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Country

46,827 releases

American genre derived from Southern and Appalachian forms of American Folk Music and later Rock and Pop influences, with a focus on the life and culture of rural America.
Read more Country music is a sprawling genre covering more than a century and pre-dating recorded music. Originating in Appalachia and the American South, it has its history in European Americans adapting Irish Folk Music and English Folk Music. The first widely available recordings of the style, which emphasized fiddles, guitars, and banjos along with other string instruments were made in the early 1920s. Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family became the genre's first national stars in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Their styles of Country Yodeling and Country Gospel came to be known as Traditional Country.

In the 1930s and 1940s, as the form began to move in different directions, the dominant styles were Western Swing (e.g. Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys) and Honky Tonk (e.g. Ernest Tubb). Bluegrass remained a popular form of traditional country even as it evolved in sophistication from Bill Monroe to Flatt and Scruggs. Early country music was also called American Folk Music or hillbilly music, and that's reflected in the first Billboard jukebox charts in the 1940s. The first jukebox country charts, which were published as "juke box folk records" or "juke box hillbilly records" until 1949, became the Country & Western chart.

Honky tonk stayed popular in the 1950s, and the Hank Williams records from the early 1950s continue to be hugely influential, but country music was also part of the larger changes in popular music in the mid-50s. The Rockabilly recordings, especially on the Sun Records label, were a critical link between hillbilly music and Rock & Roll, though the relative influence of country music, Country Boogie and Rhythm & Blues on what ultimately became rock music is a matter of much debate. In the late 50s, honky tonk faded in popularity in favor of richer instrumentation and production, often including orchestras. This came to be known as Nashville Sound.

It would seem that for every movement in country towards a more Pop sound, there was a countervailing movement towards a harder sound or a more traditional sound. The first of these was Bakersfield Sound, a movement that eschewed orchestras in favor of more traditional honky tonk instrumentation, but which also embraced electric instruments. Buck Owens and Merle Haggard were the biggest Bakersfield stars.

In the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, Country Pop sometimes blurred the boundaries between country and other mainstream American music, while Outlaw Country had a rougher sound and relied more heavily on individual singer-songwriters as opposed to Nashville's commercial model. Country Rock acts such as The Byrds and Eagles became very successful Rock bands, but were generally not accepted by the country music audience.

Contemporary Country continues to be one of the most popular genres in the United States, particularly in the South and the Midwest. Names such as new country and mainstream country are sometimes used to distinguish the most popular country of the past 30 years from traditional country and honky tonk, but neo-traditionalists provide a strong current well within the mainstream of contemporary country pulling country back to its roots. Concurrently, subgenres such as Alt-Country and Americana exist primarily outside of mainstream country, but also rely heavily on country roots from the first half of the 20th century.

Top-ranked albums

See full chart

#1

The Magnolia Electric Co
Songs: Ohia
#2

Townes Van Zandt
Townes Van Zandt
#3

Purple Mountains
Purple Mountains
#4

American Water
Silver Jews
#5

American IV: The Man Comes Around
Johnny Cash
#6

Sackcloth 'n' Ashes
Sixteen Horsepower
#7

John Prine
John Prine
#8

Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
Marty Robbins
#9

Looks Like Rain
Mickey Newbury
#10

MJ Lenderman
MJ Lenderman

Years active

Country

Discography

46,827 Releases

1 2 ... 250 Next

Release Date

Avg Ratings Reviews

Dixie Medley
Fred Van Eps

1903 Single

63 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.09 Average

3.09 63 63 2 2
The Bonnie Blue Flag
Polk Miller and His Old South Quartette

1910 Single

97 Ratings 3 Reviews 3.22 Average

3.22 97 97 3 3
The Watermelon Party
Polk Miller and His Old South Quartette

1910 Single

59 Ratings 3 Reviews 2.63 Average

2.63 59 59 3 3
Arkansas Traveler / Old Zip Coon
Don Richardson

1917 Single

7 Ratings 3.39 Average

3.39 7 7
Miss McLeod's Reel / The Devil's Dream - Reel
Don Richardson

1918 Single

2 Ratings Average

2 2
Concert Fantasie / Country Gardens
Huston Ray / Alta Hill

1923 Single

2 Ratings 3.00 Average

3.00 2 2
Durang Hornpipe Medley / Old Red Barn Medley Quadrille
John Baltzell

1923 Single

4 Ratings 2.85 Average

2.85 4 4
I'm Goin' Away to Leave You Love / (She Was Always) Chewing Gum
Uncle Dave Macon

1924 Single

11 Ratings 2.60 Average

2.60 11 11
Bile Dem Cabbage Down / Down by the River
Uncle Dave Macon

1924 Single

10 Ratings 2.80 Average

2.80 10 10
Fox Chase / The Old Maid's Last Hope
Uncle Dave Macon

1924 Single

7 Ratings 2.67 Average

2.67 7 7
The C. & O. Wreck / Jesse James
George Reneau

1924 Single

4 Ratings 2.63 Average

2.63 4 4
Don't Grieve Your Mother / Be Kind to a Man When He's Down
Gid Tanner

1924 Single

3 Ratings 1.78 Average

1.78 3 3
Boll Weevil Blues / I'm Satisfied
Gid Tanner

1924 Single

8 Ratings 2.49 Average

2.49 8 8
Fox Chase / Arkansas Traveler [With Riley Puckett]
Gid Tanner

1924 Single

2 Ratings 2.27 Average

2.27 2 2
Frankie Baker / Don't Put a Tax on the Beautiful Girls
Ernest Thompson

1924 Single

1 Ratings 3.00 Average

3.00 1 1

1 2 ... 250 Next

Lists

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jwjstone 18 lists 10 items
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kvlthaus 108 items
The Country #1's: 1974 2010-02-21T00:32:27Z

