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- YouTube Video of Top 100 Country Songs of 2022
- YouTube Video: Taylor Swift "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" Red Tour Sacramento
- YouTube Video: Kenny Chesney - Boston (Live)
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated with blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, old-time, and American folk music forms including Appalachian, Cajun, Creole, and the cowboy Western music styles of New Mexico, Red Dirt, Tejano, and Texas country. Its popularized roots originate in the Southern and Southwestern United States of the early 1920s.
Country music often consists of ballads and dance tunes (most commonly known as "Honky Tonk music") with generally simple forms, folk lyrics, and harmonies often accompanied by string instruments such as electric and acoustic guitars, steel guitars (such as pedal steels and dobros), banjos, and fiddles as well as harmonicas. Blues modes have been used extensively throughout its recorded history.
The term country music gained popularity in the 1940s in preference to hillbilly music; it came to encompass Western music, which evolved parallel to hillbilly music from similar roots, in the mid-20th century. 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.
The term country music is used today to describe many styles and subgenres. The origins of country music are found in the folk music of working class Americans and blue-collar American life. It has historical roots in the:
Origins:
Main articles:
The main components of the modern country music style date back to music traditions throughout the Southern United States and Southwestern United States, while its place in American popular music was established in the 1920s during the early days of music recording.
Country music was "introduced to the world as a Southern phenomenon."
Migration into the southern Appalachian Mountains, of the Southeastern United States, brought the folk music and instruments of Europe, Africa, and the Mediterranean Basin along with it for nearly 300 years, which developed into Appalachian music.
As the country expanded westward, the Mississippi River and Louisiana became a crossroads for country music, giving rise to Cajun music.
In the Southwestern United States, it was the Rocky Mountains, American frontier, and Rio Grande that acted as a similar backdrop for Native American, Mexican, and cowboy ballads, which resulted in New Mexico music and the development of Western music, and its directly related Red Dirt, Texas country, and Tejano music styles.
Role of East Tennessee:
Main article: Music of East Tennessee
The U.S. Congress has formally recognized Bristol, Tennessee as the "Birthplace of Country Music", based on the historic Bristol recording sessions of 1927. Since 2014, the city has been home to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Historians have also noted the influence of the less-known Johnson City sessions of 1928 and 1929, and the Knoxville sessions of 1929 and 1930.
In addition, the Mountain City Fiddlers Convention, held in 1925, helped to inspire modern country music. Before these, pioneer settlers, in the Great Smoky Mountains region, had developed a rich musical heritage.
Generations:
The first generation emerged in the 1920s, with Atlanta's music scene playing a major role in launching country's earliest recording artists. James Gideon "Gid" Tanner (1885–1960) was an American old-time fiddler and one of the earliest stars of what would come to be known as country music.
His band, the Skillet Lickers, was one of the most innovative and influential string bands of the 1920s and 1930s. Its most notable members were Clayton McMichen (fiddle and vocal), Dan Hornsby (vocals), Riley Puckett (guitar and vocal) and Robert Lee Sweat (guitar).
New York City record label Okeh Records began issuing hillbilly music records by Fiddlin' John Carson as early as 1923, followed by Columbia Records (series 15000D "Old Familiar Tunes") (Samantha Bumgarner) in 1924, and RCA Victor Records in 1927 with the first famous pioneers of the genre Jimmie Rodgers, who is widely considered the "Father of Country Music", and the first family of country music the Carter Family.
Many "hillbilly" musicians recorded blues songs throughout the 1920s.
During the second generation (1930s–1940s), radio became a popular source of entertainment, and "barn dance" shows featuring country music were started all over the South, as far north as Chicago, and as far west as California.
The most important was the Grand Ole Opry, aired starting in 1925 by WSM in Nashville and continuing to the present day. During the 1930s and 1940s, cowboy songs, or Western music, which had been recorded since the 1920s, were popularized by films made in Hollywood, many featuring Gene Autry, who was known as king of the "singing cowboys", and Hank Williams.
Bob Wills was another country musician from the Lower Great Plains who had become very popular as the leader of a "hot string band," and who also appeared in Hollywood westerns. His mix of country and jazz, which started out as dance hall music, would become known as Western swing. Wills was one of the first country musicians known to have added an electric guitar to his band, in 1938.
Country musicians began recording boogie in 1939, shortly after it had been played at Carnegie Hall, when Johnny Barfield recorded "Boogie Woogie".
The third generation (1950s–1960s) started at the end of World War II with "mountaineer" string band music known as bluegrass, which emerged when Bill Monroe, along with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs were introduced by Roy Acuff at the Grand Ole Opry. Gospel music remained a popular component of country music.
The Native American, Hispano, and American frontier music of the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico, became popular among poor communities in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas; the basic ensemble consisted of classical guitar, bass guitar, dobro or steel guitar, though some larger ensembles featured electric guitars, trumpets, keyboards (especially the honky-tonk piano, a type of tack piano), banjos, and drums.
By the early 1950s it blended with rock and roll, becoming the rockabilly sound produced by Sam Phillips, Norman Petty, and Bob Keane. Musicians emerged as enduring representatives of the style included:
Beginning in the mid-1950s, and reaching its peak during the early 1960s, the Nashville sound turned country music into a multimillion-dollar industry centered in Nashville, Tennessee; Patsy Cline and Jim Reeves were two of the most broadly popular Nashville sound artists, and their deaths in separate plane crashes in the early 1960s were a factor in the genre's decline.
Starting in the 1950s to the mid-1960s, Western singer-songwriters such as Michael Martin Murphey and Marty Robbins rose in prominence as did others, throughout Western music traditions, like New Mexico music's Al Hurricane.
The late 1960s in American music produced a unique blend as a result of traditionalist backlash within separate genres. In the aftermath of the British Invasion, many desired a return to the "old values" of rock n' roll. At the same time there was a lack of enthusiasm in the country sector for Nashville-produced music. What resulted was a crossbred genre known as country rock.
Fourth generation (1970s–1980s) music included outlaw country with roots in the Bakersfield sound, and country pop with roots in the countrypolitan, folk music and soft rock.
Between 1972 and 1975 singer/guitarist John Denver released a series of hugely successful songs blending country and folk-rock musical styles.
By the mid-1970s, Texas country and Tejano music gained popularity with performers like Freddie Fender. During the early 1980s country artists continued to see their records perform well on the pop charts.
In 1980 a style of "neocountry disco music" was popularized. During the mid-1980s a group of new artists began to emerge who rejected the more polished country-pop sound that had been prominent on radio and the charts in favor of more traditional "back-to-basics" production; this neotraditional movement would dominate country music through the late 1980s and was typified by the likes of George Strait.
Attempts to combine punk and country were pioneered by Jason and the Scorchers, and in the 1980s Southern Californian cowpunk scene with bands like the Long Ryders and Mojo Nixon.
During the fifth generation (1990s), country music became a worldwide phenomenon. Two types of artists enjoyed mainstream popularity: neotraditionalists such as Alan Jackson and the "King of Country" himself, George Strait, and the more broadly popular stadium country acts, in particular Garth Brooks. The Chicks became one of the most popular country bands in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The sixth generation (2000s–present) has seen a certain amount of diversification in regard to country music styles. It has also, however, seen a shift into patriotism and conservative politics since the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks, but twenty years later, many are saying the genre is finally starting to move away from that.
The influence of rock music in country has become more overt during the late 2000s and early 2010s. Most of the best-selling country songs of this era were those by the following:
Hip hop also made its mark on country music with the emergence of country rap.
History:
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Country Music:
Country music often consists of ballads and dance tunes (most commonly known as "Honky Tonk music") with generally simple forms, folk lyrics, and harmonies often accompanied by string instruments such as electric and acoustic guitars, steel guitars (such as pedal steels and dobros), banjos, and fiddles as well as harmonicas. Blues modes have been used extensively throughout its recorded history.
The term country music gained popularity in the 1940s in preference to hillbilly music; it came to encompass Western music, which evolved parallel to hillbilly music from similar roots, in the mid-20th century. 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.
The term country music is used today to describe many styles and subgenres. The origins of country music are found in the folk music of working class Americans and blue-collar American life. It has historical roots in the:
- indigenous music of North America,
- Celtic music,
- early music of the British Isles,
- jota,
- Irish traditional music,
- singing cowboys,
- corrido,
- ranchera,
- norteño,
- French folk music,
- African-American music,
- and other traditional folk music traditions.
Origins:
Main articles:
The main components of the modern country music style date back to music traditions throughout the Southern United States and Southwestern United States, while its place in American popular music was established in the 1920s during the early days of music recording.
Country music was "introduced to the world as a Southern phenomenon."
Migration into the southern Appalachian Mountains, of the Southeastern United States, brought the folk music and instruments of Europe, Africa, and the Mediterranean Basin along with it for nearly 300 years, which developed into Appalachian music.
As the country expanded westward, the Mississippi River and Louisiana became a crossroads for country music, giving rise to Cajun music.
In the Southwestern United States, it was the Rocky Mountains, American frontier, and Rio Grande that acted as a similar backdrop for Native American, Mexican, and cowboy ballads, which resulted in New Mexico music and the development of Western music, and its directly related Red Dirt, Texas country, and Tejano music styles.
Role of East Tennessee:
Main article: Music of East Tennessee
The U.S. Congress has formally recognized Bristol, Tennessee as the "Birthplace of Country Music", based on the historic Bristol recording sessions of 1927. Since 2014, the city has been home to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Historians have also noted the influence of the less-known Johnson City sessions of 1928 and 1929, and the Knoxville sessions of 1929 and 1930.
In addition, the Mountain City Fiddlers Convention, held in 1925, helped to inspire modern country music. Before these, pioneer settlers, in the Great Smoky Mountains region, had developed a rich musical heritage.
Generations:
The first generation emerged in the 1920s, with Atlanta's music scene playing a major role in launching country's earliest recording artists. James Gideon "Gid" Tanner (1885–1960) was an American old-time fiddler and one of the earliest stars of what would come to be known as country music.
His band, the Skillet Lickers, was one of the most innovative and influential string bands of the 1920s and 1930s. Its most notable members were Clayton McMichen (fiddle and vocal), Dan Hornsby (vocals), Riley Puckett (guitar and vocal) and Robert Lee Sweat (guitar).
New York City record label Okeh Records began issuing hillbilly music records by Fiddlin' John Carson as early as 1923, followed by Columbia Records (series 15000D "Old Familiar Tunes") (Samantha Bumgarner) in 1924, and RCA Victor Records in 1927 with the first famous pioneers of the genre Jimmie Rodgers, who is widely considered the "Father of Country Music", and the first family of country music the Carter Family.
Many "hillbilly" musicians recorded blues songs throughout the 1920s.
During the second generation (1930s–1940s), radio became a popular source of entertainment, and "barn dance" shows featuring country music were started all over the South, as far north as Chicago, and as far west as California.
The most important was the Grand Ole Opry, aired starting in 1925 by WSM in Nashville and continuing to the present day. During the 1930s and 1940s, cowboy songs, or Western music, which had been recorded since the 1920s, were popularized by films made in Hollywood, many featuring Gene Autry, who was known as king of the "singing cowboys", and Hank Williams.
Bob Wills was another country musician from the Lower Great Plains who had become very popular as the leader of a "hot string band," and who also appeared in Hollywood westerns. His mix of country and jazz, which started out as dance hall music, would become known as Western swing. Wills was one of the first country musicians known to have added an electric guitar to his band, in 1938.
Country musicians began recording boogie in 1939, shortly after it had been played at Carnegie Hall, when Johnny Barfield recorded "Boogie Woogie".
The third generation (1950s–1960s) started at the end of World War II with "mountaineer" string band music known as bluegrass, which emerged when Bill Monroe, along with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs were introduced by Roy Acuff at the Grand Ole Opry. Gospel music remained a popular component of country music.
The Native American, Hispano, and American frontier music of the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico, became popular among poor communities in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas; the basic ensemble consisted of classical guitar, bass guitar, dobro or steel guitar, though some larger ensembles featured electric guitars, trumpets, keyboards (especially the honky-tonk piano, a type of tack piano), banjos, and drums.
By the early 1950s it blended with rock and roll, becoming the rockabilly sound produced by Sam Phillips, Norman Petty, and Bob Keane. Musicians emerged as enduring representatives of the style included:
- Elvis Presley,
- Bo Diddley,
- Buddy Holly,
- Jerry Lee Lewis,
- Ritchie Valens,
- Carl Perkins,
- Roy Orbison,
- and Johnny Cash .
Beginning in the mid-1950s, and reaching its peak during the early 1960s, the Nashville sound turned country music into a multimillion-dollar industry centered in Nashville, Tennessee; Patsy Cline and Jim Reeves were two of the most broadly popular Nashville sound artists, and their deaths in separate plane crashes in the early 1960s were a factor in the genre's decline.
Starting in the 1950s to the mid-1960s, Western singer-songwriters such as Michael Martin Murphey and Marty Robbins rose in prominence as did others, throughout Western music traditions, like New Mexico music's Al Hurricane.
The late 1960s in American music produced a unique blend as a result of traditionalist backlash within separate genres. In the aftermath of the British Invasion, many desired a return to the "old values" of rock n' roll. At the same time there was a lack of enthusiasm in the country sector for Nashville-produced music. What resulted was a crossbred genre known as country rock.
