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Country MusicMy research into the Country Music Genre

y Country Music is a popular American genre that began in the 1920s in rural southern United States. Itsroots originate from Western Cowboy and Folk music.

y Country Music includes ballads and dance/pop tunes with simple forms and harmonies accompanied bystring instruments such as electric and acoustic guitars, banjos, harmonicas and fiddles such as violins.

y The lyrics in country songs are usually very powerful, meaningful and truthful; examples includetalking about religion, home, love, death, life, hope and marriage etc

y The term country music became popular in the 1940s as opposed to the earlier term hillbilly music.The term is also used today to describe any styles and subgenres.

y The first commercial country record was made by Eck Robertson in 1922 on the Victor Records label.y Vernon Dalhart had the first national country hit Wreck of the Old 97 in 1924.y But most poi intently is 1927, which was the year when Victor Records signed Jimmie Rodgers (known

as the father of country music) and The Carter Family did country music really begin.

y Western Swing, originating in Texas and the Midwest in the 1920s reached its peak in the1940s. Itblended the sounds of the big band with New Orleans jazz, blues and Dixieland. Drums, saxophones,pianos and the steel guitar (Hawaiian instrument) were first incorporated by western swing. Prominent

western swing artists included Bob Willis who is known as the King of western swing, the Light Crust

Doughboys and Milton Brown, the father of Western Swing.

y Bluegrass, a subgenre of country was popularized by Bill Monroe (the father ofBluegrass) and is aform of old-time hillbilly music with origins in western Africa and Great Britain. Bluegrass has its

cultural origins in the United states mid to late 1880s.

y Hollywood and country combined as cowboy films of the 1930s and 40s helped the evolution ofcountry music

y Ernest Tubb with the recording of Walking the Floor Over You became an overnight sensation andmade his brand of country, honky tonk into a national success. Hank Williams further popularized

Honky tonk in the late 40s, while Lefty Frizzell climbed to famous levels in the country music circles

in the 50s. Honky Tonk is, in most live country music establishments a definite.

y In contrast to honky-tonk music, the Nashville Sound movement of the 50s and 60s tidied upcountrys rough edges by fusing big band jazz and swing with storytelling.

y The Bakersfield Sound developed in the mid-1950s and originated in the honky-tank bars in andaround Bakersfield, California. Less polished like the Nashville sound it drew on many aspects of rock

and roll, rockabilly and loud amp-up guitars. The biggest Bakersfield starts included Buck Owens (the

Baron ofBakersfield), Merle Haggard and Webb Pierce.

y In the mid-70s some independent minded artists grew tired and frustrated by the rules of Music City(Nashville). These outlaws included Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, David Allan

Coe. They acted and sang how they wanted too giving country music the prompt it desperately

needed.

y The 1979 release of Urban Cowboy popularized movement in country as that focused on an easy-listening crossover success. Artists like Johnny Lee, Dolly Parton, Mickey Giley, Alabama, George

Strait, Reba McEntire and Steve Wariner emerged and hit the charts again popularizing the ever

developing genre of country music.

y In 1989, country stars such as Garth Brooks, Clint Black, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt and DwightYoakum helped drastically alter the direction of country music by introducing a youthful feel and rock-and-roll mentality. These artists bridged the gap between the 20

thand 21

stCentury of country music.

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Country Music Magazines

A common front cover of Country Weekly includes:

y The Country Weekly masthead with usually different colours that reflect the content of this months magazine.y There are male or/and female country stars used for the benefit of the mainly female audience as having the

females on the cover allows for there to be aspiration of the stars as the audience see them as career driven,

glamorous and successful women. Similarly the males on the front cover can be appealing to the female

audience who find them attractive and appealing. Males can also gain aspirations from seeing other males on

the cover.

y Supplementary images are used a lot in order to illustrate what the magazine contains and are successful as thereaders are drawn to the different content and are intrigued to read on. It can make the magazine front cover

look busy and represent a jam packed issue.

y A variety of colours are often used to make the cover star stand out showing their importance and the intimaterelationship with the reader and also the bright colours can represent a positivity as the country industryprogresses

y . There is a variety of ages used on the covers, with older artists such as Willie Nelson and Reba and youngerartists such as Miranda Lambert and Billy Currington. This can show the magazine are appealing to the target

audience who are young but are passionate to the genre and therefore enjoy reading about those who have

made history as well as the latest and hottest stars.

y There are a lot of flashers with cover mounts which can show that Country Weekly are a magazine who like togive back to their readers.

y A lot of pull quotes are used because with Country Weekly there is often personal stories with country stars asthey know its what their reader wants.

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Typical content in country music magazines includes interviews with artists/bands, articlesabout the latest country news, lifestyle features, letters, photos of the week, whats hot and

whats not, polls and questions etc.

The new image of country is where pop/country artists such as Taylor Swift and

rapping/country artists such as Jason Aldean are becoming the new direction of country as

cross-overs strengthen and become more popular. Similarly females are becoming the

leading advocates for country music. This therefore means that country magazines arefeaturing more female artists. Therefore by aiming my country magazine at a majority of

females and by planning to use a majority of female cover stars my magazine can join the

latest progression and therefore add a realistic and positive feel. The images used in country

music magazines are polite, friendly and show relaxed and natural country stars. There is a

happiness that makes you smile and entices you to buy the magazine. This is something I shall

adopt when producing my own magazine.

Country Music artists and bands

Below are images that represent the calibre of artists over the history of country music. There are traditional and effortless looks

about the country stars that can show how they are real people all about the music. The mise-en-scene often encompasses country

musical instruments and cowboy attire such as hats and boots and similarly the females are glamorous appealing to both the male and

female fans. There is mostly bright lighting used (unless of course when in a concert which is quite often where you will find country

stars-on the road for their fans) to emphasise the positivity of the genre and also to really accentuate the costumes and props which

help, along with the stars and lyrics make up the genre. Similarly there seems to be a pride in their eyes that can show they are proud

of their roots and the genre to which they are connected with.