

New York City record label Okeh Records began issuing hillbilly music records by Fiddlin' John Carson as early as 1923, followed by Columbia Records (series 15000D "Old Familiar Tunes") ( Samantha Bumgarner) in 1924, and RCA Victor Records in 1927 with the first famous pioneers of the genre Jimmie Rodgers, who is widely considered the "Father of Country Music", and the first family of country music the Carter Family. Its most notable members were Clayton McMichen (fiddle and vocal), Dan Hornsby (vocals), Riley Puckett (guitar and vocal) and Robert Lee Sweat (guitar).

His band, the Skillet Lickers, was one of the most innovative and influential string bands of the 1920s and 1930s. James Gideon "Gid" Tanner (1885–1960) was an American old-time fiddler and one of the earliest stars of what would come to be known as country music. The first generation emerged in the 1920s, with Atlanta's music scene playing a major role in launching country's earliest recording artists. Before these, pioneer settlers, in the Great Smoky Mountains region, had developed a rich musical heritage. In addition, the Mountain City Fiddlers Convention, held in 1925, helped to inspire modern country music. Historians have also noted the influence of the less-known Johnson City sessions of 19, and the Knoxville sessions of 19. Since 2014, the city has been home to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Congress has formally recognized Bristol, Tennessee as the "Birthplace of Country Music", based on the historic Bristol recording sessions of 1927. In the Asia-Pacific, the steel guitar sound of country music has its provenance in the music of Hawaii. In the Southwestern United States, it was the Rocky Mountains, American frontier, and Rio Grande that acted as a similar backdrop for Native American, Mexican, and cowboy ballads, which resulted in New Mexico music and the development of western music, and its directly related Red Dirt, Texas country, and Tejano music styles. As the country expanded westward, the Mississippi River and Louisiana became a crossroads for country music, giving rise to Cajun music. Migration into the southern Appalachian Mountains, of the Southeastern United States, brought the folk music and instruments of Europe, Africa, and the Mediterranean Basin along with it for nearly 300 years, which developed into Appalachian music. Malone, country music was "introduced to the world as a Southern phenomenon." The main components of the modern country music style date back to music traditions throughout the Southern United States and Southwestern United States, while its place in American popular music was established in the 1920s during the early days of music recording. Main articles: Appalachian music, Blues, Celtic folk, Old-time music, and Western music (North America) In 2009, in the United States, country music was the most listened to rush hour radio genre during the evening commute, and second most popular in the morning commute. Contemporary styles of western music include Texas country, red dirt, and Hispano- and Mexican American-led Tejano and New Mexico music, all extant alongside longstanding indigenous traditions. The term country music gained popularity in the 1940s in preference to hillbilly music it came to encompass western music, which evolved parallel to hillbilly music from similar roots, in the mid-20th century. Blues modes have been used extensively throughout its history as well.


Though it is primarily rooted in various forms of American folk music, such as old-time music and Appalachian music, many other traditions, including African-American, Mexican, Irish, and Hawaiian music, have also had a formative influence on the genre. Ĭountry music is known for its ballads and dance tunes (also known as " honky-tonk music") with simple form, folk lyrics, and harmonies generally accompanied by instruments such as banjos, fiddles, harmonicas, and many types of guitar (including acoustic, electric, steel, and resonator guitars). First produced in the 1920s, Country music primarily focuses on working class Americans and blue-collar American life. Country (also called country and western) is a music genre originating in the Southern and Southwestern United States.
