Country music

Country (also called country and western) is a music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is primarily focused on singing stories about working-class and blue-collar American life.^[2]

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Quick Facts Other names, Stylistic origins ...

Country
Other names	Country and western
Stylistic origins	American folk and western Appalachian African-American Cajun Creole Hawaiian New Mexico red dirt Tejano blues southern gospel old-time
Cultural origins	1920s, Southern United States
Typical instruments	Acoustic guitar electric guitar pedal steel guitar lap steel guitar fiddle harmonica drums vocals piano upright bass bass guitar
Derivative forms	Bluegrass cowboy pop dansband rock and roll swamp pop Tulsa sound zydeco
Subgenres
Alternative Christian gothic honky-tonk neo-traditional outlaw progressive truck-driving western swing (complete list)
Fusion genres
Country folk country rap country rock country pop bro-country cowpunk Gulf and western rockabilly gothabilly psychobilly southern soul swamp rock[1]
Regional scenes
Australia Canada Ireland
Local scenes
Bakersfield Nashville
Other topics
Contemporary folk music country music by year country musicians country–western dance radio formats classic country regional Mexican singing cowboy yodeling
2024 in country music

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Country music is known for its ballads and dance tunes (i.e., "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).^[3][4][5] Though it is primarily rooted in various forms of American folk music, such as old-time music, African-American music and Appalachian music,^[6][7] many other traditions, including Mexican, Irish, and Hawaiian music, have had a formative influence on the genre.^[8] Blues modes from blues music have been used extensively throughout its history as well.^[9]

Once called "hillbilly music", the term country music gained popularity in the 1940s. The genre came to encompass western music, which evolved parallel to hillbilly music from similar roots, in the mid-20th century. Contemporary styles of western music include Texas country, red dirt, and Hispano- and Mexican American-led Tejano and New Mexico music,^[10][11] which still exists alongside longstanding indigenous traditions.

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.^[12]