Fourth generation (1970s–1980s) music included outlaw country with roots in the Bakersfield sound, and country pop with roots in the countrypolitan, folk music and soft rock.
Between 1972 and 1975 singer/guitarist John Denver released a series of hugely successful songs blending country and folk-rock musical styles.
By the mid-1970s, Texas country and Tejano music gained popularity with performers like Freddie Fender. During the early 1980s country artists continued to see their records perform well on the pop charts.
In 1980 a style of "neocountry disco music" was popularized. During the mid-1980s a group of new artists began to emerge who rejected the more polished country-pop sound that had been prominent on radio and the charts in favor of more traditional "back-to-basics" production; this neotraditional movement would dominate country music through the late 1980s and was typified by the likes of George Strait.
Attempts to combine punk and country were pioneered by Jason and the Scorchers, and in the 1980s Southern Californian cowpunk scene with bands like the Long Ryders and Mojo Nixon.
During the fifth generation (1990s), country music became a worldwide phenomenon. Two types of artists enjoyed mainstream popularity: neotraditionalists such as Alan Jackson and the "King of Country" himself, George Strait, and the more broadly popular stadium country acts, in particular Garth Brooks. The Chicks became one of the most popular country bands in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The sixth generation (2000s–present) has seen a certain amount of diversification in regard to country music styles. It has also, however, seen a shift into patriotism and conservative politics since the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks, but twenty years later, many are saying the genre is finally starting to move away from that.
The influence of rock music in country has become more overt during the late 2000s and early 2010s. Most of the best-selling country songs of this era were those by the following:
Hip hop also made its mark on country music with the emergence of country rap.
History:
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Country Music:
- History
- International
- Performers and shows
- Criticism
- See also:
- American Country Countdown Awards
- Canadian Country Music Association
- Country (identity)
- Country and Irish
- Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
- Country-western dance
- Culture of the Southern United States
- List of country music performers
- List of RPM number-one country singles
- Music of the United States
- Pop music
- Western Music Association
- 2021 in country music The Country Music Association – Nashville, Tennessee(CMA)
- Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum – Nashville, Tennessee
- Grand Ole Opry – Nashville, Tennessee
- Irish country music
- Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation
- TIME Archive of country music's progression
- Xroad.virginia.edu, alt country from American Studies at the University of Virginia
- Largest collection of online Country music radio stations
- Kingwood Kowboy's History Of Country Music
Country Music and the Country Music Association (CMA) awards
YouTube Video of Garth Brooks singing "Friends in Low Places" at the 1990 CMA ceremony
Pictured: LEFT: Taylor Swift (1968-Present) winning the 2011 CMA “Entertainer of the Year” award; and RIGHT: Kenny Chesney winning the 2006-8 CMA “Entertainer of the Year” awards.
YouTube Video of Garth Brooks singing "Friends in Low Places" at the 1990 CMA ceremony
Pictured: LEFT: Taylor Swift (1968-Present) winning the 2011 CMA “Entertainer of the Year” award; and RIGHT: Kenny Chesney winning the 2006-8 CMA “Entertainer of the Year” awards.
Country music is a genre of United States popular music that originated in the Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from the southeastern genre of United States, such as folk music and blues music. Blues modes have been used extensively throughout its recorded history.
Country music often consists of ballads and dance tunes with generally simple forms and harmonies accompanied by mostly string instruments such as banjos, electric and acoustic guitars, dobros and fiddles as well as harmonicas.
According to Lindsey Starnes, the term country music gained popularity in the 1940s in preference to the earlier term hillbilly music; it came to encompass Western music, which evolved parallel to hillbilly music from similar roots, in the mid-20th century. The term country music is used today to describe many styles and subgenres.
The origins of country music are the folk music of working-class Americans, who blended popular songs, Irish and Celtic fiddle tunes, traditional ballads, and cowboy songs, and various musical traditions from European immigrant communities. In 2009 country music was the most listened to rush hour radio genre during the evening commute, and second most popular in the morning commute in the United States.
For more about Country Music, click here.
The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs are presented to country music artists and broadcasters according to voting by CMA members.
The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967; the Entertainer of the Year award that night went to Eddy Arnold. The second annual CMA awards were presented in October 1968; NBC taped the ceremony and televised it a few weeks later.
Since then, the awards have been televised live, usually in October or November, by NBC from 1969 through 1971, by CBS from 1972 through 2005, and by the ABC beginning in 2006.
Starting in 1968 they were held at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry (initially at Ryman Auditorium, and from 1974 through 2004 at the new Grand Ole Opry House). In 2005 they moved to Madison Square Garden in New York City. Since 2006, they have been held at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.
Click here for a list of CMA Award Winners
Country music often consists of ballads and dance tunes with generally simple forms and harmonies accompanied by mostly string instruments such as banjos, electric and acoustic guitars, dobros and fiddles as well as harmonicas.
According to Lindsey Starnes, the term country music gained popularity in the 1940s in preference to the earlier term hillbilly music; it came to encompass Western music, which evolved parallel to hillbilly music from similar roots, in the mid-20th century. The term country music is used today to describe many styles and subgenres.
The origins of country music are the folk music of working-class Americans, who blended popular songs, Irish and Celtic fiddle tunes, traditional ballads, and cowboy songs, and various musical traditions from European immigrant communities. In 2009 country music was the most listened to rush hour radio genre during the evening commute, and second most popular in the morning commute in the United States.
For more about Country Music, click here.
The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs are presented to country music artists and broadcasters according to voting by CMA members.
The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967; the Entertainer of the Year award that night went to Eddy Arnold. The second annual CMA awards were presented in October 1968; NBC taped the ceremony and televised it a few weeks later.
Since then, the awards have been televised live, usually in October or November, by NBC from 1969 through 1971, by CBS from 1972 through 2005, and by the ABC beginning in 2006.
Starting in 1968 they were held at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry (initially at Ryman Auditorium, and from 1974 through 2004 at the new Grand Ole Opry House). In 2005 they moved to Madison Square Garden in New York City. Since 2006, they have been held at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.
Click here for a list of CMA Award Winners
Faith Hill
YouTube Video of Faith Hill - "Breathe" (Official Video)
Pictured: Faith Hill at a tribute concert for America's armed forces for ABC's Good Morning America in 2009
YouTube Video of Faith Hill - "Breathe" (Official Video)
Pictured: Faith Hill at a tribute concert for America's armed forces for ABC's Good Morning America in 2009
Faith Hill (born Audrey Faith Perry; September 21, 1967) is an American country pop singer and occasional actress. She is one of the most successful country artists of all time, having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. Hill is married to country singer Tim McGraw, with whom she has recorded several duets.
Hill's first two albums, Take Me as I Am (1993) and It Matters to Me (1995), were major successes and placed a combined three number ones on Billboard's country charts.
She then achieved mainstream and crossover success with her next two albums, Faith (1998) and Breathe (1999). Faith spawned her first international hit, "This Kiss", while Breathe became one of the best-selling country albums of all time, led by the huge crossover success of the songs "Breathe" and "The Way You Love Me". It had massive sales worldwide and earned Hill three Grammy Awards.
In 2001, she recorded "There You'll Be" for the Pearl Harbor movie soundtrack and it became an international hit and her best-selling single in Europe. Hill's next two albums, Cry (2002) and Fireflies (2005), were both commercial successes; the former spawned another crossover single, "Cry", which won Hill a Grammy Award, and the latter produced the hit singles "Mississippi Girl" and "Like We Never Loved at All", which earned her another Grammy Award.
Hill has won five Grammy Awards, 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, six American Music Awards and several other awards. Her Soul2Soul II Tour 2006 with McGraw became the highest-grossing country tour of all time.
In 2001, she was named one of the "30 Most Powerful Women in America" by Ladies Home Journal. In 2009, Billboard named her as the No. 1 Adult Contemporary artist of the 2000 decade and also as the 39th best artist.
From 2007 to 2012, Hill was the voice of NBC Sunday Night Football's intro song.
Hill's first two albums, Take Me as I Am (1993) and It Matters to Me (1995), were major successes and placed a combined three number ones on Billboard's country charts.
She then achieved mainstream and crossover success with her next two albums, Faith (1998) and Breathe (1999). Faith spawned her first international hit, "This Kiss", while Breathe became one of the best-selling country albums of all time, led by the huge crossover success of the songs "Breathe" and "The Way You Love Me". It had massive sales worldwide and earned Hill three Grammy Awards.
In 2001, she recorded "There You'll Be" for the Pearl Harbor movie soundtrack and it became an international hit and her best-selling single in Europe. Hill's next two albums, Cry (2002) and Fireflies (2005), were both commercial successes; the former spawned another crossover single, "Cry", which won Hill a Grammy Award, and the latter produced the hit singles "Mississippi Girl" and "Like We Never Loved at All", which earned her another Grammy Award.
Hill has won five Grammy Awards, 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, six American Music Awards and several other awards. Her Soul2Soul II Tour 2006 with McGraw became the highest-grossing country tour of all time.
In 2001, she was named one of the "30 Most Powerful Women in America" by Ladies Home Journal. In 2009, Billboard named her as the No. 1 Adult Contemporary artist of the 2000 decade and also as the 39th best artist.
From 2007 to 2012, Hill was the voice of NBC Sunday Night Football's intro song.
Garth Brooks
YouTube Video: Garth Brooks singing "Friends in Low Places".
Pictured: Garth Brooks on World Tour (2015)
YouTube Video: Garth Brooks singing "Friends in Low Places".
Pictured: Garth Brooks on World Tour (2015)
Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962), known professionally as Garth Brooks, is an American country pop singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock and roll elements into the country genre through multi-platinum recordings and record-breaking live performances earned him immense worldwide popularity.
This progressive approach has allowed Brooks to dominate the country single and album charts, while also crossing over into the mainstream pop arena.
According to the RIAA, he is the best-selling solo albums artist in the United States with 136 million domestic units sold, ahead of Elvis Presley, and is second only to The Beatles in total album sales overall. He is also one of the world's best-selling artists of all time, having sold more than 160 million records.
Brooks has released six albums that achieved diamond status in the United States, those being:
Since 1989, Brooks has released 20 records in all, which include: 10 studio albums, 1 live album, 3 compilation albums, 3 Christmas albums and 3 box sets, along with 77 singles.
He won several awards in his career, including 2 Grammy Awards, 17 American Music Awards (including the "Artist of the '90s") and the RIAA Award for best-selling solo albums artist of the century in the United States.
Troubled by conflicts between career and family, Brooks retired from recording and performing from 2001 until 2009. During this time, he sold millions of albums through an exclusive distribution deal with Walmart and sporadically released new singles. In 2005, Brooks started a partial comeback, giving select performances and releasing two compilation albums.
In 2009, he began Garth at Wynn, a periodic weekend residency show at Las Vegas' Encore Theater from December 2009 to January 2014. Following the conclusion of the residency, Brooks announced his signing with Sony Music Nashville in July 2014.
In September 2014, he began his comeback tour, The Garth Brooks World Tour, with wife and musician Trisha Yearwood. His most recent album, Man Against Machine, was released on November 11, 2014, exclusively to his online music store, GhostTunes.
Brooks was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on October 21, 2012.
This progressive approach has allowed Brooks to dominate the country single and album charts, while also crossing over into the mainstream pop arena.
According to the RIAA, he is the best-selling solo albums artist in the United States with 136 million domestic units sold, ahead of Elvis Presley, and is second only to The Beatles in total album sales overall. He is also one of the world's best-selling artists of all time, having sold more than 160 million records.
Brooks has released six albums that achieved diamond status in the United States, those being:
- Garth Brooks (10× platinum),
- No Fences (17× platinum),
- Ropin' the Wind (14× platinum),
- The Hits (10× platinum),
- Sevens (10× platinum)
- and Double Live (21× platinum).
Since 1989, Brooks has released 20 records in all, which include: 10 studio albums, 1 live album, 3 compilation albums, 3 Christmas albums and 3 box sets, along with 77 singles.
He won several awards in his career, including 2 Grammy Awards, 17 American Music Awards (including the "Artist of the '90s") and the RIAA Award for best-selling solo albums artist of the century in the United States.
Troubled by conflicts between career and family, Brooks retired from recording and performing from 2001 until 2009. During this time, he sold millions of albums through an exclusive distribution deal with Walmart and sporadically released new singles. In 2005, Brooks started a partial comeback, giving select performances and releasing two compilation albums.
In 2009, he began Garth at Wynn, a periodic weekend residency show at Las Vegas' Encore Theater from December 2009 to January 2014. Following the conclusion of the residency, Brooks announced his signing with Sony Music Nashville in July 2014.
In September 2014, he began his comeback tour, The Garth Brooks World Tour, with wife and musician Trisha Yearwood. His most recent album, Man Against Machine, was released on November 11, 2014, exclusively to his online music store, GhostTunes.
Brooks was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on October 21, 2012.
George Strait
YouTube Video of George Strait singing "Troubador
Pictured: George Strait in 2014 (Courtesy of Bede735 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0)
YouTube Video of George Strait singing "Troubador
Pictured: George Strait in 2014 (Courtesy of Bede735 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0)
George Harvey Strait (born May 18, 1952) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer known as the "King of Country" and one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time.
