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Traditional Country
is a nebulous term —
it can refer to
anything from Roy
Acuff's simple songs
to the electrified
honky tonk of Johnny
Paycheck — but the
name does evoke a
specific sound,
namely the
long-standing
tradition of simple
country songs
delivered with
simple
instrumentation and
a distinct twang.
The era of
Traditional Country
didn't begin until
the early '30s, when
Jimmie Rodgers
became the first
national country
music star. Rodgers
brought the formerly
rural music into the
industrial era by
making streamlining
the music and
lyrics; in the
process, he made the
genre a viable
commerical property.
Following Rodgers'
success, Old-Time
music faded in
popularity and
Traditional Country
was born. For the
next 40 years, most
country music fell
under the
Traditional Country
umbrella, regardless
if it was the
big-band dance music
of Western Swing or
driving roadhouse
honky tonk. The
majority of the
popular artists from
the '30s and '40s —
Roy Acuff, Eddy
Arnold, Ernest Tubb,
Hank Williams —
became the
foundation of the
Grand Ole Opry, a
weekly radio
broadcast that
became the
definitive word of
country music. This
generation of
musicians inspired
all the artists that
emerged in the
following two
decades, who put
their own spin on
Traditional Country.
Following the
emergence of rock &
roll, country music
began to
incoroporate more
pop produciton
techniques, and
although this
Nashville Sound was
smoother than the
music of the '40s
and early '50s, it
still conformed to
the conventions of
Traditional Country.
During the '60s,
mainstream country
became progressively
more pop-influenced,
yet Traditional
Country held strong
until the early
'70s, when
country-pop became
the dominant form of
country music. Many
fans of hard country
turned toward the
tougher sounds of
progressive country
and outlaw country,
yet most of the
country audience
continued to listen
to country-pop,
especially since
Traditional Country
singers like George
Jones, Conway Twitty
and Loretta Lynn had
turned toward that
sub-genre. By the
late '70s, most new
country singers were
either raised on
country-pop or
pop/rock, and
consequently, the
reign of Traditional
Country came to an
end. During the
mid-'80s, a wave of
New Traditionalist
singers such as
George Strait
emerged, but their
music tended to be
influenced by
contemporaries as
well, making the
movement as much an
evolution as a
revival. |
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