Country Music

Arms akimbo and let your feet flow with the beats. You can do the polka or waltz; the beats are on the same rhythm. Country music though founded in the rural areas of the whites in America is now in every music lover’s home around the world.
It gained importance with singers like Jimmie Rodgers and The Cater Family and recently by youngsters who have added their own style that make it acceptable by people of different lifestyles.
The music is said to have descended by the native tribes of the Southern Appalachian Mountains that moved into South America. There were the Mexican, Spanish, groups from central Europe and the British Isles, as these communities mixed with one another, their customs and traditions were strongly mixed. The traits that were founded between them then lived and became their customs. The Appalachian bands of the 20th century mostly played with the fiddle, banjo and guitar.
The other instruments include the dulcimer of German origin, the mandolin from Italy, the African banjo and the guitar of Spanish fame. Included in them were the accordian that was invented in Italy. The music from this instrument was so loud that it could fill the dance hall without any microphones. Dance halls were built by the Germans and Czechs so that the entire community could meet after a hard day’s farming work.
As the communities spread to the northern parts with the industrial revolution the music followed them and so more and more people were made aware of the unique Texas style music.
In the 1930s and the 40’s the church music and the blues influenced the music. The lyrics were those of heartbreak, poverty, homesickness that made the common man relate to it and want to hear it again and again. The Nashville style of singing also enjoyed a huge popularity base. Other musicians employed a colourful orchestra as the background music.
New singers tried to bring in a dash of their character that led to sub-genres of country music, which includes a different style of execution in chord structure and rhythms. To name some would be Nashville sound, fast mandolin, blue grass, fiddle based and the banjo centric.
Jimme Rodgers is known as the Father of Country Music as he had entered the hearts of young and old alike. The common man or the rich man, everyone was moved by his music. He sang about people he met in the bars, farmers, hard work, success and the regular way of life that could relate to one and all. Every year in May Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Festival is held since 1953 to revere the king of country music.
The Carter Family, Roy Acuff, Hank Williams, Vernon Dalhart, Hohhny Cash, Wilf Carter, Jean Sherpard were a few who earned their name in country music. Patsy Montana was the first lady who set her vocals on country music and she was a hit by selling 1 million copies. Till date country music is much in demand as it was decades ago.