Tracey Laird, Professor of Music at Agnes Scott College and author of several books about country music, joins host Adam Camac to discuss the history and cultural significance of country music, key figures and themes in country music history, and how country music has changed and grown over the decades.  The show notes page for this episode can be found at placesandprofiles.com/23.

 

1:31 - What is country music?  When and where did it start?

5:28 - What influenced early country music, types of music that influenced early country music

7:54 - Where country music started, places that played a key role in the early history of country music

12:39 - How other types of music have influenced country music, country music and purity

14:07 - Where the term country music comes from, why this type of music is called country

15:57 - Key artists, figures, and performers from the earliest period of country music, Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter Family, and Jimmie Davis

18:58 - The intersection of country music and politics

21:45 - The significance of the Grand Ole Opry and the Louisiana Hayride, the role of radio during the early days of country music, