Country Music: A Very Short Introduction

Country Music: A Very Short Introduction presents a compelling overview of the music and its impact on American culture through its key artists and styles from the minstrel era to today.

Truly the voice of the people, country music illuminates our cultural story, from our nation's birth to today.

List of illustrations; Introduction; 1 Behind the big bang: The roots of country music; 2 Wildwood flowers: Country music goes mainstream: 1923-1930; 3 Back in the saddle again: The birth of the singing cowboy, 1930s-1945; 4 Honky-tonkin': Postwar country music: 1945-1959; 5 Make the world go away: Nashville and countrypolitan sounds, 1957-1980; 6 Mama tried: Country alternatives, from Bakersfield to Austin, 1965-1980; 7 Friends in low places: Retro-country and country-pop since 1980; Coda: Country music in a new millennium; Further Reading; Index