What is country music?
 

What are the defining characteristics of country?

Country music - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stop spamming.

An excuse to reclaim Folk music as an American only phenomenom.

Didn't all music originate here?

I think you have issues. :crazy: Try to let them go and you'll be happier.

I love country music because it is very honest and based on everyday experiences and troubles. I feel like most country songs are easy to relate to...IMO

When this style of music was starting to get very popular, let's say in the 30's, there was this rule:

If the artist is white, then it is country.
If the artist is black, then it is blues.

That's really how it was summed up back then, because the styles were simply just the same. Until Elvis started singing both, did the race boundaries change.

Not really. There's certainly a relationship between early country and early blues but they definitely are not the same style of music with just different color musicians playing it. Not a lot of fiddle found in blues for example.

I love American Country Music, sweet sound, romantic lyric. You try to listen the song Remember When by Alan Jackson on Youtube, it's very good song.

Country music has crossed many different boundaries through the years, although I ilke alot of the classic country music & artist, I am more into the contemporary (country) artist like, Diamond Rio, Restless Hearts, etc. to name a few of the older ones. This one by the Zac Brown Band really hits home for me, I seen a poll the other day and the Zac Brown Band is rated as #3 in the top country artist 2010. Zac Brown-'Highway 20 Ride'. YouTube - Highway 20 Ride Lyrics HD

You're kidding, right?

I'm thinking country music is a coming together of the Celtic Irish/Scottish folk music which in America evolved into mountain music,(and later Bluegrass), merging in the 20th century with the African influenced music, blues, spiritual, gospel. I guess this happened out of the main big cities, hence the label 'Country'.

The boundaries or labels between different types of music are becoming more and more blurred. This is a good thing because it's all false anyway. Labels help organise things in a record store or places like Amazon but it's music at the end of the day. Either you like it or not.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of mainstream country but I do think The Zac Brown Band are excellent and I like Keith Urban and also Brad Paisley's guitar playing. It does not matter to me what label is attached to it if I happen to like it.

Gordon.

p.s The truth is, if we go back far enough, most music has it's routes in Africa probably along with life itself.

I will suggest, only by my own personal opinion, and without searching the internet for articles about the history of country music. I agree with other views that influeneces from other countries & cultures do obtain a place with the developement of the country music genre, (and so does about everything else, to be technical) but.., I see country music simply as an american heritage, as with blugrass, etc.

every song tells a story. A great way for expressing feeling.

Seems music catagory preferences depend on whatever style of all music "you" enjoy to sing, play or dance to the most. The best of the best music crosses all barriers, and it seems to transend time too... Philosophical thread... I like it!

It is by the definition of music that there are no boundaries. Who are we to label things and impose our opinion on other people?

My persoanl favorite subgenre of country would be Bluegrass.

I dont like country music but I also dont think its folk or blues music either. Its not quite either of those, like the very basics of the music is different enough to have its own name.

Just like anything else Country music draws from all sorts of influences then becomes codified. One of the defining aspects of American Country Music is that it's influenced by the traditional (folk) music of the Scotch-Irish people from the Appalachian Mountains.

Other influences are Cowboy songs, Gospel, Jazz (Western Swing had strong influences from Jazz and Rockabilly from the early era of Rock and Roll is also another.) If you follow Country through its history you can see how it follow what was popular at the time too.

I don't know about that, for one modern country is closer to Rock then "Folk" in the original meaning of the word.

No, he was being deadly serious.