Podcast
Questions and Answers
What was the original image associated with country music?
What was the original image associated with country music?
What style of music emerged when Western swing bands started playing R&B songs?
What style of music emerged when Western swing bands started playing R&B songs?
What instrument was commonly used in Western swing bands?
What instrument was commonly used in Western swing bands?
Who is known as the 'man in black' in country music?
Who is known as the 'man in black' in country music?
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What was the typical setting where honky tonk music was developed?
What was the typical setting where honky tonk music was developed?
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What was a common theme in honky tonk songs?
What was a common theme in honky tonk songs?
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Who is considered one of the greatest singer-songwriters in country music?
Who is considered one of the greatest singer-songwriters in country music?
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What was the name of the popular band led by Bob Wills?
What was the name of the popular band led by Bob Wills?
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What region of the USA did country music develop in?
What region of the USA did country music develop in?
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What instrument did Maybelle Carter play?
What instrument did Maybelle Carter play?
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Who was taught how to play guitar and sing by African Americans in railroad gangs?
Who was taught how to play guitar and sing by African Americans in railroad gangs?
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What technique did Jimmie Rodgers often use in his singing?
What technique did Jimmie Rodgers often use in his singing?
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In what year did Jimmie Rodgers' first hit record 'Blue Yodel' sell nearly half a million copies?
In what year did Jimmie Rodgers' first hit record 'Blue Yodel' sell nearly half a million copies?
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What was the name of the popular country-music variety show broadcast from Nashville, Tennessee?
What was the name of the popular country-music variety show broadcast from Nashville, Tennessee?
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What style of music often had horse-like clip-clop rhythms and songs about lovesick cowboys and gun-fighting outlaws?
What style of music often had horse-like clip-clop rhythms and songs about lovesick cowboys and gun-fighting outlaws?
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What decade did Western music become popular?
What decade did Western music become popular?
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Study Notes
Country Music Origins
- Developed in southeastern USA as a mix of folk music from the British Isles, church music, and African American blues
- Played on instruments like acoustic guitar, mandolin, autoharp, fiddle, and banjo
Old-Time Music
- First recorded in the 1920s
- Carter Family's recordings were the most popular, with songs like "Can The Circle Be Unbroken (By and By)" and "Wildwood Flower" becoming hit records
- A.P. Carter collected folk songs and wrote new ones, singing in harmony with his sister-in-law Maybelle and wife Sarah
Jimmie Rodgers
- Another early country music star, recorded at the same sessions as the Carters
- Learned guitar and singing from African Americans in railroad gangs
- Combined blues, work chants, and old-time music in his songs
- Used a vocal technique called yodeling; his first hit record, "Blue Yodel", sold nearly half a million copies in 1927
Country Music 1930-1960
- Before TV, families listened to the radio, with the "Grand Ole Opry" being a popular live country-music variety show broadcast from Nashville, Tennessee
- Nashville became the center of the country music business
- Western music emerged, characterized by horse-like clip-clop rhythms and songs about lovesick cowboys and gun-fighting outlaws
- Singing cowboys like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers became huge country-music stars, leading to the renaming of the genre to "Country and Western music"
Western Swing and Rockabilly
- Western swing developed in Texas, Oklahoma, and California, characterized by loud music for large dance halls
- Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys were a popular Western swing band
- Rockabilly developed when Western swing bands began playing R&B songs, influencing singers like Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash
Honky Tonk and Hank Williams
- Honky tonk developed in the 1940s in working-class bars near Texas oil fields
- Characterized by acoustic and pedal steel guitars, fiddle, stand-up bass, and drums, with songs about loneliness, love, heartbreak, and pain
- Hank Williams was a prominent honky tonk singer-songwriter, known for songs like "Lovesick Blues", "Cold Cold Heart", and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"
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Description
This quiz explores the origins and development of country music, from its roots in old-time music to its modern forms. Learn about the influences, instruments, and key figures that shaped this iconic American genre.
