From a musical viewpoint, country music emphasized first of all the story, then the voice, and last the arrangement. It was a secular music, devoted to personal, domestic or collective issues, but largely set in a secular universe. It was rational to the extent that its characters were trying to make sense of their life and their surroundings.
Country Music is a type of music that has a unique sound and style with a blend of musical forms originally found in the Southern United States. It evolved from folk music, gospel music and old-time or hillbilly music in the 1920s. The term country music began to surface in the 1940s when the earlier term hillbilly music was considered degrading. Currently it is referred to as original country music (coined by Ray Price), thereby distinguishing it from the current pop oriented sound.
Traditional artists had a distinctive sound, a sort of brand that made them easily identifiable from their peers. Hank Williams, Ray Price, Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Kitty Wells and Patsy Cline all had distinguishable voices as did their peers. The music was presented in a heartfelt and professional manner. The industry fostered respect and it was exemplified by the method the artists presented themselves on and off stage. There were no faded or torn jeans, unmatched apparel or exposed cleavage.
The Grand Ole Opry had stringent rules that not only governed the aforementioned, but also the type of musical instruments allowed on stage. Until the mid-1950s, the Opry didnt allow drums on stage and initially drums were placed back stage behind curtains. By the early-1990s, Opry executives loosened the rules regarding onstage presentations and today it appears they have little involvement in that aspect of the business.
Country music began to drift away from its traditional roots and transition toward a soft pop sound (commonly referred to as alternative country) in the Eighties. By the early-1990s, a flurry of new artists such as The Judds, Garth Brooks, Billy Ray Cyrus, Sawyer Brown and Clint Black were among several who helped transform country music beyond its original identity. Some of those singers as wells as many who have since broke into the business have indistinguishable voices.
