}s who personify the DeepSouth of EagleLand. While such an portrayal is two-dimensional and uneducated, one must remember k.d. lang ''was'' blacklisted for being outspokenly pro-vegetarian (she didn't come out as a lesbian until after she felt she no longer had a country fanbase to alienate). And yet the Music/DixieChicks were surprised when their fans turned on them after bad-mouthing [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush George W. Bush]] (granted, the death threats were a bit much).
18
19"AlternativeCountry" (sometimes abbreviated as "Alt-Country") is a loosely defined term that means, more or less, the attitude of AlternativeRock with a country sound.
20
21See also: CountryRap, AlternativeCountry, GothicCountryMusic, OutlawCountryMusic, {{Bluegrass}} and SouthernRock.
22
23!Country musicians:
24[[index]]
25* Music/RyanAdams
26* Music/TraceAdkins
27* Music/{{Alabama}}
28* Music/JasonAldean
29* Music/GaryAllan
30* Music/JimmieAllen
31* Music/BillAnderson
32* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddy_Arnold Eddy Arnold]]
33* Music/GeneAutry
34* Music/KelseaBallerini
35* Music/TheBand
36* Music/TheBandPerry
37* Music/DierksBentley
38* Music/{{Beyonce}}
39** ''Music/CowboyCarter'' (2024)
40* Music/BigAndRich
41* Music/RyanBingham
42* Music/ClintBlack
43* Music/LeeBrice
44* Music/GarthBrooks
45** ''Music/{{Garth Brooks|Album}}''
46** ''Music/NoFences''
47** ''Music/InTheLifeOfChrisGaines''
48* Music/BrooksAndDunn
49* Music/BrothersOsborne
50* Music/BlancoBrown
51* Music/KaneBrown
52* Music/ZacBrownBand
53* Music/LukeBryan
54* Music/ZachBryan
55* Music/BuffaloSpringfield
56* Music/JimmyBuffett
57* Music/TracyByrd
58* Music/TheByrds
59* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Campbell Glen Campbell]]
60* Music/JohnnyCash
61* Music/RayCharles
62** ''Music/ModernSoundsInCountryAndWesternMusic''
63* Music/TheCharlieDanielsBand
64* Music/KennyChesney
65* Music/MarkChesnutt
66* Music/TheChicks
67* Music/EricChurch
68* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patsy_Cline Patsy Cline]]
69* Music/LukeCombs
70* Music/StompinTomConnors
71* Music/CowboyTroy
72* Music/SherylCrow
73* Music/BillyCurrington
74* Music/BillyRayCyrus
75* Music/DavidAllanCoe
76* Music/DanAndShay
77* Music/DiamondRio
78* Music/JoeDiffie
79* Music/{{Eagles}}
80* Music/JustinTownesEarle
81* Music/SteveEarle
82* Music/BrettEldredge
83* Music/SaraEvans
84* Music/TheEverlyBrothers
85* Music/FloridaGeorgiaLine
86* Music/TheFlyingBurritoBrothers
87* Music/TennesseeErnieFord
88* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lefty_Frizzell Lefty Frizzell]]
89* Music/KinkyFriedman
90* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Gayle Crystal Gayle]]
91* Music/TerriGibbs
92* Music/BrantleyGilbert
93* Music/VinceGill
94* Music/MickeyGilley
95* Music/MickeyGuyton
96* Music/MerleHaggard
97* Creator/LucyHale
98* Music/TomTHall
99* Music/HunterHayes
100* Music/WalkerHayes
101* Music/TyHerndon
102* Music/FaithHill
103* Music/JohnnyHorton
104* Music/SamHunt
105* Music/JasonIsbell
106* Music/AlanJackson
107* Music/JessieJames
108* Wrestling/MickieJames
109* Music/WaylonJennings
110* Music/{{Jewel}}
111* Music/GeorgeJones
112* Music/CledusTJudd
113* Music/TheJudds
114* Music/WynonnaJudd
115* Music/TobyKeith
116* Music/TheKentuckyHeadhunters
117* Music/SammyKershaw
118* Music/AlisonKraussAndUnionStation
119* Creator/KrisKristofferson
120* Music/LadyA (formerly Antebellum)
121* Music/MirandaLambert
122* Music/{{Nelly}}
123* Music/TracyLawrence
124* Music/SteveLee
125* Music/JerryLeeLewis
126* Music/LittleBigTown
127* Music/{{Lonestar}}
128* Music/MuniLong released a country-pop album in 2018 under the name "Priscilla Renea"
129* Music/PattyLoveless
130* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyle_Lovett Lyle Lovett]]
131* Music/JennetteMcCurdy
132* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loretta_Lynn Loretta Lynn]]
133* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Mandrell Barbara Mandrell]]
134* Music/KathyMattea
135* Music/MaddieAndTae
136* Music/MartinaMcBride
137* Music/CWMcCall
138* Music/NealMcCoy
139* Creator/JennetteMcCurdy
140* Music/RebaMcEntire
141* Music/CatherineMcGrath
142* Music/TimMcGraw
143* Music/JoDeeMessina
144* Music/RonnieMilsap
145* Music/JohnMichaelMontgomery
146* Music/MontgomeryGentry
147* Music/JustinMoore
148* Music/LorrieMorgan
149* Music/MarenMorris
150* Music/KaceyMusgraves
151* Music/RickyNelson (particularly around the mid 60's and early 70's)
152* Music/WillieNelson
153* Music/OliviaNewtonJohn (prior to her starring role in ''Film/{{Grease}}''; thereafter her music became more purely pop)
154* Music/IanNoe
155* Music/TheOakRidgeBoys
156* Music/OldDominion
157* Music/JakeOwen
158* Music/BuckOwens
159* Music/BradPaisley
160* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gram_Parsons Gram Parsons]]
161* Music/DollyParton
162** ''Music/CoatOfManyColors'' (1971)
163* Music/OrvillePeck
164* Music/ThePineBoxBoys
165** 2016 - ''Music/TheFeastOfThreeArms''
166* Music/{{Poco}}
167* Creator/AlisanPorter
168* Music/ElvisPresley
169* Music/CharleyPride
170* Creator/MissiPyle
171* Music/RascalFlatts
172* Music/CollinRaye
173* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Reeves Jim Reeves]]
174* Music/RestlessHeart
175* Music/ThomasRhett
176* Music/RidersInTheSky
177* Music/LeAnnRimes
178* Music/MartyRobbins
179** ''Music/GunfighterBalladsAndTrailSongs'' (1959)
180* Music/JimmieRodgers
181* Music/KennyRogers
182* Music/DanielRomano
183* Music/LindaRonstadt
184* Music/DariusRucker
185* Music/DanSeals
186* Music/BlakeShelton
187* Music/{{Shenandoah}}
188* Music/NancySinatra
189* Creator/ShawneeSmith
190* Music/ChrisStapleton
191* Music/TheStatlerBrothers
192* Music/RayStevens
193* Music/DougStone
194* Music/GeorgeStrait
195* Music/{{Sugarland}}
196* Music/ColeSwindell
197* Music/TaylorSwift early on; she'd undergone a gradual GenreShift to straight-up pop by the middle of TheNewTens.
198** ''Music/{{Taylor Swift|2006}}''
199** ''Music/{{Fearless}}'' (2008)
200*** "Music/YouBelongWithMe"
201** ''Music/SpeakNow'' (2010)
202*** "Music/{{Mean}}"
203** ''Music/{{Red|2012}}'' (2012)
204* Creator/BillyBobThornton
205* Music/MelTillis
206* Music/PamTillis
207* Music/AaronTippin
208* Music/RandyTravis
209* Music/TravisTritt
210* Music/TanyaTucker
211* Music/ShaniaTwain
212* Music/ConwayTwitty
213* Music/CarrieUnderwood
214* Music/KeithUrban
215* Music/TownesVanZandt
216* Music/ClayWalker
217* Music/ColterWall
218* Music/MorganWallen
219* Music/SteveWariner
220* Music/KittyWells
221* Music/KeithWhitley
222* Music/DonWilliams
223* Music/HankWilliams
224** ''Music/HankWilliamsAsLukeTheDrifter'' (1955)
225** ''Music/TurnBackTheYearsTheEssentialHankWilliamsCollection'' (2005)
226* Music/HankWilliamsJr
227* Music/HankWilliamsIII
228* Music/LucindaWilliams
229* Music/MarkWills
230* Music/LeeAnnWomack
231* Music/ChelyWright
232* Music/TammyWynette
233* Music/TrishaYearwood
234* Music/DwightYoakam
235* Music/ChrisYoung
236* Creator/PiaZadora
237[[/index]]

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