Benimal 6 lists 41 items
Outlaw Country Mixtape: Best Songs of George Strait 2021-12-24T19:28:10Z

Kentucky_Outskirts 18 lists 10 items
All The Cash in the Register 2021-11-22T03:12:40Z

drjoebydick 64 items
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Aidenc816 10 items
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gilchrist707 91 items
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Hierarchy

See all genres

Northern American Music
Regional styles with roots in Northern America, typically drawing from European folk and classical music as well as West African and indigenous American influences.
- Country
- - Alt-Country
    Arose in the 1980s and 1990s, performed by artists with roots in Alternative Rock and Indie Rock who were disconnected from the mainstream Country industry.
    - Gothic Country
      Evokes the Southern Gothic literary genre through morbid lyrical themes and melancholic sounds that emphasize its American Folk Music and Post-Punk influences.
  - Bluegrass
    Born in the Appalachian region of the United States during the late 1930s, characterized by fingerpicked banjo along with other traditional instruments.
    - Bluegrass Gospel
      Incorporates the religious topics and harmony vocals found in Country Gospel.
    - Progressive Bluegrass
      Mixing the sound and aesthetics of pure Bluegrass with a variety of influences outside of its Appalachian origins, including Jazz, Folk, Rock, and other forms of Country.
      - Jamgrass
        Emphasizes instrumental jamming and extended performances with many outside influences.
  - Contemporary Country
    Incorporates both heavily Pop-influenced styles, and the more pop-averse movement of Neo-Traditionalist Country.
    - Bro-Country
      21st century style with an often party-oriented sound and lyrical content, taking strong influence from Hip Hop & Pop.
    - Neo-Traditionalist Country
      Emerged in the late 1980s as a reaction to the increased dominance of Country Pop, moving instead towards a Honky Tonk-rooted sound that centered the Singer-Songwriter.
  - Country & Irish
    Developed in Ireland; combines North American Country with Irish Folk Music influences, often in the form of traditional Irish songs that have been adapted into country numbers.
  - Country Boogie
    Uptempo style built around the Boogie Woogie rhythm, with strong beats and prominent electric guitar leads, made popular in the 1940s.
  - Country Pop
    Combination of Country with Pop to appeal to a larger audience.
    - Bro-Country
      21st century style with an often party-oriented sound and lyrical content, taking strong influence from Hip Hop & Pop.
    - Countrypolitan
      Emphasizes Pop-oriented orchestration and songwriting while reducing the role of Country instrumentation and rhythms; often featuring lush string arrangements and group backing vocals.
    - Urban Cowboy
      Melds country and Pop (best described as 70s L.A. soft pop), and sometimes leans towards Disco.
  - Honky Tonk
    Upbeat style that retains much of the common instrumentation of Traditional Country, as well as featuring prominent guitars (especially the steel guitar), strong backbeats and lyrics commonly about the working-class life.
    - Bakersfield Sound
      Country based heavily on electric instrumentation and a defined backbeat.
    - Truck Driving Country
      Derived from Honky Tonk, Country Rock and Bakersfield Sound; aimed at the truck driving community.
  - Nashville Sound
    Production style characterized by smooth vocals over a relaxed ensemble of guitars and rhythm section, and variously incorporating elements from other styles of Country and Pop.
    - Countrypolitan
      Emphasizes Pop-oriented orchestration and songwriting while reducing the role of Country instrumentation and rhythms; often featuring lush string arrangements and group backing vocals.
  - Progressive Country
    Blend of traditionalist Country styles with elements of Rock, Contemporary Folk, and other countercultural genres; characterized by realistic, self-reflective lyrics and non-traditional songwriting and production elements.
    - Outlaw Country
      Rock-influenced reaction to mainstream Country Pop trends, featuring rebellious personas, darker lyrics, and Western-inspired outlaw imagery.
  - Red Dirt
    Oklahoman and Texan acts descended from the Stillwater, Oklahoma independent Country scene of the 1980s.
  - Traditional Country
    Closely aligned with American Folk Music and Blues roots, from country's inception in Appalachia and the American South until the popularity of Honky Tonk and Country Pop in the 1950s.
    - Close Harmony
      Traditional two-part harmony singing performed mostly by brothers.
    - Country Gospel
      Traditional Country that heavily incorporates Gospel.
      - Bluegrass Gospel
        Incorporates the religious topics and harmony vocals found in Country Gospel.
    - Country Yodeling
      Vocal technique of Yodeling, brought to the United States by German settlers, sung over the instrumentation of Traditional Country.
  - Western
    Reflects and portrays the lifestyles of cowboys and other settlers of the Western United States through both Traditional Folk Music and popular song.
  - Western Swing
    Blend of Traditional Country string instrumentation with the driving rhythms of Jazz and regional dance traditions, often prominently featuring fiddle and steel guitar.

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Contributors to this page: soleils davepmiller fourths

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