He is known for his neotraditionalist country style, cowboy look, and being one of the first and main country artists to bring country music back to its roots and away from the pop country era in the 1980s.
Strait's success began when his first single "Unwound" was a hit in 1981. During the 1980s, seven of his albums reached number one on the country charts.
In the 2000s, Strait was named Artist of the Decade by the Academy of Country Music, was elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and won his first Grammy award for the album Troubadour.
Strait was named CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1989, 1990 and 2013, and ACM Entertainer of the Year in 1990 and 2014. He has been nominated for more CMA and ACM awards and has more wins in both categories than any other artist.
In 2009, he broke Conway Twitty's previous record for the most number-one hits on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart when his 44 number one singles surpassed Twitty's 40.
Counting all music charts, Strait has amassed a total of 60 number-one hits, breaking a record also previously set by Twitty, and giving him more number one songs than any other artist in any genre of music.
Strait is also known for his touring career when he designed a 360- degree configuration and introduced festival style tours. For example, the Strait Tours earned $90 million in three years. His concert at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX in June 2014 drew 104,793 people, marking a new record for largest indoor concert in North America.
Strait was successful innovating country music and in numerous aspects of being a part of popular music.
Strait has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. His certifications from the RIAA include 13 multi-platinum, 33 platinum, and 38 gold albums.
His best-selling album is Pure Country (1992), which sold 6 million (6× platinum). His highest certified album is Strait Out of the Box (1995), which sold 2 million copies (8× Platinum due to being a box set with four CDs). According to the RIAA, Strait is the 12th best-selling album recording artist in the United States overall.
He is known for his neotraditionalist country style, cowboy look, and being one of the first and main country artists to bring country music back to its roots and away from the pop country era in the 1980s.
Strait's success began when his first single "Unwound" was a hit in 1981. During the 1980s, seven of his albums reached number one on the country charts.
In the 2000s, Strait was named Artist of the Decade by the Academy of Country Music, was elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and won his first Grammy award for the album Troubadour.
Strait was named CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1989, 1990 and 2013, and ACM Entertainer of the Year in 1990 and 2014. He has been nominated for more CMA and ACM awards and has more wins in both categories than any other artist.
In 2009, he broke Conway Twitty's previous record for the most number-one hits on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart when his 44 number one singles surpassed Twitty's 40.
Counting all music charts, Strait has amassed a total of 60 number-one hits, breaking a record also previously set by Twitty, and giving him more number one songs than any other artist in any genre of music.
Strait is also known for his touring career when he designed a 360- degree configuration and introduced festival style tours. For example, the Strait Tours earned $90 million in three years. His concert at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX in June 2014 drew 104,793 people, marking a new record for largest indoor concert in North America.
Strait was successful innovating country music and in numerous aspects of being a part of popular music.
Strait has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. His certifications from the RIAA include 13 multi-platinum, 33 platinum, and 38 gold albums.
His best-selling album is Pure Country (1992), which sold 6 million (6× platinum). His highest certified album is Strait Out of the Box (1995), which sold 2 million copies (8× Platinum due to being a box set with four CDs). According to the RIAA, Strait is the 12th best-selling album recording artist in the United States overall.
Glen Travis Campbell (born April 22, 1936) is an American rock and country music singer, guitarist, songwriter, television host, and occasional actor.
He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting a music and comedy variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television from January 1969 through June 1972.
During his 50 years in show business, Campbell has released more than 70 albums. He has sold 45 million records and accumulated 12 RIAA Gold albums, four Platinum albums and one Double-platinum album.
He has placed a total of 80 different songs on either the Billboard Country Chart, Billboard Hot 100, or the Adult Contemporary Chart, of which 29 made the top 10 and of which nine reached number one on at least one of those charts.
Campbell's hits include his recordings of John Hartford's "Gentle on My Mind"; Jimmy Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", and "Galveston"; Larry Weiss's "Rhinestone Cowboy"; and Allen Toussaint's "Southern Nights".
Campbell made history in 1967 by winning four Grammys total, in the country and pop categories. For "Gentle on My Mind", he received two awards in country and western, "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" did the same in pop.
Three of his early hits later won Grammy Hall of Fame Awards (2000, 2004, 2008), while Campbell himself won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.
He owns trophies for Male Vocalist of the Year from both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM), and took the CMA's top award as 1968 Entertainer of the Year.
In 1969, actor John Wayne picked Campbell to play alongside him in the film True Grit, which gave Campbell a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer. Campbell sang the title song which was nominated for an Academy Award.
He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting a music and comedy variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television from January 1969 through June 1972.
During his 50 years in show business, Campbell has released more than 70 albums. He has sold 45 million records and accumulated 12 RIAA Gold albums, four Platinum albums and one Double-platinum album.
He has placed a total of 80 different songs on either the Billboard Country Chart, Billboard Hot 100, or the Adult Contemporary Chart, of which 29 made the top 10 and of which nine reached number one on at least one of those charts.
Campbell's hits include his recordings of John Hartford's "Gentle on My Mind"; Jimmy Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", and "Galveston"; Larry Weiss's "Rhinestone Cowboy"; and Allen Toussaint's "Southern Nights".
Campbell made history in 1967 by winning four Grammys total, in the country and pop categories. For "Gentle on My Mind", he received two awards in country and western, "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" did the same in pop.
Three of his early hits later won Grammy Hall of Fame Awards (2000, 2004, 2008), while Campbell himself won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.
He owns trophies for Male Vocalist of the Year from both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM), and took the CMA's top award as 1968 Entertainer of the Year.
In 1969, actor John Wayne picked Campbell to play alongside him in the film True Grit, which gave Campbell a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer. Campbell sang the title song which was nominated for an Academy Award.
Kenneth Ray "Kenny" Rogers (born August 21, 1938) is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Though he has been most successful with country audiences, he has charted more than 120 hit singles across various music genres, topped the country and pop album charts for more than 200 individual weeks in the United States alone and has sold over 120 million records worldwide, certifying his position as one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
On September 25, 2015 he announced on NBC's Today Show that he was retiring from show business after a final tour to spend more time with his wife and twin boys.
Two of his albums, The Gambler and Kenny, are featured in the About.com poll of "The 200 Most Influential Country Albums Ever". He was voted the "Favorite Singer of All-Time" in a 1986 joint poll by readers of both USA Today and People.
He has received numerous such awards as the AMAs, Grammys, ACMs and CMAs, as well as a lifetime achievement award for a career spanning six decades in 2003.
Later success includes the 2006 album release, Water & Bridges, an across the board hit, that
hit the Top 5 in the Billboard Country Albums sales charts, also charting in the Top 15 of the Billboard 200.
The first single from the album, "I Can't Unlove You," was also a sizable chart hit.
Remaining a popular entertainer around the world, the following year he completed a tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland, telling BBC Radio 2 DJ Steve Wright his favorite hit was "The Gambler".
He has also acted in a variety of movies and television shows, most notably the title roles in Kenny Rogers as The Gambler and the MacShayne series as well as his appearance on The Muppet Show.
Though he has been most successful with country audiences, he has charted more than 120 hit singles across various music genres, topped the country and pop album charts for more than 200 individual weeks in the United States alone and has sold over 120 million records worldwide, certifying his position as one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
On September 25, 2015 he announced on NBC's Today Show that he was retiring from show business after a final tour to spend more time with his wife and twin boys.
Two of his albums, The Gambler and Kenny, are featured in the About.com poll of "The 200 Most Influential Country Albums Ever". He was voted the "Favorite Singer of All-Time" in a 1986 joint poll by readers of both USA Today and People.
He has received numerous such awards as the AMAs, Grammys, ACMs and CMAs, as well as a lifetime achievement award for a career spanning six decades in 2003.
Later success includes the 2006 album release, Water & Bridges, an across the board hit, that
hit the Top 5 in the Billboard Country Albums sales charts, also charting in the Top 15 of the Billboard 200.
The first single from the album, "I Can't Unlove You," was also a sizable chart hit.
Remaining a popular entertainer around the world, the following year he completed a tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland, telling BBC Radio 2 DJ Steve Wright his favorite hit was "The Gambler".
He has also acted in a variety of movies and television shows, most notably the title roles in Kenny Rogers as The Gambler and the MacShayne series as well as his appearance on The Muppet Show.
Keith Lionel Urban (born 26 October 1967) is a New Zealand-born Australian country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, musician, TV show judge and record producer.
In 1991, he released a self-titled debut album and charted four singles in Australia before moving to the United States the following year. He found work as a session guitarist before starting a band known as The Ranch, which recorded one studio album on Capitol Nashville and charted two singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
Still signed to Capitol, Urban made his solo American debut in 1999 with the album Keith Urban. Certified platinum in the US, it produced his first number one on Hot Country Songs with "But for the Grace of God".
"Somebody Like You", the first single from his second Capitol album, Golden Road (2002), was named by Billboard as the biggest country hit of the 2000s decade. The album's fourth single, "You'll Think of Me", earned him his first Grammy.
2004's Be Here, his third American album, produced three more number 1 singles and became his highest-selling album, earning 4× Platinum certification.
Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing was released in 2006, containing "Once in a Lifetime" as well as his second Grammy song, "Stupid Boy".
A greatest hits package entitled Greatest Hits: 18 Kids followed in late-2007. Defying Gravity and Get Closer were released March 2009 and November 2010, respectively.
In September 2013, he released a brand new album titled Fuse, which produced four more number ones on the newly introduced Country Airplay chart, two of which are duets—one with Miranda Lambert and the other with Eric Church. A new single, entitled "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16", was released in June 2015 as the lead-off single to his eighth American studio album Ripcord.
Urban has released a total of nine studio albums (one of which was released only in the United Kingdom), as well as one album with The Ranch. He has charted 37 singles on the US Hot Country Songs, 18 of which went to number one, counting a duet with Brad Paisley and the 2008 single "You Look Good in My Shirt", which he previously recorded on Golden Road. Those also include his third Grammy Award winning single "Sweet Thing" from his album Defying Gravity.
Urban is also known for his roles as a coach on the Australian version of the singing competition The Voice and as a judge on American Idol. Since 2006, he has been married to actress Nicole Kidman. In October 2013, Urban introduced his own signature line of guitars and accessories.
In 1991, he released a self-titled debut album and charted four singles in Australia before moving to the United States the following year. He found work as a session guitarist before starting a band known as The Ranch, which recorded one studio album on Capitol Nashville and charted two singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
Still signed to Capitol, Urban made his solo American debut in 1999 with the album Keith Urban. Certified platinum in the US, it produced his first number one on Hot Country Songs with "But for the Grace of God".
"Somebody Like You", the first single from his second Capitol album, Golden Road (2002), was named by Billboard as the biggest country hit of the 2000s decade. The album's fourth single, "You'll Think of Me", earned him his first Grammy.
2004's Be Here, his third American album, produced three more number 1 singles and became his highest-selling album, earning 4× Platinum certification.
Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing was released in 2006, containing "Once in a Lifetime" as well as his second Grammy song, "Stupid Boy".
A greatest hits package entitled Greatest Hits: 18 Kids followed in late-2007. Defying Gravity and Get Closer were released March 2009 and November 2010, respectively.
In September 2013, he released a brand new album titled Fuse, which produced four more number ones on the newly introduced Country Airplay chart, two of which are duets—one with Miranda Lambert and the other with Eric Church. A new single, entitled "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16", was released in June 2015 as the lead-off single to his eighth American studio album Ripcord.
Urban has released a total of nine studio albums (one of which was released only in the United Kingdom), as well as one album with The Ranch. He has charted 37 singles on the US Hot Country Songs, 18 of which went to number one, counting a duet with Brad Paisley and the 2008 single "You Look Good in My Shirt", which he previously recorded on Golden Road. Those also include his third Grammy Award winning single "Sweet Thing" from his album Defying Gravity.
Urban is also known for his roles as a coach on the Australian version of the singing competition The Voice and as a judge on American Idol. Since 2006, he has been married to actress Nicole Kidman. In October 2013, Urban introduced his own signature line of guitars and accessories.
Bradley Douglas "Brad" Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting with his 1999 debut album, Who Needs Pictures, he has released 10 studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashville label, with all of his albums certified Gold or higher by the RIAA.
He has scored 32 top 10 singles on the U.S. Billboard Country Airplay chart, 19 of which have reached #1. He set a new record in 2009 for most consecutive singles (ten) reaching the top spot on that chart.
Paisley has sold over 12 million albums and won three Grammy Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 14 Country Music Association Awards, and two American Music Awards. He has earned country music's crowning achievement, becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Brad Paisley also wrote a few songs for Pixar's Cars franchise ("Behind the Clouds", "Find Yourself", "Collision of Worlds" (along with Robbie Williams) and "Nobody's Fool".
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He has scored 32 top 10 singles on the U.S. Billboard Country Airplay chart, 19 of which have reached #1. He set a new record in 2009 for most consecutive singles (ten) reaching the top spot on that chart.
Paisley has sold over 12 million albums and won three Grammy Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 14 Country Music Association Awards, and two American Music Awards. He has earned country music's crowning achievement, becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Brad Paisley also wrote a few songs for Pixar's Cars franchise ("Behind the Clouds", "Find Yourself", "Collision of Worlds" (along with Robbie Williams) and "Nobody's Fool".
