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Classic Country/Hillbilly

When: 1925

Super Genre: Country

Description:

“Before Country, there was already evidence of a type of music played by white Americans living in the hills or rural areas (the countryside, especially Appalachia) and (so-the-tale-goes) often named Billy: the Hillbillies. They made acoustic music with whatever instrument they could lay their hands on: classic guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, bass, and later Hawaiian style slide guitar. All these instruments produced sharp, short tones fitting for the rough, mountainous environment.

Irish and British Folk music, popular among European immigrants in the US, laid the foundations for a new kind of hymn that formed the blueprint for Country. And under the influence of Blues and Celtic Folk, this liquor- (and gun-) fueled proto-country or Hillbilly music gradually became a whole new group of music. The lyrics of Classic Country dealt with individual stories like Blues, but were more suited for a younger audience (there was no place for sex and drugs in Classic Country). Country describes tales which support family values, despite a degree of drinking and shooting that went along with the music.

Eventually Country gets shaped into a unique, fully fledged genre that also took cues from Tin Pan Alley pop music, ballads, and parlor songs. Unsurprisingly, this fresh and brewing melting pot quickly led to many small subgenres, such as Country Gospel (fusion with Gospel) and Cowboy & Western (Midwestern Country music recollecting the Far West).” - Musicmap

Sample Song: I’ve Been Everywhere by Hank Snow


Up next…Honky Tonk/Hardcore

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