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Some of the music world's biggest artists, including Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, are country singers or feature country music among their output and influences.

The genre is a massive worldwide industry - it's not just popular in the USA. Statistics show that country music is on the rise in the UK as well. The Country Music Association reported that streaming of country stars rose by almost 50% between 2020 and 2022 and its popularity on these shores is still growing. ���˿��� Bitesize answers five questions about this style of music.

What defines country music, and what different types of country music are there?

When people talk about ‘country music’ they usually mean American country music (sometimes also referred to as Country & Western).

It’s a vast musical genre taking in everything from Bluegrass (which originated in the Blue Mountains of Virginia), Honky Tonk (featuring fiddles and steel guitars), Hillbilly and Outlaw, to more modern genres such as Alt-country.

When did country music become popular?

Country music’s earliest roots are in the 17th Century, when predominantly British and Irish immigrants brought their instruments, songs and musical traditions to the USA. Many settled in the Appalachian region (an area that runs from southern New York to northern Mississippi in the eastern US) and the style of music that came to be known as country first developed and flourished there.

Its songs tended to be about hardship and tragedy, failed relationships and the difficulties of life in impoverished rural areas. It really took off as a popular genre with the arrival of radio in the 1920s. Early radio shows like Grand Ole Opry, which began in 1924 and was based in Nashville, Tennessee before later being broadcast nationwide, gave country music exposure - allowing people to listen to, and become fans of bands that weren’t from their local area.

Then during the Great Depression of 1929 rural people were increasingly forced into big cities in search of work, taking their favourite music with them and so exposing it to new, urban audiences. Hollywood further popularised country music, with ‘singing cowboys' like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers becoming big box-office draws in the 1930s and 1940s.

Who are the most famous country music stars?

Some of the earliest country stars were The Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers and DeFord Bailey.

The Carter Family began performing and recording in 1927. The group has had multiple different lineups since it formed, but its original trio was Sara Carter, her husband A. P. Carter and sister-in-law Maybelle Carter. They were known as 'The First Family of Country Music' and have added and replaced various family members over the years - with recordings of five generations of the family appearing on a 2019 release.

Another of the early country music stars was Jimmie Rodgers, who was also known as ‘The Singing Breakman’ and was famous for his yodelling. He was active in the mid to late 1920s and became known as ‘The Father Of Country Music’ - Rodgers was the first inductee into the Country Music Hall Of Fame in 1961.

DeFord Bailey became the first African-American to perform on the Grand Ole Opry radio show in 1927. His musical style, which involved heavy use of his signature harmonica, actually gave Grand Ole Opry its iconic name, which is still used today.

Stars of the 1940s included Hank Williams and Ernest Tubb who led the Honky-Tonk movement, while by the 1950s, singers such as Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline were household names. Charley Pride made history in 1967 as the first black singer to appear on the Grand Ole Opry radio show since Bailey, ultimately winning the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Willie Nelson pioneered ‘Outlaw’ country music while George Strait scored 60 number one hits in the USA's Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Tracks by Garth Brooks, Shania Twain and Billy Ray Cyrus in the 1990s showed the rise in popularity of country music, becoming crossover hits in the main music charts not just in the USA, but around the world.

Today, while crossover artists such as Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Lil Nas X have had success in multiple genres, including country - performers such as Luke Combs, Mickey Guyton, Kacey Musgrave and Kane Brown are among the genre's biggest stars.

But if you were to ask who the best known country singer of all time is, Dolly Parton would be a good bet. Her career has spanned six decades and includes global hits like Jolene, I Will Always Love You and 9 To 5. She holds the record for most number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart by a female artist (25).

What instruments does country music feature?

Traditionally, country music has heavily featured stringed instruments such as the fiddle, guitar, violin, bass and banjo. Harmonica and accordion are also often played. Percussion was often provided by a washboard, a ribbed metal sheet which was rhythmically strummed by a musician who used a fork or wore thimbles.

But as country music developed throughout the 20th Century, all kinds of instruments began to be used, including drums, electric guitars, zithers and mandolins. Country singers often use a distinctively ‘twangy’ way of singing, and duets are a common feature. Famous country artists who have performed together include Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty and George Jones and Tammy Wynette.

Why is Nashville so important to country music?

Nashville is the capital city of the state of Tennessee and is generally regarded as the most important city for country music. The town’s connection with country music is tightly woven with the history of radio, which was the way the genre first became so popular in the 1920s.

In 1925 an insurance company started a radio station called WSM in Nashville, which featured a weekly barn dance showcasing country music. The show, re-named The Grand Ole Opry in 1927, was a huge success, and attracted the best country music talent. In 1932 its powerful new antenna meant it could be broadcast across the USA.

Recording companies also began to base themselves in Nashville, locating their studios on what is known as Music Row, further cementing the city’s ties with country music.

Today Nashville is still the centre of the country music scene. It’s the home of the Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum and is the venue for some of the largest festivals, including CMA Fest which is staged every year by the Country Music Association.

This article was published in April 2024.