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- Life and career
- Books: Diary of a Player
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Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". The lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" spent five weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The now Platinum-certified debut album also produced two more top 20 entries ("All Over Me" and "Ol' Red"). Although the album was released on Giant Records Nashville, he was transferred to Warner Bros. Records Nashville after Giant closed in late 2001.
His second and third albums, 2003's The Dreamer and 2004's Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill, are gold and platinum, respectively.
Shelton's fourth album, Pure BS (2007), was re-issued in 2008 with a cover of Michael Bublé's pop hit "Home" as one of the bonus tracks.
His fifth album, Startin' Fires was released in November 2008. It was followed by the extended plays Hillbilly Bone and All About Tonight in 2010, and the albums Red River Blue in 2011, Based on a True Story... in 2013, Bringing Back the Sunshine in 2014, and If I'm Honest in 2016.
Overall, Blake Shelton has charted 32 country singles, including 23 number ones, 17 of which were consecutive. The 11th No. 1 ("Doin' What She Likes") broke "the record for the most consecutive No. 1 singles in the Country Airplay chart's 24-year history". He is a seven-time Grammy Award nominee.
Shelton is also known for his role as a judge on the televised singing competitions Nashville Star, Clash of the Choirs, and The Voice. He has been on The Voice since its inception, and in five of eleven seasons (2–4, 7, 11), a member of his team has won. From 2011 to 2015, Shelton was married to fellow country singer Miranda Lambert.
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His second and third albums, 2003's The Dreamer and 2004's Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill, are gold and platinum, respectively.
Shelton's fourth album, Pure BS (2007), was re-issued in 2008 with a cover of Michael Bublé's pop hit "Home" as one of the bonus tracks.
His fifth album, Startin' Fires was released in November 2008. It was followed by the extended plays Hillbilly Bone and All About Tonight in 2010, and the albums Red River Blue in 2011, Based on a True Story... in 2013, Bringing Back the Sunshine in 2014, and If I'm Honest in 2016.
Overall, Blake Shelton has charted 32 country singles, including 23 number ones, 17 of which were consecutive. The 11th No. 1 ("Doin' What She Likes") broke "the record for the most consecutive No. 1 singles in the Country Airplay chart's 24-year history". He is a seven-time Grammy Award nominee.
Shelton is also known for his role as a judge on the televised singing competitions Nashville Star, Clash of the Choirs, and The Voice. He has been on The Voice since its inception, and in five of eleven seasons (2–4, 7, 11), a member of his team has won. From 2011 to 2015, Shelton was married to fellow country singer Miranda Lambert.
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- Early life
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Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr., is an American singer, songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of Southern rock, blues, and traditional country. He is the son of legendary country music singer Hank Williams and the father of Hank Williams III, Holly Williams, Hilary Williams, Samuel Williams, and Katie Williams.
Williams began his career by following in his famed father's footsteps, singing his father's songs and imitating his father's style. Williams' own style slowly evolved as he struggled to find his own voice and place within the country music industry. This trend was interrupted by a near-fatal fall off the side of Ajax Peak in Montana on August 8, 1975.
After an extended recovery, he challenged the country music establishment with a blend of country, rock, and blues. Williams enjoyed much success in the 1980s, from which he earned considerable recognition and popularity both inside and outside the country music industry.
As a multi-instrumentalist, Williams' repertoire of skills include guitar, bass guitar, upright bass, steel guitar, banjo, dobro, piano, keyboards, harmonica, fiddle, and drums.
From 1989 until October 2011, a version of his song "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" was used as the opening for broadcasts of Monday Night Football.
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Williams began his career by following in his famed father's footsteps, singing his father's songs and imitating his father's style. Williams' own style slowly evolved as he struggled to find his own voice and place within the country music industry. This trend was interrupted by a near-fatal fall off the side of Ajax Peak in Montana on August 8, 1975.
After an extended recovery, he challenged the country music establishment with a blend of country, rock, and blues. Williams enjoyed much success in the 1980s, from which he earned considerable recognition and popularity both inside and outside the country music industry.
As a multi-instrumentalist, Williams' repertoire of skills include guitar, bass guitar, upright bass, steel guitar, banjo, dobro, piano, keyboards, harmonica, fiddle, and drums.
From 1989 until October 2011, a version of his song "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" was used as the opening for broadcasts of Monday Night Football.
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- Biography
- Notable events
- Politics including 2011 Fox and Friends appearance
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Lady Antebellum
YouTube Video Lady Antebellum - Need You Now
Pictured: (L-R) Hillary Scott, Charles Kelly, and Dave Haywood
YouTube Video Lady Antebellum - Need You Now
Pictured: (L-R) Hillary Scott, Charles Kelly, and Dave Haywood
Lady Antebellum is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar), and Dave Haywood (background vocals, guitar, piano, mandolin).
Scott is the daughter of country music singer Linda Davis, and Kelley is the brother of pop singer Josh Kelley.
The group made its debut in 2007 as guest vocalists on Jim Brickman's single "Never Alone", before signing to Capitol Nashville. Lady Antebellum has released five albums for Capitol:
Their first three albums are certified platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The albums have produced sixteen singles on the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, of which nine have reached number one. Their longest-lasting number one single is "Need You Now", which spent five weeks at that position in 2009; both that song and 2011's "Just a Kiss" reached number one on the Adult Contemporary charts.
Lady Antebellum was awarded Top New Duo or Group by the Academy of Country Music and New Artist of the Year by the Country Music Association in 2008. They were nominated for two Grammy Awards at the 51st Grammy Awards and two more at the 52nd Grammy Awards.
Of these nominations, they took home the award for Best Country Performance by Duo or Group with Vocals for "I Run to You". They were awarded Top Vocal Group, Song of the Year ("Need You Now"), and Single of the Year ("Need You Now") at the 44th ACM Awards on April 18, 2010.
They won five awards at the 53rd Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year for "Need You Now". Lady Antebellum also scored "Best Country Album" at the 54th Grammy Awards.
By August 2013, the group had sold more than 12.5 million digital singles and 10 million albums in the United States.
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Scott is the daughter of country music singer Linda Davis, and Kelley is the brother of pop singer Josh Kelley.
The group made its debut in 2007 as guest vocalists on Jim Brickman's single "Never Alone", before signing to Capitol Nashville. Lady Antebellum has released five albums for Capitol:
- Lady Antebellum,
- Need You Now,
- Own the Night,
- Golden, and
- 747
- plus one Christmas album (On This Winter's Night).
Their first three albums are certified platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The albums have produced sixteen singles on the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, of which nine have reached number one. Their longest-lasting number one single is "Need You Now", which spent five weeks at that position in 2009; both that song and 2011's "Just a Kiss" reached number one on the Adult Contemporary charts.
Lady Antebellum was awarded Top New Duo or Group by the Academy of Country Music and New Artist of the Year by the Country Music Association in 2008. They were nominated for two Grammy Awards at the 51st Grammy Awards and two more at the 52nd Grammy Awards.
Of these nominations, they took home the award for Best Country Performance by Duo or Group with Vocals for "I Run to You". They were awarded Top Vocal Group, Song of the Year ("Need You Now"), and Single of the Year ("Need You Now") at the 44th ACM Awards on April 18, 2010.
They won five awards at the 53rd Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year for "Need You Now". Lady Antebellum also scored "Best Country Album" at the 54th Grammy Awards.
By August 2013, the group had sold more than 12.5 million digital singles and 10 million albums in the United States.
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Loretta Lynn
YouTube Video of Loretta Lynn Singing "Coal Minder's Daughter"
Pictured: Two Loretta Lynn Album Covers
YouTube Video of Loretta Lynn Singing "Coal Minder's Daughter"
Pictured: Two Loretta Lynn Album Covers
Loretta Lynn (Webb; born April 14, 1932) is an American country music singer-songwriter with multiple gold albums over a career of almost 60 years.
She has received numerous awards and other accolades for her groundbreaking role in country music, including awards from both the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music as a duet partner and an individual artist.
She is the most awarded female country recording artist and the only female ACM Artist of the Decade (1970s).
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She has received numerous awards and other accolades for her groundbreaking role in country music, including awards from both the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music as a duet partner and an individual artist.
She is the most awarded female country recording artist and the only female ACM Artist of the Decade (1970s).
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Martin David Robinson (September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982), known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, and racing driver.
One of the most popular and successful country and western singers of all time for most of his near four-decade career, Robbins often topped the country music charts, and several of his songs also had crossover success as pop hits.
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One of the most popular and successful country and western singers of all time for most of his near four-decade career, Robbins often topped the country music charts, and several of his songs also had crossover success as pop hits.
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Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American singer and songwriter. Outside of her solo career, she is a member of the Pistol Annies alongside Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley. Lambert has been honored by the Grammy Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, and the Country Music Association Awards.
Lambert's debut album Kerosene (2005) was certified Platinum in the United States, and produced the singles "Me and Charlie Talking", "Bring Me Down", "Kerosene", and "New Strings". All four singles reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. Her second album, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, was released in early 2007. Three of its singles–"Famous in a Small Town", "Gunpowder & Lead", and "More Like Her")–peaked within the top 20 on the country songs chart, with "Gunpowder & Lead" becoming her first top 10 entry in July 2008.
Her third album, Revolution, was released in September 2009. Two of its songs–"The House That Built Me" and "Heart Like Mine"–topped the Hot Country Songs chart.
2011's Four the Record, included the singles "Baggage Claim", "Over You", "Fastest Girl in Town", "Mama's Broken Heart", and "All Kinds of Kinds".
Lambert released her fifth album, "Platinum", in 2014. The record won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album, and the album's lead single "Automatic" reached top 5 on the Country charts.
Her sixth studio album, The Weight of These Wings, was released on November 18, 2016.
From 2011 to 2015, Lambert was married to singer Blake Shelton.
Click here for more about Miranda Lambert.
Lambert's debut album Kerosene (2005) was certified Platinum in the United States, and produced the singles "Me and Charlie Talking", "Bring Me Down", "Kerosene", and "New Strings". All four singles reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. Her second album, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, was released in early 2007. Three of its singles–"Famous in a Small Town", "Gunpowder & Lead", and "More Like Her")–peaked within the top 20 on the country songs chart, with "Gunpowder & Lead" becoming her first top 10 entry in July 2008.
Her third album, Revolution, was released in September 2009. Two of its songs–"The House That Built Me" and "Heart Like Mine"–topped the Hot Country Songs chart.
2011's Four the Record, included the singles "Baggage Claim", "Over You", "Fastest Girl in Town", "Mama's Broken Heart", and "All Kinds of Kinds".
Lambert released her fifth album, "Platinum", in 2014. The record won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album, and the album's lead single "Automatic" reached top 5 on the Country charts.
Her sixth studio album, The Weight of These Wings, was released on November 18, 2016.
From 2011 to 2015, Lambert was married to singer Blake Shelton.
Click here for more about Miranda Lambert.
The Band Alabama
YouTube Video of Alabama Performing Angels Among Us
Pictured: Alabama at Bayfest in Mobile, Alabama in 2014
YouTube Video of Alabama Performing Angels Among Us
Pictured: Alabama at Bayfest in Mobile, Alabama in 2014
Alabama is an American country, Southern rock and bluegrass band formed in Fort Payne, Alabama in 1969. The band was founded by Randy Owen (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and his cousin Teddy Gentry (bass guitar,background vocals), soon joined by their other cousin, Jeff Cook (lead guitar, fiddle, keyboards).
First operating under the name Wildcountry, the group toured the Southeast bar circuit in the early 1970s, and began writing original songs. They changed their name to Alabama in 1977 and following the chart success of two singles, were approached by RCA Records for a record deal.
Alabama's biggest success came in the 1980s, where the band had over 27 number one hits, seven multi-platinum albums and received numerous awards. Alabama's first single on RCA Records, "Tennessee River", began a streak of number one singles, including "Love in the First Degree" (1981), "Mountain Music" (1982), "Dixieland Delight" (1983), "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)" (1984) and "Song of the South" (1987).
The group's popularity waned slightly in the 1990s, although they continued to receive hit singles and multi-platinum record sales. Alabama disbanded in 2006 following a farewell tour and two albums of inspirational music, but reunited in 2011 and have continued to record and tour worldwide.
The band's blend of traditional country music and Southern rock combined with elements of gospel, and pop music gave it a crossover appeal that helped lead to their success. They also toured extensively and incorporated production elements such as lighting and "sets" inspired by rock concerts into their shows.
The band has over 30 number one country records on the Billboard charts to their credit and have sold over 75 million records, making them one of the world's best-selling bands of all time. AllMusic credited the band with popularizing the idea of a country band, and wrote that "it's unlikely that any other country group will be able to surpass the success of Alabama."
First operating under the name Wildcountry, the group toured the Southeast bar circuit in the early 1970s, and began writing original songs. They changed their name to Alabama in 1977 and following the chart success of two singles, were approached by RCA Records for a record deal.
Alabama's biggest success came in the 1980s, where the band had over 27 number one hits, seven multi-platinum albums and received numerous awards. Alabama's first single on RCA Records, "Tennessee River", began a streak of number one singles, including "Love in the First Degree" (1981), "Mountain Music" (1982), "Dixieland Delight" (1983), "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)" (1984) and "Song of the South" (1987).
