Country Music
By Ross Bainbridge
Country music is an amalgam of popular musical forms that has its roots in traditional folk music from the South. Country music is a catchall for the Nashville sound, bluegrass, western ballads, swing, Cajun, honky tonk, Appalachian, rockabilly and jug band music.
Although there are various styles of country music, it is unique in the way its style is executed. Many songs are recorded to fit the style of country music and those who sing it. Famous country music singers include Bob Wills, Willie Nelson and George Strait. Country music listeners are mesmerized by the rhythms and the structures of the chords. In fact there are many songs that are adapted to suit the country music style like the Milk Cow Blues tune – an early blues tune composed by Kokomo Arnold. Famous singers like Bob Wills, Willie Nelson, and George Strait have all sung their own versions of the Milk Cow Blues Tune.
It was in 1924, when Vernon Dalhart recorded “The Wreck of Old 97,” that Country music really took off. At that time other singers like Riley Pucket, Fiddling John Carson and Charlie Poole joined the country western scene, further popularizing the music. The popularity of country music continues to grow.
Country music has its share of male and female singers who, through the years, have contributed greatly to the long-standing popularity of this music. They include well-known artists like, Johnny Cash, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Patty Loveless, Barbara Mandrell, Lonestar, Shania Twain, Dwight Yoakam and many others.