Country Music Essay

Southern music known today as country music became popular in the 1920’s. This was music that was based on folk music of cowboys in the southeast (Collins English Dictionary, 2003). In most of the early music the artist played stringed instruments like fiddles, guitars, banjos and some were even playing harmonicas. When this type of music started some people called it

Like any genre of music, country music is famous for its cover tunes. Younger artists paying tribute to legends, old songs getting a breath of fresh air, or sometimes a song is so great it takes almost every country artist in Nashville to record it. No matter what the reason, artists will continue to create their own unique version of timeless country songs.

Charlie Pride did it in 1971. Darius Rucker did it in 2009. That’s it. Two black men, spanning thirty-eight years, are the only black artists to win a Country Music Association Award. With country music rooted in bluegrass and rhythm and blues, why aren’t there more black country music stars? When considering the roots of country music, and how closely related country is to blues, bluegrass and honky tonk music, an examination of what happened to all the black musicians seems warranted, no? This paper examines the dearth of black artists in country music and the careers of one of the few black artists who has had commercial success in this genre of music.

Have you ever wondered why George Strait is the King of Country music?  With Georges many followers across the world and many awards he received this means he would be set up for success right?  George has had a lot of major and minor challenges throughout his background and career, but that hasn’t slowed him down any on his awards and number one hit singles and albums.  Lets go over George’s background, career, and awards and number one hits.

Country music is a genre that some might absolutely love and some might absolutely hate. It is a style of music that developed in the southern and western U.S. and often contains lyrics relating to the lives of people who live in the country. While there are a lot of different types of country music, a very popular country artist of this time is Eric Church. Church brings a bit of a twist to country music, with really telling us how he feels. Talking about one of his songs in particular, “homeboy” about a lost young man needing to “come on home, boy.”

Music will never stop evolving into various styles and sub-genres, but over the last 30 years country music has taken snowballed into a clash of old school country and pop styles. After the "third generation" of country music grew past the honky tonk, consisting of a very basic ensemble of guitar, bass, and vocals, a change was needed to revive the country music industry. Artists had to create new styles of country, such as Countrypolitan, which aimed towards the mainstream pop markets. Despite changes in time differences, style, and technological advances, there are parallels between the songs at the top of the billboards between each generation, the love for the United States of America.

With the ever-evolving sounds of the country music, he wondered at one point, if there was still a place for his purist sound in the industry. One day, while listening to some music, he became entranced by the lyrics of an old Johnny Paycheck song. The last line states “we’ll give our all to music, and we’ll give our life.” He knew instantly that he had to make a comeback, and couldn’t let the music die inside of

The work of music which has both unsettled and challenged my conventional views on music has been the development of an offshoot genre of country music. It has been an extremely controversial genre, and its development has been intriguing to follow. This new type of music, often defined as "bro country," has challenged both myself and traditional music values, and while I cannot say that I certainly enjoy this type of music, it has certainly received incredible feedback.

Some people love change, and others, not so much. One instance being in what we listen to on the radio. Country music used to stand out as one of the only types of music that was not vulgar and explicit and was easily identifiable, though lately, that has not been the case. The latest trend of country music has people on both sides of the fence as it continually evolves into amix of several genres and expands further from its roots.“The country music genre has gone through quite a transformation in the past couple of years” (Grady Smith) as stated in an Entertainment Weekly article. This quote is referring to howcountry music has gotten away from the slow and innocent tune it used to have. Nowadays you can hardly hear an acoustic guitar of

R&B and Country music actually had a meaning. Reminiscing about the days when I use to enjoy the story that was implied in music. There was moments I would find myself listening to the lyrics and actually connecting with artist, because at some point my life either I was relating to the artist are been down the same road before. Those was the early 90’s music and the early 2000’s songs. Women and men took pride in what they were singing. I sincerely believe it wasn’t just for the green dollar bill. In my opinion I believe those artist of that era was trying to reach someone mentally and emotionally by sharing their musical gift. To be connected with a musician lyrics was an extraordinary feeling. Music was like a peaceful river silently flowing through your ear canal and reaching your heart. Oh, my those was the days of pure perfection when a musical gifted artist can create a song so meaningful that years later those same lyrics was still connected to you like a limb on your body. R & B songs in the early era made love the epitome of perfection. Country music was always the type lyrics that can help you get through any emotional struggle. Subsequently, songs that are being portray by some artist are despicable beyond capacity. Although, some artist are extremely successful by the upcoming music; I am still baffle by the public

As alternative rock caught on and WFNX’s competitors began to pounce on the station’s previously unique market positioning, their struggles focused around a particular dilemma: How could a

I was fortunate enough to come up in the music industry at a time when the competition was fierce. But in my experience, the camaraderie and support amongst fellow songwriters, musicians and music industry professionals was equally intense. I’ve often joked with friends by referring to music row in Nashville as an island of misfits. Moreover, it’s a place where there is a concentration of like-minded creative people who, more often than not, support each other. I can’t speak to the previous generation, but I have heard several music row veterans, espouse that this atmosphere of healthy competition and strong support for one another was even more prevalent back “in the day”. It’s just my opinion

The dissolution of their relationship underlines the conflict between commercialism and artistry. There is a gently pointed critique of the recording industry ‘s preference for supermodel stars with formulaic music. Thankfully Carney never pushes these themes. The critique is unforced and quite convincing.

The relationship between creativity and commerce is key within the creative industries. Finding a balance between the exploration of artistic freedom while remaining a viable means of income is proving to be a crucial challenge in all of the emerging creative industries. Specifically, the music industries face these challenges. More than ever artists are being forced to question whether they must compromise their artistic integrity in order to make money. This notion is in large part influenced by major record labels, who have been dominant for the better part of the past century. Due to the perpetually changing landscape of the music industries, however, it is no longer necessary for emerging artists to follow the traditional path of signing to a major label while surrendering true creativity along the way. In fact, greater success can be achieved independently while maintaining total creative control.

The first aspect I think about when I listen to country music is my home and my family. Honestly, I think that is why most people love it so much, especially in the Southeastern United States (U.S.). It also seems to me that it is so dear to the people of the South is because country music started here. I read up on the history of country music, and what basically happened is that a bunch of Europeans immigrated to the United States and brought their own styles and sounds with them. All of this mishmash gave birth to a whole new sound and lyrics that reflected the immigrant’s new way of life. I think that country music as of late has been categorized as either a bunch of hicks singing about their mothers, dogs, and ex’s or as wannabe pop singers, but in reality it is so much more. Country music has very deep roots and even though new country singers have deviated from the traditional strain and sound of country music, I still believe that it is one of the better types of music.