The group's popularity waned slightly in the 1990s, although they continued to receive hit singles and multi-platinum record sales. Alabama disbanded in 2006 following a farewell tour and two albums of inspirational music, but reunited in 2011 and have continued to record and tour worldwide.
The band's blend of traditional country music and Southern rock combined with elements of gospel, and pop music gave it a crossover appeal that helped lead to their success. They also toured extensively and incorporated production elements such as lighting and "sets" inspired by rock concerts into their shows.
The band has over 30 number one country records on the Billboard charts to their credit and have sold over 75 million records, making them one of the world's best-selling bands of all time. AllMusic credited the band with popularizing the idea of a country band, and wrote that "it's unlikely that any other country group will be able to surpass the success of Alabama."
Tanya Tucker
- YouTube Video of Tanya Tucker singing "Delta Dawn"
- YouTube Video: Tanya Tucker - The Wheels Of Laredo (Official Music Video)
- YouTube Video: Tanya Tucker live concert 2018
Billboard 9/18/2017: "Nobody was quite sure what to make of Tanya Tucker when she burst upon the Country Music scene in 1972. There had been teenagers in the music business before – Brenda Lee, for example, but this Texas native wasn't singing two-minute innocent songs about “Sweet Nothin'”s. She was leaving little to the imagination, singing about illegitimate children, mental insanity, murder and love – of both the emotional and carnal kind.
While Country Music fans might have been used to those subjects as part of their daily intake of such popular soap operas as Days of Our Lives or Search for Tomorrow, nobody was expecting the subject matter on their local Country Radio stations at that time. But that's what helped to shape her career -- the ability to keep fans guessing. Over four decades later, the singer still evokes passion among her fans with her unique recollections about love, heartbreak, and (sometimes) life on the other side of the tracks.
Here are ten moments from the Tanya Tucker song catalog that are always well worth re-visiting. (And honorable mention to 1976's "Spring," a chart flop that remains a favorite among her longtime fan base, and with good reason.)
10. Tanya Tucker - "Delta Dawn": Alex Harvey’s lyrics about a fading Southern Belle in a small West Tennessee town two hours southwest of Nashville captivated the imaginations of country music fans throughout the world. Though Helen Reddy enjoyed a pop hit with the story song, it was Tanya Tucker who dominated the attention of journalists in 1972. What was this thirteen-year old girl -- future superstar or flash in the pan? The world would soon find out!
9. Tanya Tucker - "Texas (When I Die)": Arguably the most traditionally country song on her 1978 declaration-of-independence album TNT, this lively Tanya Tucker song continues to please audiences for the singer around the world today -- but of course, nowhere more so than in her native Lone Star state.
8. Tanya Tucker - "Would You Lay With Me (In A Field of Stone)": Released on New Year’s Eve 1973, this David Allan Coe composition begged the question -- how could this precocious fifteen year old girl know what she was singing about? That was the opinion of half of the listeners to Country Radio at the time, while the other half looked at the song as a pledge of total devotion. Either way, the song was a hit -- becoming her third No. 1 on the Country Songs chart.
7. Tanya Tucker - "Soon": If there was any doubt in 1973 if Tucker knew what she was singing about when it came to passionate lyrics, by 1993 she had learned every bit of their meaning and then some. This Bob Regan / Casey Kelly co-write remains one of the strongest singles of the latter part of her career, and also inspired a video that stands as one of the most steamy to air on CMT in the 1990s -- or ever, really.
6. Tanya Tucker - "I’ll Come Back As Another Woman": In 1986, after a few years away from the charts, Tucker resurfaced on Capitol Records with the excellent Girls Like Me album. One of the hits from that disc was this blistering Tanya Tucker song performance about a woman who vows to get the ultimate revenge on her ex - and him never know it, until the damage has been done. The song showed just how much her vocal approach had matured over the years.
5. Tanya Tucker - "Walkin’ Shoes": The first Tanya Tucker hit of the '90s was one of the most clever entries in her catalog. Written by Paul Kennerly, this song offered many subtle references to a breakup, including the singer wearing an “Wearing an all-over coat.” The single was the first from her brilliant Tennessee Woman disc.
4. Tanya Tucker - "Blood Red and Goin’ Down": Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame member Curly Putman penned this story song about a husband and father pushed to the emotional limit by his cheating spouse - in front of their young daughter. It was heavy subject matter, for sure, but Tucker handled it with the depth of an artist who had been recording for twice as long.
3. Tanya Tucker - "What’s Your Mama’s Name": As was the case with much of Tucker’s output for Columbia Records, this was a brilliantly written story song from the pen of veteran tunesmiths Dallas Frazier and Earl Montgomery. This epic story of Buford Wilson, a drunkard from Memphis, earned Tucker her first No. 1 record -- with a performance that stands as one of the most mysterious of all time. (Until, of course, the final line of the last verse, where all is revealed.)
2. Tanya Tucker - "Here’s Some Love": Lyrically, there is not much that remarkable about this 1976 Tanya Tucker song. But, Jerry Crutchfield’s production, combined with the singer’s charisma and charm made for one of the most fun moments of the summer on the airwaves -- causing fans to sing along, lyric for lyric. Forty years later, they are still doing just that!
1. Tanya Tucker - "Strong Enough To Bend": Quite possibly, Tucker couldn’t have handled the lyrics of this Beth Nielsen Chapman / Don Schlitz composition in her early career with as much believability and conviction as she did in 1988. To truly do justice to the lyrics of this song about compromise in a relationship, one needs to have lived, loved... and lost. The singer -- not quite yet thirty years old -- gave perhaps her most impassioned performance with this winning performance that topped the Country Songs charts in October of that year.
[End of Billboard Article]
___________________________________________________________________________
Tanya Tucker (Wikipedia):
Tanya Denise Tucker (born October 10, 1958) is an American country music artist who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13.
Over the succeeding decades, Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature into adulthood without losing her audience, and during the course of her career, she notched a streak of top-10 and top-40 hits.
Tucker has had several successful albums, several Country Music Association award nominations, and hit songs such as 1973's "What's Your Mama's Name?" and "Blood Red and Goin' Down", 1975's "Lizzie and the Rainman", and 1988's "Strong Enough to Bend".
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Tanya Tucker:
While Country Music fans might have been used to those subjects as part of their daily intake of such popular soap operas as Days of Our Lives or Search for Tomorrow, nobody was expecting the subject matter on their local Country Radio stations at that time. But that's what helped to shape her career -- the ability to keep fans guessing. Over four decades later, the singer still evokes passion among her fans with her unique recollections about love, heartbreak, and (sometimes) life on the other side of the tracks.
Here are ten moments from the Tanya Tucker song catalog that are always well worth re-visiting. (And honorable mention to 1976's "Spring," a chart flop that remains a favorite among her longtime fan base, and with good reason.)
10. Tanya Tucker - "Delta Dawn": Alex Harvey’s lyrics about a fading Southern Belle in a small West Tennessee town two hours southwest of Nashville captivated the imaginations of country music fans throughout the world. Though Helen Reddy enjoyed a pop hit with the story song, it was Tanya Tucker who dominated the attention of journalists in 1972. What was this thirteen-year old girl -- future superstar or flash in the pan? The world would soon find out!
9. Tanya Tucker - "Texas (When I Die)": Arguably the most traditionally country song on her 1978 declaration-of-independence album TNT, this lively Tanya Tucker song continues to please audiences for the singer around the world today -- but of course, nowhere more so than in her native Lone Star state.
8. Tanya Tucker - "Would You Lay With Me (In A Field of Stone)": Released on New Year’s Eve 1973, this David Allan Coe composition begged the question -- how could this precocious fifteen year old girl know what she was singing about? That was the opinion of half of the listeners to Country Radio at the time, while the other half looked at the song as a pledge of total devotion. Either way, the song was a hit -- becoming her third No. 1 on the Country Songs chart.
7. Tanya Tucker - "Soon": If there was any doubt in 1973 if Tucker knew what she was singing about when it came to passionate lyrics, by 1993 she had learned every bit of their meaning and then some. This Bob Regan / Casey Kelly co-write remains one of the strongest singles of the latter part of her career, and also inspired a video that stands as one of the most steamy to air on CMT in the 1990s -- or ever, really.
6. Tanya Tucker - "I’ll Come Back As Another Woman": In 1986, after a few years away from the charts, Tucker resurfaced on Capitol Records with the excellent Girls Like Me album. One of the hits from that disc was this blistering Tanya Tucker song performance about a woman who vows to get the ultimate revenge on her ex - and him never know it, until the damage has been done. The song showed just how much her vocal approach had matured over the years.
5. Tanya Tucker - "Walkin’ Shoes": The first Tanya Tucker hit of the '90s was one of the most clever entries in her catalog. Written by Paul Kennerly, this song offered many subtle references to a breakup, including the singer wearing an “Wearing an all-over coat.” The single was the first from her brilliant Tennessee Woman disc.
4. Tanya Tucker - "Blood Red and Goin’ Down": Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame member Curly Putman penned this story song about a husband and father pushed to the emotional limit by his cheating spouse - in front of their young daughter. It was heavy subject matter, for sure, but Tucker handled it with the depth of an artist who had been recording for twice as long.
3. Tanya Tucker - "What’s Your Mama’s Name": As was the case with much of Tucker’s output for Columbia Records, this was a brilliantly written story song from the pen of veteran tunesmiths Dallas Frazier and Earl Montgomery. This epic story of Buford Wilson, a drunkard from Memphis, earned Tucker her first No. 1 record -- with a performance that stands as one of the most mysterious of all time. (Until, of course, the final line of the last verse, where all is revealed.)
2. Tanya Tucker - "Here’s Some Love": Lyrically, there is not much that remarkable about this 1976 Tanya Tucker song. But, Jerry Crutchfield’s production, combined with the singer’s charisma and charm made for one of the most fun moments of the summer on the airwaves -- causing fans to sing along, lyric for lyric. Forty years later, they are still doing just that!
1. Tanya Tucker - "Strong Enough To Bend": Quite possibly, Tucker couldn’t have handled the lyrics of this Beth Nielsen Chapman / Don Schlitz composition in her early career with as much believability and conviction as she did in 1988. To truly do justice to the lyrics of this song about compromise in a relationship, one needs to have lived, loved... and lost. The singer -- not quite yet thirty years old -- gave perhaps her most impassioned performance with this winning performance that topped the Country Songs charts in October of that year.
[End of Billboard Article]
___________________________________________________________________________
Tanya Tucker (Wikipedia):
Tanya Denise Tucker (born October 10, 1958) is an American country music artist who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13.
Over the succeeding decades, Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature into adulthood without losing her audience, and during the course of her career, she notched a streak of top-10 and top-40 hits.
Tucker has had several successful albums, several Country Music Association award nominations, and hit songs such as 1973's "What's Your Mama's Name?" and "Blood Red and Goin' Down", 1975's "Lizzie and the Rainman", and 1988's "Strong Enough to Bend".
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Tanya Tucker:
- Childhood before fame
- Career discovery
- Country music career
- Other works
- Personal life
- Awards and honors
- Grammy nominations
- Discography
- See also:
The Nashville Sound
- YouTube Video: Jason Isbell’s ‘Nashville Sound’ conjures rural Americans and their concerns
- YouTube Video: The Nashville Sounds Experience
- YouTube Video: That Nashville Sound with Ray Stevens
The Nashville sound originated during the mid 1950s as a sub-genre of American country music, replacing the chart dominance of the rough honky tonk music which was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s with "smooth strings and choruses", "sophisticated background vocals" and "smooth tempos" associated with traditional pop.
It was an attempt "to revive country sales, which had been devastated by the rise of rock 'n' roll" as a distinct genre from the rockabilly that spawned it.
Origins:
The Nashville sound was pioneered by staff at RCA Victor, Columbia Records and Decca Records in Nashville, Tennessee. RCA Victor manager and producer Chet Atkins, and producers Steve Sholes, Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, and recording engineer Bill Porter invented the form by replacing elements of the popular honky tonk style (fiddles, steel guitar, nasal lead vocals) with "smooth" elements from 1950s pop music (string sections, background vocals, crooning lead vocals), and using "slick" production, and pop music structures.
The producers relied on a small group of studio musicians known as the Nashville A-Team, whose quick adaptability and creative input made them vital to the hit-making process.
The Anita Kerr Quartet was the main vocal backing group in the early 1960s. In 1960, Time reported that Nashville had "nosed out Hollywood as the nation's second biggest (after New York) record-producing center."
The term Nashville sound was first mentioned in an article about Jim Reeves in 1958 in the Music Reporter and again in 1960 in a TIME article about Reeves.
Other observers have identified several recordings that helped establish the early Nashville sound. Country historian Rich Kienzle says that "Gone", a Ferlin Husky hit recorded in November 1956, "may well have pointed the way to the Nashville sound."
Writer Colin Escott proclaims Reeves' "Four Walls", recorded February 1957, to be the "first 'Nashville sound' record", and Chet Atkins, the RCA Victor producer and guitarist most often credited with being the sound's primary artistic creator, pointed to his production of Don Gibson's "Oh Lonesome Me" later the same year.
