Carlye Gomez Page 1

The Evolution of Country Music

Growing up, I listened to all different styles of music. From rock n roll to pop, to blues,

and even country. It wasn’t until I was 13 years old that I grew a deeper appreciation for country

music. As I got older, I realized that there are so many styles to country music and that the roots

go further than I even thought.

First, the 1920s was a prominent year for country music. Still, it was not until 1927 that

Victor Records signed Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family, as the exact moment country

music was born. Jimmie Rodgers is known as the "Father of Country Music." "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."

(Dooley 2) It wasn't until after 1966 that Rodgers was inducted into the Country Music Hall of

Fame. While listening to "Blue Yodel #1," I noticed the folk-blues hybrid. The main instrument

playing in this song is an acoustic guitar. While Rodgers is playing the guitar, he is singing and

occasionally yodeling. I noticed how Rodgers sang about southern states, guns, and love, which

are vast characteristics of country music.

Secondly, The Carter Family was another huge figure to country music. The Carter

family was country music's first famous vocal group. “Comprised of a gaunt, shy gospel quartet

member named Alvin P. Carter and two reserved country girls -- his wife, Sara, and their sister-

in-law, Maybelle -- the Carter family sang a pure, simple harmony that influenced not only the

numerous other family groups of the '30s and the '40s, but folk, bluegrass, and rock musician."

(Vinopal 1) Many believe that bluegrass (a style of country music) wouldn’t be what is today if it

wasn’t for the Carter family’s influence. "Wildwood Flower" is one of the most well-known
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songs by the Carter family. In this song, it starts with two guitars, a double bass, and I believe a

banjo. This song features a lot of harmony between 3 vocalists. The main vocalist has a deeper

voice, but the other two vocalists that join in have a higher tempo voice. The duration of the song

is short, but the melody is fast paced.

Next, Western swing began to gain a lot of popularity in the 1940s. “It blended the upbeat

horn-driven sounds of the Big Band era 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.” (Dooley 4) Influencers of Western

swing included Bob Wills, the Light Crust Doughboys, and Milton Brown. One song I really

enjoyed listening to was "Steel Guitar Rag" by Bob Wills. From the very start of the song, I

could hear the steel guitar. I could also hear the influence of jazz and blues with the saxophone

and piano playing during the song. There are hardly any vocal lyrics in this song, which I

enjoyed because it gave it more of that jazz/blues feel that I love.

In the 1940s, honky-tonk became a new style of country music that people loved. Ernest

Tube was a prominent figure in this style of country music. Still, Hank Williams helped it

become more popular amongst listeners. Honky-tonk is the single sound that is most

characterized with country music. "The basic honky-tonk sound features acoustic and/or electric

guitar, fiddle, string bass, and steel guitar (which was imported from Hawaiian music), while the

vocals often draw from the so-called "high lonesome" sound of traditional country, sounding

either rough and nasal (Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb) or smooth and clear (Lefty Frizzell, George

Jones).” (Honky Tonk Music Genre Overview 1) “When the Fire Comes Down” by Hank

Williams showcases a steel guitar, a fiddle, and vocals. I noticed how the lyrics in this song are
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more religious. Hank Williams has a very nasal-like sounding voice that is very distinctive

amongst other country singers. This song is a lot slower paced melody than bluegrass.

Furthermore, in the 1950s and 60s, the Nashville sound and the Bakersfield sound

became popular. The Nashville sound mixed big band jazz and swing while also incorporating

great storytelling lyrics. Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, and Eddy Arnold are all tremendous innovators

for the Nashville sound. The Bakersfield sound was grittier and not polished like the Nashville

sound. The Bakersfield sound originated in honky-tonk bars and has aspects of rock and roll and

rockabilly. Wynn Stewart pioneered this sound. Yet, Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, and Merle

Haggard and the Strangers are two of the most successful Bakersfield bands.

The outlaw movement began in the mid-70s due to the independent artist being sick and

tired of having to follow the rules of Music City. Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings were two

vast figures of this movement. Not only was their music a characteristic of outlaw country, but

their personal style was too. These artists could care less to make a pop-country sound like the

Nashville sound and focused their energy on creating a more edgy style of country music. Their

lyrics alone are an outlaw to Music City. "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way" by Waylon

Jennings is a prime example of the outlaw movement. This song showcases Waylon's famous

electric guitar tone. When Waylon begins to sing, I can hear the fed-up sound in his deep voice. I

loved the electric guitar solo towards the end of this song. The mood of this song is anger and

was achieved by the lyrics.

In 1989 country music was drastically shifted by artists like Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson,

Clint Black, and Travis Tritt. “Jackson’s traditionalism, Tritt’s Southern rock swagger, Black’s

refined twang and Brooks’ everyman storytelling combined for a string of hits that would
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dominate charts for years to follow. Their distinctive voices and nuanced music — at once

undeniably modern and deeply rooted in the genre’s past — showed the world there was more to

country music than overalls and tobacco spit.” (Watts 2) "She Don't Get the Blues" by Alan

Jackson is an excellent representation of his traditionalism. This song showcases his southern

twang vocals, slow melody, soft guitar and drum sound, and the fiddle. Not surprisingly, he is

singing a romantic song about a woman. The mood is sweet and relaxing due to the lyrics and

soft melody played by the instruments.

Even more of a change came to country music in the 1990s through the present day.

