Cross Country – Why Country Music Isn’t Just Country Music
Once upon a time, Country was Country, it was easily discernable for other genres and it did not cross openly into other genres, or so Music Purists like to believe. Today it is not unusual to see several “cross-genres” of Country Music, bringing in elements of pop, rock and folk, but then again it is not easy to forget that Music has its roots in folk, gospel and has often crossed the genre lines throughout its history. So here are some subgenres you might see.
Pop
To some this is the ultimate blasphemy, after all ‘pop’ is all about upbeat tunes and positive lyrics, the opposite of Country, how then can they be crossed? It is hard to define Pop as there are no ‘rules’ as to what makes a Pop artist. It has its roots in the 1960s, with some artists introducing more ‘popular’ music into their songs to sell more music and to get into the charts. Example artists are Shania Twain, Oliver-Newton John, John Denver, with mixed results and causing great controversy among purists of either side. True singers of this music were troubled by this trend of cross-genre artists, preferring to stick to their traditions; hackles were raised when Music Awards were handed to Pop singers, rather than ‘true’ singers.
Kenny Rogers was a big hit in 1977 with his Country Pop “Lucille” and many other artists followed, in more recent times, the likes of Shania Twain and LeAnn Rimes have gained fame as Country Pop singers, and pop singers have even crossed over. But although the lines between Pop and it have certainly become more relaxed, there are many more that would happily see an end to this subgenre of this, which to some sounds too pop and not enough.
Bluegrass
A descendant of Country Music, with cousins in traditional English, Scottish and Welsh Music, the Bluegrass phenomenon is an ever growing one. Unlike, Bluegrass relies on often technically demanding instrumental solos, while it has its heart in simple chords, Bluegrass players will use any stringed instrument to perform improvised musical solos as other accompany. They can sing, although there is no rules as to what, anything from Gospel to this,
The Founder of Bluegrass Bill Monroe, created a band he named the Blue Grass Boys in 1939, created the model of sound and instruments Bluegrass players uses today in their music. Some people say Bluegrass has lost it in its rhythm, but others appreciate the mixed genre sound of Bluegrass and understand its complex roots.
Blues
A cross between Country and Blues, C. Blues usually refers to acoustic blues,. While C. Blues have roots in folk, the followers prefer to separate themselves from this, claiming individualism and a more deeply, personalized feel to the music. Like this, the C. Blues tell a story and the messages are often heartfelt and it is a genre that stylized the African-American culture of the early 1900s. While it may be hard to distinguish C. Blues from Country on paper, listening to it makes it easy to tell the difference; C. Blues has a rhythm of its own and has certainly become a genre to itself.
These are only a tiny handful of the many sub-genres out there, some are still recognizable as others have long since diverged, and if you listen to C. radio stations you will certainly hear music from many of the subgenres. It has diverged into many other musical genres, and many are enjoyed by it lovers around the world.
Joe Hansen is an expert in country music and also reports on the latest news and events in the country music world.
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