In an essay published in Heartaches by the Number: Country Music's 500 Greatest Singles, David Cantwell argues that Elvis Presley's rock and roll recording of "Don't Be Cruel" in July 1956 was the record that sparked the beginning of the era now called the Nashville sound.
Cantwell, however, doesn't factor in earlier Nashville recordings using vocal choruses or the fact that Presley's recordings were not marketed as country.
Regarding the Nashville sound, the record producer Owen Bradley stated
"Now we've cut out the fiddle and steel guitar and added choruses to country music. But it can't stop there. It always has to keep developing to keep fresh."-Owen Bradley
Quonset Hut Studio, RCA Studio B and later RCA Studio A, located directly center of Music Row, were considered pivotal as well as essential locations to the development of the Nashville Sound musical techniques.
RCA Studio A specifically was designed and built to incorporate these techniques and was designed by RCA's sound engineer John E. Volkmann.
Countrypolitan:
In the early 1960s, the Nashville sound began to be challenged by the rival Bakersfield sound on the country side and by the British Invasion on the pop side; compounding these problems were the sudden deaths, in separate airplane crashes, of Patsy Cline and Jim Reeves, two of the Nashville sound's biggest stars.
Nashville's pop song structure became more pronounced, and it morphed into what was called countrypolitan—a smoother sound typified through the use of lush string arrangements with a real orchestra and often background vocals provided by a choir.
Countrypolitan was aimed straight at mainstream markets, and its music sold well through the later 1960s into the early 1970s. Among the architects of this sound were producers Billy Sherrill (who was instrumental in shaping Tammy Wynette's early career) and Glenn Sutton.
Artists who typified the countrypolitan sound initially included Wynette, Glen Campbell (who recorded in Hollywood and not Nashville), Lynn Anderson, George Jones, Charlie Rich, and Charley Pride.
The Bakersfield sound, and later outlaw country, dominated country music among aficionados while countrypolitan reigned on the pop charts.
Upon being asked what the Nashville sound was, Chet Atkins put his hand into his pocket, shook his loose change, and said "That's what it is. It's the sound of money".
Country pop:
Main article: Country pop
By the late 1970s and 1980s, many pop music singers picked up the countrypolitan style and created what is known as country pop, the fusion of country music and pop music.
Examples of the Nashville sound:
Classic examples of Nashville sound recordings:
Examples of countrypolitan:
See also:
It was an attempt "to revive country sales, which had been devastated by the rise of rock 'n' roll" as a distinct genre from the rockabilly that spawned it.
Origins:
The Nashville sound was pioneered by staff at RCA Victor, Columbia Records and Decca Records in Nashville, Tennessee. RCA Victor manager and producer Chet Atkins, and producers Steve Sholes, Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, and recording engineer Bill Porter invented the form by replacing elements of the popular honky tonk style (fiddles, steel guitar, nasal lead vocals) with "smooth" elements from 1950s pop music (string sections, background vocals, crooning lead vocals), and using "slick" production, and pop music structures.
The producers relied on a small group of studio musicians known as the Nashville A-Team, whose quick adaptability and creative input made them vital to the hit-making process.
The Anita Kerr Quartet was the main vocal backing group in the early 1960s. In 1960, Time reported that Nashville had "nosed out Hollywood as the nation's second biggest (after New York) record-producing center."
The term Nashville sound was first mentioned in an article about Jim Reeves in 1958 in the Music Reporter and again in 1960 in a TIME article about Reeves.
Other observers have identified several recordings that helped establish the early Nashville sound. Country historian Rich Kienzle says that "Gone", a Ferlin Husky hit recorded in November 1956, "may well have pointed the way to the Nashville sound."
Writer Colin Escott proclaims Reeves' "Four Walls", recorded February 1957, to be the "first 'Nashville sound' record", and Chet Atkins, the RCA Victor producer and guitarist most often credited with being the sound's primary artistic creator, pointed to his production of Don Gibson's "Oh Lonesome Me" later the same year.
In an essay published in Heartaches by the Number: Country Music's 500 Greatest Singles, David Cantwell argues that Elvis Presley's rock and roll recording of "Don't Be Cruel" in July 1956 was the record that sparked the beginning of the era now called the Nashville sound.
Cantwell, however, doesn't factor in earlier Nashville recordings using vocal choruses or the fact that Presley's recordings were not marketed as country.
Regarding the Nashville sound, the record producer Owen Bradley stated
"Now we've cut out the fiddle and steel guitar and added choruses to country music. But it can't stop there. It always has to keep developing to keep fresh."-Owen Bradley
Quonset Hut Studio, RCA Studio B and later RCA Studio A, located directly center of Music Row, were considered pivotal as well as essential locations to the development of the Nashville Sound musical techniques.
RCA Studio A specifically was designed and built to incorporate these techniques and was designed by RCA's sound engineer John E. Volkmann.
Countrypolitan:
In the early 1960s, the Nashville sound began to be challenged by the rival Bakersfield sound on the country side and by the British Invasion on the pop side; compounding these problems were the sudden deaths, in separate airplane crashes, of Patsy Cline and Jim Reeves, two of the Nashville sound's biggest stars.
Nashville's pop song structure became more pronounced, and it morphed into what was called countrypolitan—a smoother sound typified through the use of lush string arrangements with a real orchestra and often background vocals provided by a choir.
Countrypolitan was aimed straight at mainstream markets, and its music sold well through the later 1960s into the early 1970s. Among the architects of this sound were producers Billy Sherrill (who was instrumental in shaping Tammy Wynette's early career) and Glenn Sutton.
Artists who typified the countrypolitan sound initially included Wynette, Glen Campbell (who recorded in Hollywood and not Nashville), Lynn Anderson, George Jones, Charlie Rich, and Charley Pride.
The Bakersfield sound, and later outlaw country, dominated country music among aficionados while countrypolitan reigned on the pop charts.
Upon being asked what the Nashville sound was, Chet Atkins put his hand into his pocket, shook his loose change, and said "That's what it is. It's the sound of money".
Country pop:
Main article: Country pop
By the late 1970s and 1980s, many pop music singers picked up the countrypolitan style and created what is known as country pop, the fusion of country music and pop music.
Examples of the Nashville sound:
Classic examples of Nashville sound recordings:
- "Four Walls" by Jim Reeves (1957)
- "Gone" by Ferlin Husky (1957)
- "A Fallen Star" by Jimmy C. Newman (1957)
- "The Three Bells" by The Browns (1959)
- "Only the Lonely" by Roy Orbison (1960)
- "Please Help Me, I'm Falling" by Hank Locklin (1960)
- "He'll Have to Go" by Jim Reeves (1960)
- "Last Date" by Floyd Cramer (1960)
- "I'm Sorry" by Brenda Lee (1960)
- "I Fall to Pieces" by Patsy Cline (1961)
- "Hello Fool" by Ralph Emery (1961)
- "A Little Bitty Tear", "Call Me Mister In-Between", and "Funny Way of Laughin'" by Burl Ives (1962) (Ives was not a country singer, but a folk singer)
- "The End of the World" by Skeeter Davis (1963)
- "Here Comes My Baby" by Dottie West (1964)
- "Make the World Go Away" by Eddy Arnold (1965)
- "Misty Blue" by Wilma Burgess (1966)
- "Danny Boy" by Ray Price (1967)
Examples of countrypolitan:
- "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden" by Lynn Anderson (1971)
- "Help Me Make It Through the Night" by Sammi Smith (1971)
- "Kiss an Angel Good Morning" by Charley Pride
- "Eleven Roses" by Hank Williams, Jr. (1972)
- "Behind Closed Doors" by Charlie Rich (1973)
- "Good News" by Jody Miller (1973)
- "The Most Beautiful Girl" by Charlie Rich (1973)
- "Paper Roses" by Marie Osmond (1973)
- "The Door" by George Jones (1974)
- "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell (1975)
- "He Stopped Loving Her Today" by George Jones (1980)
- "Slow Hand" by Conway Twitty (1982)
- The music of Ronnie Milsap
- "Lady", "You Decorated My Life" and similar songs by Kenny Rogers
- "When I Think About Cheatin'" by Gretchen Wilson (2004)
- Sparrow by Ashley Monroe (2018)
- Meet Me At The River by Dawn Landes (2018)
See also:
- The Nashville A-Team
- Nashville Sounds, a baseball team that borrows its name from the style
- Schlager music, the category under which much of Nashville country falls in Europe
Country Music Association Hall of Fame and Museum
- YouTube Video: “The 50th Annual CMA Awards” Live! | CMA
- YouTube Video: Exhibitions 2020 at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
- YouTube Video: Unforgettable Performances | CMA Awards 2019
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amassed one of the world's most extensive musical collections.
History of the museum:
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is one of the world's largest and most active popular music research centers and the world's largest repository of country music artifacts.
Early in the 1960s, as the Country Music Association's (CMA) campaign to publicize country music was accelerating, CMA leaders determined that a new organization was needed to operate a country music museum and to carry out research and education activities beyond CMA's scope as a trade organization.
Toward this end, the nonprofit Country Music Foundation (CMF) was chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964 to collect, preserve, and publicize information and artifacts relating to the history of country music.
Through CMF, industry leaders raised money with the effort of CMA Executive Director Jo Walker-Meador, to build the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which opened on April 1, 1967. Located at the head of Music Row, the museum was erected on the site of a small Nashville city park. At this point, artifacts began to be displayed and a small library was begun in a loft above one of the museum's galleries.
Early in the 1970s the basement of the museum building was partially complete, and library expansion began, embracing not only recordings but also books and periodicals, sheet music and songbooks, photographs, business documents, and other materials. At the outset, CMA staff had run the museum, but by 1972 the museum (already governed by its own independent board of directors) acquired its own small staff, which has steadily increased to over 150 full-time professionals.
Building expansion took place in 1974, 1977, and 1984 to store and display the museum's growing collection of costumes, films, historic cars, musical instruments, and other artifacts.
An education department was created to conduct ongoing programs with Middle Tennessee schools, an oral history program was begun, and a publications department was launched to handle books, as well as the Journal of Country Music.
Current museum:
To become more accessible, in May 2001 the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum moved to a new, 130,000-square-foot (12,000 m2) facility in the heart of downtown Nashville's arts and entertainment district. In 2014, the museum unveiled a $100 million expansion, doubling its size to 350,000 square feet of galleries, archival storage, education classrooms, retail stores, and special event space.
In the museum's core exhibition, Sing Me Back Home: A Journey Through Country Music, visitors are immersed in the history and sounds of country music, its origins and traditions, and the stories and voices of many of its architects. The story is revealed through artifacts, photographs, and text panels, recorded sound, vintage video, and interactive touchscreens. Sing Me Back Home is enhanced by numerous, rotating limited-engagement exhibits.
The new ACM Gallery and the Dinah and Fred Gretsch Family Gallery offer visitors a hands-on immersion into today's country music with artifacts from today's country stars and a series of technology-enhanced activities.
In addition to the galleries, the museum has the 776-seat CMA Theater, the Taylor Swift Education Center, and multi-purpose event rental spaces. Other historic properties of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum include the letterpress operation Hatch Show Print (located inside the museum) and Historic RCA Studio B (located on Music Row), Nashville's oldest surviving recording studio, where recordings by Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, and many others were made.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has developed multiple platforms to make its collection accessible to a wider audience. From weekly instrument demonstrations to its flagship songwriting program for schools, Words & Music, the museum offers an aggressive schedule of educational programs.
The museum also operates CMF Records, a Grammy-winning re-issue label (The Complete Hank Williams and Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues, 1945-1970); and CMF Press, a book publishing arm that releases exhibit-related books in cooperation with Vanderbilt University Press and other major trade publishing houses.
The museum features a mural, The Sources of Country Music, by Thomas Hart Benton. It was Benton's final work; he died in his studio, while completing it. The mural is located in the rotunda of the Hall of Fame.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the US, the Hall of Fame closed on March 13, 2020 and is scheduled to reopen on August 31. Right now, the museum has furloughed 174 employees and has lost 22 million USD. A donation online has been set up as a result.
The Country Music Hall of Fame:
Membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame, the highest honor a country music professional can receive, is extended to performers, songwriters, broadcasters, musicians, and executives in recognition of their contributions to the development of country music.
The Country Music Hall of Fame honor was created in 1961 by the Country Music Association (CMA); the first inductees were Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, and Fred Rose. Roy Acuff, the first living artist to join the Hall of Fame, was elected in 1962.
The most recent inductees (class of 2020) are Dean Dillon, Marty Stuart, and Hank Williams, Jr..
Over the Hall of Fame's history, the number of new members inducted each year has varied from one to twelve (no nominee was inducted in 1963, no candidate having received sufficient votes).
The election procedure is as follows: A small CMA nominating committee drafts slates of candidates from each category; categories have been defined variously over the years. Award recipients are determined through a two-stage balloting process; the first round of voting narrows each category to five candidates; the second round selects winners.
The large select committee of electors that votes on Hall of Fame membership is composed of CMA members who have participated in the country music industry for at least ten years.
New Hall of Fame members receive special recognition in ceremonies at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Only one legendary singer or musician and one modern singer or musician can get elected to the Hall, unless there is an exact tie in the voting ballots. Also, one musician and one songwriter or music executive can get elected per year.
