Country Music

A Biographical Dictionary

Richard Carlin

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• eBook ISBN:
  9781135361112
• Subtopic: Music Biographies

This illustrated A-Z guide covers more than 700 country music artists, groups, and bands. Articles also cover specific genres within country music as well as instruments used. Written in a lively, engaging style, the entries not only outline the careers of country music's greatest artists, they provide an understanding of the artist's importance or failings, and a feeling for his or her style. Select discographies are provided at the end of each entry, while a bibliography and indexes by instrument, musical style, genre, and song title round out the work.

For a full list of entries, a generous selection of sample entries, and more, visit the Country Music: A Biographical Dictionary website.

Appendix 1

Selected Entries by Musical Genre

At the request of my publisher, I have listed the entries by musical genre, so fans of a particular style—like Western Swing—can find all of the artists who specialize in this area. Of course, there are many artists—like Dolly Parton—who have moved between various genres, and some may disagree with my decision to place them in one or another category. Also, genre names can mean different things to different people. To clarify what they mean to me, here’s a list of the genres along with a rough definition of each:

Alt-country: Country music from the mid-’80s that absorbs singer/songwriter, folk, and traditional styles; sometimes called Americana or Texas-Country.

Bakersfield: The group of performers from the Bakersfield, California, region, active from the mid-’50s through the early ’70s, who revived a hardcore, neo-honky tonk country style.

Bluegrass: Pioneered by Bill Monroe in the late ’40s, bluegrass music features primarily acoustic instruments (banjo-fiddle-guitar-mandolin-bass, usually), showing the influence of Western swing and honky tonk country, as well as old-time styles.

Comedy: Performers who specialize in portraying classic country comic roles, and comic songwriters.

Country-jazz: Performers who meld elements of jazz and swing in their music.

Countrypolitan: Pop-country music of the mid-’70s through the mid-’80s.

Country-rock: Rock groups that have been influenced by country music, and country groups that incorporate rock instrumentation and rhythms.

Cowboy: Western-styled singers and songwriters who usually sport traditional “cowboy” clothes and primarily sing songs related to the cowboy/Western lifestyle.

Folk: Singers from the folk revival or traditional folk movements, along with folklorists who study these styles.

Gospel: Performers and songwriters specializing in religious-themed songs that show the influence of popular country styles.

Honky tonk: Late ’40s/mid-’50s singers and songwriters whose material focuses usually on boozing, cheating, and rambling.

Industry: Record and radio e...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Introduction: An Apology
• A Short History of Country Music
• Acknowledgments
• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V
• W
• Y
• Selected Bibliography
• Appendix 1
• Appendix 2
• Name Index