Country music has shifted to more modern aspects. Influences of pop and many other genres

have redefined country music sound. "The tempo of the songs is faster, and the dynamics vary

between loud and soft, and often it increasingly gets louder throughout the song. The guitar is

still prominent in many songs, although a lot of modern country songs are a combination of

many instruments and editing to give it more definition. The timbre is loud, powerful, and

full."(Walters 9)

I can proudly say that there was a rise in female country artists in the 1990s. Legends

like Patsy Cline, Faith Hill, and Dolly Parton paved the way for famous female country artists of

the 1990s to present day. One trendy female country artist of this decade is Carrie Underwood.

One of Carrie Underwood’s greatest hits is “Before He Cheats.” Predicable, this song is about a

man cheating on her. The melody is fast, and listeners can hear a violin, guitar, and drums. Carrie

Underwood has one of the best country vocal sounds, in my opinion. She can hit a range of

tempos as she did in this song. The mood of this song is anger, which is evident in the lyrics.
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Another massive female country vocalist, who's music is vastly different than traditional

country music, is Kacey Musgraves. Musgraves just won female vocalist of the year at the 2019

country music awards. “Rainbow” by Kacey Musgraves is an excellent presentation of her style

of country music. The melody is plodding, her voice is diligent, the piano is soft, and the mood

of this song is sweet yet sad. This song makes me teary-eyed, yet encourages me when I am

having a bad day. Personally, I didn’t even know she was a country artist until I watched the

CMA’s.

Eric Church is one of my all-time favorite male country singers. Although he

occasionally sings about the typical country topics like heartbreak, romance, and beer, I

genuinely believe he stands out amongst other country singers of this decade. Eric Church’s style

is described as country-rock, outlaw country, and southern rock. In Eric Church’s songs, you can

clearly hear the influence that Johnny Cash, Hank Williams Jr, and Waylon Jennings had on him.

Eric Church’s songwriting skills alone advocate for him, and yes, he is credited for writing every

song on all of his albums. One song that I adore by Church is “Springsteen.” The whole song has

references to Bruce Springsteen’s career. This song features guitars, drums, and a piano.

Church’s voice is deep, yet very soft. He can reach higher pitch tones, and bring it back down to

lower pitch tones. The piano really stands out to me in this song, because of the different melody

it is playing. The overall mood is romantic.

In conclusion, country music has evolved tremendously since the start of it in the 1920s.

Like many genres of music, when country music first started out, there was little variety to the

different songs. As the years progressed, more and more artists put their own style to country and

helped evolved it to the genre that we know today. When country music first started out, the
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main instrument that everyone familiarized the style with was an acoustic guitar and a fiddle.

Now that country music has evolved so much; there are so many different instruments that are

incorporated into the style. At the start of the genre, many songs were a slow tempo that didn’t

change much throughout the song. Now, tempos range from slow to fast.

Lastly, one reason why I have always loved country music is that there are not many

rules for the genre. The styles range vastly from country-pop to country rock and even country

rap. “Country music is a great example of how music has evolved since it was created, and it has

changed significantly since the first country artists took out their guitar and started what would

become one of the most popular genres of music.” (Walters 13)

Work Cited

Dooley, Sean. “Tracing Country Music History from Jimmie Rodgers to Garth

Brooks.” LiveAbout, LiveAbout, 23 May 2019, www.liveabout.com/the-history-of-country-

music-934030.
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“Honky Tonk Music Genre Overview.” AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/style/honky-tonk-

ma0000002648.

Vinopal, David. “The Carter Family: Biography & History.” AllMusic,

www.allmusic.com/artist/the-carter-family-mn0000051910/biography.

Walters , Jenna. “Sutori.” Sutori, www.sutori.com/story/the-evolution-of-country-music--

A6BGCz35EqSU8bXDFBFU2Z4c.

Watts, Cindy. “The Class of '89: How Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Clint Black, Travis

Tritt Changed Country Music.” The Tennessean, Nashville Tennessean, 6 Oct. 2019,

www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/08/26/country-music-garth-brooks-alan-

jackson-clint-black-travis-tritt-class-of-1989/1781546001/.

Annotated Bibliography

Dooley, S. (2019, May 23). Tracing Country Music History from Jimmie Rodgers to Garth
Brooks. Retrieved November 15, 2019, from http://www.liveabout.com/the-history-of-country-
music-934030
This website was an article overview of the different styles of country music. The article
showcased the important styles, artist, bands, and movements that took place during each decade.
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Honky Tonk Music Genre Overview. Retrieved November 15, 2019, from
http://www.allmusic.com/style/honky-tonk-ma0000002648
This article was an overview of just honky-tonk music. The article talks about the different
characteristics of honky-tonk and the famous pioneers of this style of country music.

Vinopal, D. The Carter Family: Biography & History. Retrieved November 15, 2019, from
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-carter-family-mn0000051910/biography
This website was a bibliography of the Carter family. The bibliography spoke about the
influences the Carter family had on country music and specifically the blue grass style.

Walters, J. Sutori. Retrieved November 15, 2019, from http://www.sutori.com/story/the-

evolution-of-country-music--A6BGCz35EqSU8bXDFBFU2Z4c
This website was another source that allowed me to see the evolution of country music from
decade to decade. This website had less information than the first source, but I liked how it was
formatted as a timeline.

Watts, C. (2019, October 6). The Class of '89: How Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Clint Black,
Travis Tritt changed country music. Retrieved November 15, 2019, from
http://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/08/26/country-music-garth-brooks-
alan-jackson-clint-black-travis-tritt-class-of-1989/1781546001/.
This article talked about the “Class of 89.’” This article primarily spoke about how Garth
Brooks, Alan Jackson, Clint Black, and Travis Tritt completely saved country music when it was
at cross roads. The article also spoke about how each of these artist brought different styles to
country music.