Bas-relief portraits cast in bronze honoring each Hall of Fame member were originally displayed at the Tennessee State Museum in downtown Nashville until the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened its own building in April 1967; in this barn-roofed facility at the head of Music Row, the bronze plaques comprised a special exhibit. Today the plaques are displayed in a seventy-foot-high rotunda at the museum's enlarged downtown Nashville facility.
The Museum collection:
The museum's archival and library storage, allows for the cultivation of the museum's collection and includes more than 2.5 million artifacts.
Architecture and design:
When viewed from the air, the building forms a massive bass clef. The point on the sweeping arch of the building suggests the tailfin of a 1959 Cadillac sedan. The building's front windows resemble piano keys. The tower on top of the Rotunda that extends down the Hall of Fame is a replica of the distinctive diamond-shaped WSM radio tower, which was originally built in 1932 just south of Nashville and is still in operation.
The Rotunda itself is replete with symbolic architectural elements. For example, the exterior of this cylindrical structure can be viewed variously as a drum kit, a rural water tower, or grain silo. The four disc tiers of the Rotunda's roof evoke the evolution of recording technology—the 78, the vinyl LP, the 45, and the CD.
Stone bars on the Rotunda's outside wall symbolize the notes of the Carter Family's classic song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," while the title of the song rings the interior of the structure. The Hall of Fame member's plaques housed within the Rotunda are reminiscent of notes on a musical staff.
Solid, earthy materials native to the Mid-South—wood, concrete, steel, and stone—were used in the building's construction as a reminder of the music's strong roots in the lives of working Americans. Georgia yellow pine adorns the floors of the Conservatory and is also found in the Hall of Fame Rotunda the Ford Theater. Crab Orchard Stone from the East Tennessee mountains lend a homey, rustic touch to the Conservatory's "front porch" atmosphere and is also found on the Rotunda's walls.
The large steel beams supporting the Conservatory's glass ceiling and walls conjure up images of rural railroad bridges. In another transportation metaphor, the cascading water along the Grand Staircase calls to mind the mighty rivers that have inspired so much of our nation's music and have physically connected musicians in various regions of the nations.
Musical symbolism continues within the museum galleries. Hardwood floors, curtain-like exhibit-case fronts, and low hanging lights suspended by cables create the backstage atmosphere of the Third Floor. Similarly, modular exhibit stations and vinyl floors evoke a recording studio environment on the Second Floor.
Timeline:
See also:
History of the museum:
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is one of the world's largest and most active popular music research centers and the world's largest repository of country music artifacts.
Early in the 1960s, as the Country Music Association's (CMA) campaign to publicize country music was accelerating, CMA leaders determined that a new organization was needed to operate a country music museum and to carry out research and education activities beyond CMA's scope as a trade organization.
Toward this end, the nonprofit Country Music Foundation (CMF) was chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964 to collect, preserve, and publicize information and artifacts relating to the history of country music.
Through CMF, industry leaders raised money with the effort of CMA Executive Director Jo Walker-Meador, to build the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which opened on April 1, 1967. Located at the head of Music Row, the museum was erected on the site of a small Nashville city park. At this point, artifacts began to be displayed and a small library was begun in a loft above one of the museum's galleries.
Early in the 1970s the basement of the museum building was partially complete, and library expansion began, embracing not only recordings but also books and periodicals, sheet music and songbooks, photographs, business documents, and other materials. At the outset, CMA staff had run the museum, but by 1972 the museum (already governed by its own independent board of directors) acquired its own small staff, which has steadily increased to over 150 full-time professionals.
Building expansion took place in 1974, 1977, and 1984 to store and display the museum's growing collection of costumes, films, historic cars, musical instruments, and other artifacts.
An education department was created to conduct ongoing programs with Middle Tennessee schools, an oral history program was begun, and a publications department was launched to handle books, as well as the Journal of Country Music.
Current museum:
To become more accessible, in May 2001 the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum moved to a new, 130,000-square-foot (12,000 m2) facility in the heart of downtown Nashville's arts and entertainment district. In 2014, the museum unveiled a $100 million expansion, doubling its size to 350,000 square feet of galleries, archival storage, education classrooms, retail stores, and special event space.
In the museum's core exhibition, Sing Me Back Home: A Journey Through Country Music, visitors are immersed in the history and sounds of country music, its origins and traditions, and the stories and voices of many of its architects. The story is revealed through artifacts, photographs, and text panels, recorded sound, vintage video, and interactive touchscreens. Sing Me Back Home is enhanced by numerous, rotating limited-engagement exhibits.
The new ACM Gallery and the Dinah and Fred Gretsch Family Gallery offer visitors a hands-on immersion into today's country music with artifacts from today's country stars and a series of technology-enhanced activities.
In addition to the galleries, the museum has the 776-seat CMA Theater, the Taylor Swift Education Center, and multi-purpose event rental spaces. Other historic properties of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum include the letterpress operation Hatch Show Print (located inside the museum) and Historic RCA Studio B (located on Music Row), Nashville's oldest surviving recording studio, where recordings by Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, and many others were made.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has developed multiple platforms to make its collection accessible to a wider audience. From weekly instrument demonstrations to its flagship songwriting program for schools, Words & Music, the museum offers an aggressive schedule of educational programs.
The museum also operates CMF Records, a Grammy-winning re-issue label (The Complete Hank Williams and Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues, 1945-1970); and CMF Press, a book publishing arm that releases exhibit-related books in cooperation with Vanderbilt University Press and other major trade publishing houses.
The museum features a mural, The Sources of Country Music, by Thomas Hart Benton. It was Benton's final work; he died in his studio, while completing it. The mural is located in the rotunda of the Hall of Fame.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the US, the Hall of Fame closed on March 13, 2020 and is scheduled to reopen on August 31. Right now, the museum has furloughed 174 employees and has lost 22 million USD. A donation online has been set up as a result.
The Country Music Hall of Fame:
Membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame, the highest honor a country music professional can receive, is extended to performers, songwriters, broadcasters, musicians, and executives in recognition of their contributions to the development of country music.
The Country Music Hall of Fame honor was created in 1961 by the Country Music Association (CMA); the first inductees were Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, and Fred Rose. Roy Acuff, the first living artist to join the Hall of Fame, was elected in 1962.
The most recent inductees (class of 2020) are Dean Dillon, Marty Stuart, and Hank Williams, Jr..
Over the Hall of Fame's history, the number of new members inducted each year has varied from one to twelve (no nominee was inducted in 1963, no candidate having received sufficient votes).
The election procedure is as follows: A small CMA nominating committee drafts slates of candidates from each category; categories have been defined variously over the years. Award recipients are determined through a two-stage balloting process; the first round of voting narrows each category to five candidates; the second round selects winners.
The large select committee of electors that votes on Hall of Fame membership is composed of CMA members who have participated in the country music industry for at least ten years.
New Hall of Fame members receive special recognition in ceremonies at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Only one legendary singer or musician and one modern singer or musician can get elected to the Hall, unless there is an exact tie in the voting ballots. Also, one musician and one songwriter or music executive can get elected per year.
Bas-relief portraits cast in bronze honoring each Hall of Fame member were originally displayed at the Tennessee State Museum in downtown Nashville until the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened its own building in April 1967; in this barn-roofed facility at the head of Music Row, the bronze plaques comprised a special exhibit. Today the plaques are displayed in a seventy-foot-high rotunda at the museum's enlarged downtown Nashville facility.
The Museum collection:
The museum's archival and library storage, allows for the cultivation of the museum's collection and includes more than 2.5 million artifacts.
- Nearly 200,000 sound recordings, including an estimated 98% of all pre-World War II country recordings released commercially
- Approximately 500,000 photographs
- More than 30,000 moving images on film, video and digital formats, including Glen Campbell narrating the history of country music; rare documentary footage of a father and son buck dancing at the 1932 Old-time Fiddlers' Convention in Star, North Carolina; and archival footage featuring Hall of Fame members The Jordanaires, The Louvin Brothers, Patsy Montana, Webb Pierce, Marty Robbins, Jimmie Rodgers, and Carl Smith.
- Hundreds of historic musical instruments, featuring Mother Maybelle Carter's Gibson L-5, Earl Scruggs's banjo, Bob Wills's fiddle, and Bill Monroe's mandolin.
- Thousands of items of clothing worn by country artists, including Hank Snow's "Golden Rocket" Nudie suit, Jim Reeves's tuxedo jacket, Gram Parsons's Nudie suit, Patsy Cline's cocktail dress, Hank Williams's Nudie suit, Johnny Cash's black suit from The Johnny Cash Show, and the famous "red dress" Reba McEntire wore during her performance on the 1993 CMA Awards.
- Oral histories, scrapbooks, correspondence, fan club newsletters, sheet music, periodicals and books.
- Iconic Vehicles: Elvis Presley's 1960 "Solid Gold" Cadillac limousine, Webb Pierce's 1962 Pontiac Bonneville convertible, and Jerry Reed's 1980 Pontiac Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit II.
Architecture and design:
When viewed from the air, the building forms a massive bass clef. The point on the sweeping arch of the building suggests the tailfin of a 1959 Cadillac sedan. The building's front windows resemble piano keys. The tower on top of the Rotunda that extends down the Hall of Fame is a replica of the distinctive diamond-shaped WSM radio tower, which was originally built in 1932 just south of Nashville and is still in operation.
The Rotunda itself is replete with symbolic architectural elements. For example, the exterior of this cylindrical structure can be viewed variously as a drum kit, a rural water tower, or grain silo. The four disc tiers of the Rotunda's roof evoke the evolution of recording technology—the 78, the vinyl LP, the 45, and the CD.
Stone bars on the Rotunda's outside wall symbolize the notes of the Carter Family's classic song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," while the title of the song rings the interior of the structure. The Hall of Fame member's plaques housed within the Rotunda are reminiscent of notes on a musical staff.
Solid, earthy materials native to the Mid-South—wood, concrete, steel, and stone—were used in the building's construction as a reminder of the music's strong roots in the lives of working Americans. Georgia yellow pine adorns the floors of the Conservatory and is also found in the Hall of Fame Rotunda the Ford Theater. Crab Orchard Stone from the East Tennessee mountains lend a homey, rustic touch to the Conservatory's "front porch" atmosphere and is also found on the Rotunda's walls.
The large steel beams supporting the Conservatory's glass ceiling and walls conjure up images of rural railroad bridges. In another transportation metaphor, the cascading water along the Grand Staircase calls to mind the mighty rivers that have inspired so much of our nation's music and have physically connected musicians in various regions of the nations.
Musical symbolism continues within the museum galleries. Hardwood floors, curtain-like exhibit-case fronts, and low hanging lights suspended by cables create the backstage atmosphere of the Third Floor. Similarly, modular exhibit stations and vinyl floors evoke a recording studio environment on the Second Floor.
Timeline:
- 1961: Country Music Association established the Country Music Hall of Fame
- 1964: CMA chartered the not-for-profit Country Music Foundation (CMF), which operates the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
- 1967: Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened on Music Row
- 1987: Museum earned accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums
- 2000: December 31, museum closed its doors on Music Row
- 2001: May 17, museum opened in downtown Nashville
- 2013: October 12, Hatch Show Print opened to the public
- 2014: New expansion opened, more than doubling the size of the building
- 2015: For the first time, the museum had more than one million visitors in a calendar year
See also:
Johnny Cash
YouTube Video Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue (Live in Denmark)
YouTube Video of Johnny Cash at Town Hall Party in 1958 singing "I Walk The Line"
Pictured: LEFT: Album Cover; RIGHT: Image from the Johnny Cash Museum
YouTube Video Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue (Live in Denmark)
YouTube Video of Johnny Cash at Town Hall Party in 1958 singing "I Walk The Line"
Pictured: LEFT: Album Cover; RIGHT: Image from the Johnny Cash Museum
John R. "Johnny" Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and author, who iss widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century and one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 90 million records worldwide.
Although primarily remembered as a country music icon, his genre-spanning songs and sound embraced rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, folk, and gospel. This crossover appeal won Cash the rare honor of multiple inductions in the Country Music, Rock and Roll, and Gospel Music Halls of Fame.
Cash was known for his deep, calm bass-baritone voice, the distinctive sound of his Tennessee Three backing band, a rebelliousness coupled with an increasingly somber and humble demeanor, free prison concerts, and a trademark look, which earned him the nickname "The Man in Black". He traditionally began his concerts with the simple "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash", followed by his signature "Folsom Prison Blues".
Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation and redemption, especially in the later stages of his career. His best-known songs included "I Walk the Line", "Folsom Prison Blues", "Ring of Fire", "Get Rhythm" and "Man in Black".
He also recorded humorous numbers like "One Piece at a Time" and "A Boy Named Sue"; a duet with his future wife, June Carter, called "Jackson" (followed by many further duets after their marriage); and railroad songs including "Hey, Porter", "Orange Blossom Special" and "Rock Island Line". During the last stage of his career, Cash covered songs by several late 20th century rock artists, notably "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails and "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode.
Cash passed away while hospitalized at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Cash dying of complications from diabetes at approximately 2:00 a.m. CT on September 12, 2003, aged 71—less than four months after his wife. It was suggested that Johnny's health worsened due to a broken heart over June's death. He was buried next to his wife in Hendersonville Memory Gardens near his home in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
Although primarily remembered as a country music icon, his genre-spanning songs and sound embraced rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, folk, and gospel. This crossover appeal won Cash the rare honor of multiple inductions in the Country Music, Rock and Roll, and Gospel Music Halls of Fame.
