1 - Hillbilly (1920's)

2 - Western Swing & Cowboy songs (1930's)

3 - Bluegrass (1940's)

4 - Nashville Sound (1950's)

5 - Contemporary Country (1970's)

- pop country/country rock

- hard country (neo-traditionalists)

- mixed country (a fusion of the two), also called middle-of-the-road

*lyrics are of paramount importance

*found out lyrics were so important in places called honky tonks

- are neighborhood taverns, roadhouses, bars

- opportunities for singers have direct contact with audiences

- original world of Hank Williams, George Jones, & Willie Nelson

-love (Moe Bandy - I Cheated Me Right Out of You)

-work

-drink (Johnny Paycheck & Merle Haggard - I Can't     Hold Myself In Line)

-women

-men

-home

-lonliness

-dreams

-Us and (against) Them

-patriotism

-songs of the poor, rural, uneducated Southerner

-alternative to jazz, blues, gospel, and pop

-wholesome, family-style entertainment

-maintenance of a regional singing style

-nasal vocal sound with a twang

-ex: Gene Autry - There's A Moon Over My Shoulder

Bob Marley

(1945-1981)

-1st album: Catch on Fire

-subject matter: Rastafarian beliefs

(through determination, rebellion, and justice we can have repatriation to Africa)

-song: "One Love/People Get Ready" N.B., the bass pattern and strummed guitar