Country music
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| Cultural origins | 1920s, United States |
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| 2025 in country music | |
Country music, also known as country and western or simply country, is a music genre known for its ballads and dance tunes, identifiable by both traditional lyrics and harmonies accompanied by banjos, fiddles, harmonicas, and many types of guitar; either acoustic, electric, steel, or resonator guitars.[1]
Country music likely originated in the Southern United States, and spread throughout the Piedmont area of United States, from Louisiana along the Appalachian Mountains to New York.[2][3] The music is believed to be derived from British folk music, brought to the United States during early waves of immigration.[4] Rooted in American folk music, such as old-time and Southern Appalachian music,[2][4] many other traditions – particularly African-American traditional folk songs and hymns – blended to become the genre known as country music.[5] Once called hillbilly music, the term country music was popularized in the 1940s.[3]
Mexican, Irish, and Hawaiian music have had a formative influence on the genre,[6] as well as blues modes from blues music, which have shaped the evolution of country music.[7]
Country music has remained an integral part of the American music scene, with a recent revitalization in interest since the early 2020s.[4] In 2023, 45% of Americans reported listening to country music, an uptick in the genre's popularity.[8]
- ^ "Country music – Definition". Dictionary.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
- ^ a b Duncan, Dayton; Burns, Ken; Steisel, Susanna; Shumaker, Susan; Baucom, Pam Tubridy; Mosher, Emily; Hinders, Maggie (2019). Country music. New York. ISBN 978-0-525-52054-2. OCLC 1057241126.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b Cohen, Ronald D. (2014). "Bill Malone, Alan Lomax, and the Origins of Country Music". Journal of American Folklore. 127 (504): 126–139. doi:10.5406/jamerfolk.127.504.0126. ISSN 1535-1882.
- ^ a b c Stimeling, Travis D., ed. (2017-06-06). "Country Music and Fan Culture". The Oxford Handbook of Country Music. pp. 479–494. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190248178.013.10. ISBN 978-0-19-024817-8.
- ^ "Country Music". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 2025-07-16.
- ^ Egge, Sara (March 19, 2017). "The Origins of Country Music". Centre College's Norton Center For The Arts. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
- ^ Ripani, Richard J. (August 1, 2006). The New Blue Music: Changes in Rhythm & Blues, 1950–1999. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-57806-861-6.
- ^ "Thanks to Morgan Wallen, country music's popularity has surged". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2025-07-15.