Cash was known for his deep, calm bass-baritone voice, the distinctive sound of his Tennessee Three backing band, a rebelliousness coupled with an increasingly somber and humble demeanor, free prison concerts, and a trademark look, which earned him the nickname "The Man in Black". He traditionally began his concerts with the simple "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash", followed by his signature "Folsom Prison Blues".
Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation and redemption, especially in the later stages of his career. His best-known songs included "I Walk the Line", "Folsom Prison Blues", "Ring of Fire", "Get Rhythm" and "Man in Black".
He also recorded humorous numbers like "One Piece at a Time" and "A Boy Named Sue"; a duet with his future wife, June Carter, called "Jackson" (followed by many further duets after their marriage); and railroad songs including "Hey, Porter", "Orange Blossom Special" and "Rock Island Line". During the last stage of his career, Cash covered songs by several late 20th century rock artists, notably "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails and "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode.
Cash passed away while hospitalized at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Cash dying of complications from diabetes at approximately 2:00 a.m. CT on September 12, 2003, aged 71—less than four months after his wife. It was suggested that Johnny's health worsened due to a broken heart over June's death. He was buried next to his wife in Hendersonville Memory Gardens near his home in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
Grand Ole Opry (Nashville, TN)Pictured below: Grand Ole Opry Birthday Bash
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM.
Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a division of Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc.), it is the longest running radio broadcast in US history.
Dedicated to honoring country music and its history, the Opry showcases a mix of famous singers and contemporary chart-toppers performing country, bluegrass, Americana, folk, and gospel music as well as comedic performances and skits.
It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world and millions of radio and internet listeners.
The Opry's current primary slogan is "The Show That Made Country Music Famous. Other slogans include "Home of American Music" and "Country's Most Famous Stage."
In the 1930s, the show began hiring professionals and expanded to four hours. Broadcasting by then at 50,000 watts, WSM made the program a Saturday night musical tradition in nearly 30 states. In 1939, it debuted nationally on NBC Radio.
The Opry moved to a permanent home, the Ryman Auditorium, in 1943. As it developed in importance, so did the city of Nashville, which became America's "country music capital."
The Grand Ole Opry holds such significance in Nashville that its name is included on the city/county line signs on all major roadways. The signs read "Music City|Metropolitan Nashville Davidson County|Home of the Grand Ole Opry."
Membership in the Opry remains one of country music's crowning achievements. Since 1974, the show has been broadcast from the Grand Ole Opry House east of downtown Nashville, with an annual three-month winter foray back to the Ryman since 1999. In addition to the radio programs, performances have been sporadically televised over the years.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Grand Ole Opry:
Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a division of Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc.), it is the longest running radio broadcast in US history.
Dedicated to honoring country music and its history, the Opry showcases a mix of famous singers and contemporary chart-toppers performing country, bluegrass, Americana, folk, and gospel music as well as comedic performances and skits.
It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world and millions of radio and internet listeners.
The Opry's current primary slogan is "The Show That Made Country Music Famous. Other slogans include "Home of American Music" and "Country's Most Famous Stage."
In the 1930s, the show began hiring professionals and expanded to four hours. Broadcasting by then at 50,000 watts, WSM made the program a Saturday night musical tradition in nearly 30 states. In 1939, it debuted nationally on NBC Radio.
The Opry moved to a permanent home, the Ryman Auditorium, in 1943. As it developed in importance, so did the city of Nashville, which became America's "country music capital."
The Grand Ole Opry holds such significance in Nashville that its name is included on the city/county line signs on all major roadways. The signs read "Music City|Metropolitan Nashville Davidson County|Home of the Grand Ole Opry."
Membership in the Opry remains one of country music's crowning achievements. Since 1974, the show has been broadcast from the Grand Ole Opry House east of downtown Nashville, with an annual three-month winter foray back to the Ryman since 1999. In addition to the radio programs, performances have been sporadically televised over the years.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Grand Ole Opry:
- History
- Broadcasts
- Membership
- Controversies
- Commercialization
- Honors
- See also:
- Official website
- Grand Ole Opry on TV Internet Archive Complete show of April 28, 1956 in black & white
- Library of Congress Local Legacies Project: Grand Ole Opry
- Grand Ole Opry at Outlaws Old Time Radio Corner
- Grand Ole Opry Tickets
- Country Music Association
- Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
- Music & the Spoken Word - "The longest-running continuous network radio program in the world" (began July 15, 1929).
Dixie Chicks
YouTube Video of Dixie Chicks - Cowboy Take Me Away
Pictured below: Dixie Chicks at Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, during the Accidents & Accusations Tour, 2006
YouTube Video of Dixie Chicks - Cowboy Take Me Away
Pictured below: Dixie Chicks at Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, during the Accidents & Accusations Tour, 2006
Dixie Chicks is an American country music band which has also crossed over into other genres, including pop and alternative country.
The band is composed of founding members (and sisters) Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines. The band formed in 1989 in Dallas, Texas, and was originally composed of four women performing bluegrass and country music, busking and touring the bluegrass festival circuits and small venues for six years without attracting a major label.
After the departure of one band mate, the replacement of their lead singer, and a slight change in their repertoire, Dixie Chicks soon achieved commercial success, beginning in 1998 with hit songs "There's Your Trouble" and "Wide Open Spaces".
On March 10, 2003, during a London concert, nine days before the March 19, 2003 invasion of Iraq, lead vocalist Maines told the audience: "We don't want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States (George W. Bush) is from Texas".
The positive reaction to this statement from the British audience contrasted with the negative reaction including boycotts that ensued in the US, where the band was denounced by talk-show conservatives, while their albums were discarded in public protest.
As of 2015, Dixie Chicks have won 13 Grammy Awards, including five in 2007 for Taking the Long Way—which received the Grammy Award for Album of the Year—and "Not Ready to Make Nice", a single from that album. By December 2015, with 30.5 million certified albums sold, and sales of 27.5 million albums in the U.S. alone, they had become the top selling all-female band and biggest selling country group in the U.S. during the Nielsen SoundScan era (1991–present).
For more about the Dixie Chicks, click here.
The band is composed of founding members (and sisters) Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines. The band formed in 1989 in Dallas, Texas, and was originally composed of four women performing bluegrass and country music, busking and touring the bluegrass festival circuits and small venues for six years without attracting a major label.
After the departure of one band mate, the replacement of their lead singer, and a slight change in their repertoire, Dixie Chicks soon achieved commercial success, beginning in 1998 with hit songs "There's Your Trouble" and "Wide Open Spaces".
On March 10, 2003, during a London concert, nine days before the March 19, 2003 invasion of Iraq, lead vocalist Maines told the audience: "We don't want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States (George W. Bush) is from Texas".
The positive reaction to this statement from the British audience contrasted with the negative reaction including boycotts that ensued in the US, where the band was denounced by talk-show conservatives, while their albums were discarded in public protest.
As of 2015, Dixie Chicks have won 13 Grammy Awards, including five in 2007 for Taking the Long Way—which received the Grammy Award for Album of the Year—and "Not Ready to Make Nice", a single from that album. By December 2015, with 30.5 million certified albums sold, and sales of 27.5 million albums in the U.S. alone, they had become the top selling all-female band and biggest selling country group in the U.S. during the Nielsen SoundScan era (1991–present).
For more about the Dixie Chicks, click here.
Shania Twain, "Queen of Country Pop"
- YouTube Video of “I’m Gonna Put Some Up In Your Giddy” - Shania Twain On Her New Album, ‘Queen of Me’ performed on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert
- YouTube Video: Shania Twain - Forever And For Always (Red Version) (Official Music Video)
- YouTube Video Top 10 Best Shania Twain Songs (MsMojo)
Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain OC born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and actress.
She has sold over 100 million records, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time and the best-selling female artist in country music history. Her success garnered her several titles including the "Queen of Country Pop". Billboard named her as the leader of the '90s country-pop crossover stars.
Raised in Timmins, Ontario, Twain pursued singing and songwriting from a young age before signing with Mercury Nashville Records in the early 1990s. Her self-titled debut studio album was a commercial failure upon release in 1993.
After collaborating with producer and later husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Twain rose to fame with her second studio album, The Woman in Me (1995), which brought her widespread success. It sold over 20 million copies worldwide, spawned eight singles, including "Any Man of Mine" and earned her a Grammy Award.
Her third studio album, Come On Over (1997), is among the best-selling studio album by a woman in any genre and the best-selling country album of all time, selling over 40 million copies worldwide. Come On Over produced twelve singles, including "You're Still the One", "From This Moment On", "That Don't Impress Me Much" and "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" and earned Twain four Grammy Awards.
Her fourth studio album, Up! (2002), spawned eight singles, including "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!", "Ka-Ching!" and "Forever and for Always", selling over 20 million copies worldwide, also being certified Diamond in the United States.
In 2004, after releasing her Greatest Hits album, which produced three new singles including "Party for Two", Twain entered a hiatus, revealing years later that diagnoses with Lyme disease and dysphonia led to a severely weakened singing voice.
She chronicled her vocal rehabilitation on the OWN miniseries Why Not? with Shania Twain, released her first single in six years in 2011, "Today Is Your Day", and published an autobiography, From This Moment On. Twain returned to performing the following year with an exclusive concert residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Shania: Still the One, which ran until 2014.
In 2015, she launched the North American Rock This Country Tour, which was billed as her farewell tour. Twain released her first studio album in 15 years in 2017, Now, and embarked on the Now Tour in 2018. In 2019, she started her second Las Vegas residency, Let's Go! at the Zappos Theater. Her sixth studio album Queen of Me was released in 2023.
Twain has received five Grammy Awards, two World Music Awards, 39 BMI Songwriter Awards, stars on Canada's Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and inductions into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
According to the RIAA she is the only woman in history to have three (consecutive) albums certified Diamond by the RIAA and is the sixth best-selling female artist in the United States. Altogether, Twain is ranked as the 10th best-selling artist of the Nielsen SoundScan era. Billboard listed Twain as the 13th best solo music video artist of all time among women (42nd overall)
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Shania Twain:
She has sold over 100 million records, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time and the best-selling female artist in country music history. Her success garnered her several titles including the "Queen of Country Pop". Billboard named her as the leader of the '90s country-pop crossover stars.
Raised in Timmins, Ontario, Twain pursued singing and songwriting from a young age before signing with Mercury Nashville Records in the early 1990s. Her self-titled debut studio album was a commercial failure upon release in 1993.
After collaborating with producer and later husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Twain rose to fame with her second studio album, The Woman in Me (1995), which brought her widespread success. It sold over 20 million copies worldwide, spawned eight singles, including "Any Man of Mine" and earned her a Grammy Award.
Her third studio album, Come On Over (1997), is among the best-selling studio album by a woman in any genre and the best-selling country album of all time, selling over 40 million copies worldwide. Come On Over produced twelve singles, including "You're Still the One", "From This Moment On", "That Don't Impress Me Much" and "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" and earned Twain four Grammy Awards.
Her fourth studio album, Up! (2002), spawned eight singles, including "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!", "Ka-Ching!" and "Forever and for Always", selling over 20 million copies worldwide, also being certified Diamond in the United States.
In 2004, after releasing her Greatest Hits album, which produced three new singles including "Party for Two", Twain entered a hiatus, revealing years later that diagnoses with Lyme disease and dysphonia led to a severely weakened singing voice.
She chronicled her vocal rehabilitation on the OWN miniseries Why Not? with Shania Twain, released her first single in six years in 2011, "Today Is Your Day", and published an autobiography, From This Moment On. Twain returned to performing the following year with an exclusive concert residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Shania: Still the One, which ran until 2014.
In 2015, she launched the North American Rock This Country Tour, which was billed as her farewell tour. Twain released her first studio album in 15 years in 2017, Now, and embarked on the Now Tour in 2018. In 2019, she started her second Las Vegas residency, Let's Go! at the Zappos Theater. Her sixth studio album Queen of Me was released in 2023.
Twain has received five Grammy Awards, two World Music Awards, 39 BMI Songwriter Awards, stars on Canada's Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and inductions into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
According to the RIAA she is the only woman in history to have three (consecutive) albums certified Diamond by the RIAA and is the sixth best-selling female artist in the United States. Altogether, Twain is ranked as the 10th best-selling artist of the Nielsen SoundScan era. Billboard listed Twain as the 13th best solo music video artist of all time among women (42nd overall)
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Shania Twain:
- Early life
- Career
- 1983–1992: Beginnings
- 1993–1994: Shania Twain
- 1995–1996: The Woman in Me and commercial success
- 1997–2001: Come On Over, international breakthrough, and Limelight Sessions
- 2002–2004: Up!
- 2004–2010: Greatest Hits and delay of new album
- 2011–2015: Return to music, residency, and tour
- 2016–2021: Now, second Las Vegas residency
- 2022–present: Not Just a Girl and Queen of Me
- TV and film career
- Artistry
- Public image and reception
- Legacy
- Cultural impact
- Endorsements
- Personal life
- Awards and honours
- Discography
- Filmography
- Tours
- See also: