By Sydnie Newman
The Origin
• The origins of country music can be found in
recordings southern Appalachian fiddle
players made in the late 1910s.
• It wasn’t until the early ‘20s, that country
music as a viable recorded genre took hold
• The first commercial country record was
made by Eck Robertson in 1922 with “Wreck
of the Old ‘97”.
• Most historians point to 1927, the year
Victor Records signed Jimmie Rodgers and
the Carter Family, as the true moment
country music was born
Jimmie Rodgers
• Jimmie Rodgers was known as the “father of
country music” and was an instant national
success.
• He is credited with the first million selling
single, “Blue yodel #1” and his catalog of
songs, all recorded between 1927 and 1933,
established him as the first preeminent voice
in country music.
• Rodgers died from complications of
tuberculosis in 1933.
• He was inducted into the country music hall
of fame in 1961.
The Carter Family
• The Carter family was country music’s first
famous vocal group.
• Comprised of A.P Carter, his wife, Sara
Dougherty Carter, and A.P.’s sister-in-law,
Maybelle Addington Carter, the group flourished
in the late’20s after their first collection of
songs in 1927.
• Different variations of The Carter Family
continued recording and performing for decades.
• Two of their earliest hits, “Keep on the Sunny
Side” and “Wildwood Flower” remain country
standards to this day.
The Rise of Bob Wills and
Western Swing
• Originating in Texas and up through the Midwest in the
late 1920s, western swing reached its peak in the early
‘40s.
• It blended the upbeat horn-driven sounds of the big
band with New Orleans jazz, blues, and Dixieland.
• Drums were first incorporated by western swing, and
the eclectic musical mix included saxophones, pianos,
and a Hawaiian instrument called the steel guitar.
• Prominent western swing figures included Bob wills (the
“king of western swing”), the Light Crust Doughboys,
and Milton Brown(the “Father of western swing”).
Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass
Boys
• Dubbed the “Father of Bluegrass”, Bill Monroe is
credited with first popularizing bluegrass , a
form of old time mountain hillbilly music with its
origins in Great Britain and western Africa.
• Bluegrass got its name from Monroe’s band, the
Blue Grass Boys, which eventually included future
legends Lester Flatt (guitar) and Earl Scruggs
(banjo).
• After six years, Flatt and Scruggs struck out on
their own in 1949 to great success.
• Bill Monroe was inducted into the Country Music
Hall of Fame in 1970 and the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame in 1997.
Hollywood Goes Country
• The cowboy films of the 1930s and ‘40s contributed
greatly to the evolution of country music.
• Stars like Roy Rogers(the “King of the Cowboys”) and
Gene Autry parlayed their musical careers into very
successful acting careers.
• Much of the great music from this era was actually
written specifically for the movies.
• As these films flourished at the box office, their
soundtracks were pressed to vinyl, and the buying
public ate them up.
• Great cowboy stars of the era also included Rogers’
wife, Dale Evans, the Sons of the Pioneers and Spade
Cooley.
The Honky-Tonk Heroes
• In 1942, Ernest Tubb’s recording of “Walking the Floor
Over You” made him an overnight sensation, which
thrust his brand of country, honky-tonk, into national
prominence.
• Hank Williams further popularized the genre with his
emergence in the late ‘40s, while Lefty Frizzell
ascended to almost Elvis-like popularity in country
music circles in the ‘50s.
• Unlike all other styles of country music, honky-tonk has
never taken a backseat to any new trend.
• Go into any establishment today with live country
music, and you’re bound to find a honky-tonk band on
the bill.
The Nashville Sound
• In direct contrast to honky-tonk music,
the Nashville Sound movement of the
‘50s and ‘60s polished up country’s
rougher edges by blending big band jazz
and swing with great storytelling.
• Lush orchestrations backed up the
smooth crooning of stars like Eddy
Arnold, Jim Reeves and Jim Ed Brown.
The Bakersfield Sound
• Developed in the mid-1950s, the Bakersfield
Sound originated in the honky-tonk bars in and
around Bakersfield, California.
• Grittier than the polished and highly produced
music coming out of Nashville, Bakersfield
country drew on many aspects of rock and roll
and rockabilly, predominately loud amp-up
guitars, usually twin telecasters played through
Fender amplifiers, and loud drums.
• The biggest Bakersfield stars of the day
included Buck Owens(the “Baron Of
Bakersfield”), Merle Haggard and Webb Pierce.
The Outlaw Movement
• Fed up with the perceived “selling-out” of most
country performers in Nashville, a number of
frustrated and independent-minded artists
decided in the mid-‘70s they would no longer
follow the rules of Music City’s establishment.
• N’er-do-wells like Willie Nelson, his good friend
and frequent collaborator, Waylon Jennings,
Merle Haggard, David Allan Coe and a host of
others “outlaws” burned their leisure suits, grew
their hair out, and sang whatever and however
they choose to.
• These outlaws gave country music the timely kick
in the pants it desperately needed.
Urban Cowboy
• The 1979 John Travolta movie, Urban Cowboy,
popularized a moment in country that focused heavily on
easy-listening crossover success.
• Artists like Johnny Lee, Dolly Parton and Mickey Gilley
scored major hits on both the country and pop charts,
while the “outlaws” of the mid-‘70s saw their music
wane in popularity.
• History has proven that much of the music from this
era, referred to by some as country’s disco era, was
quite disposable.
• A number of notable artists did emerge during this
dark period to forge wonderful careers, including
Alabama, George Strait, Reba McEntire and Steve
Wariner.
Class of ‘89
• The list of superstars who debuted in in
1989 reads like a future Country Music Hall
of Fame induction class: Garth Brooks, Clint
Black, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, and
Dwight Yoakam all scored their first country
hits in 1989.
• They drastically altered the direction of
country music by infusing a youthful vitality
and rock-and-roll mentality into a genre that
was quickly growing stale and predictable.
• The amazing class of ’89 bridged the gap
between 20th and 21st century country music.
number of people who were signed
between 1910-1989
women
men
Year
Artist
1920-1930
Eck Robertson
Jimmie Rodgers
The Carter family
1930-1940
Bob wills
the Light Crust Doughboys
Milton Brown
Roy Rogers
Dale Evans
the Sons of the Pioneers
Spade Cooley
1940-1950
Bill Monroe
the Blue Grass Boys
Gene Autry
Ernest Tubb
Hank Williams
1950-1960
Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves and Jim Ed Brown, Buck Owens,
Merle Haggard and Webb Pierce
1970-1980
Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, David Allan
Coe, Johnny Lee, Dolly Parton and Mickey Gilley , Alabama,
George Strait, Reba McEntire and Steve Wariner
1989-1990
Garth Brooks, Clint Black, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, and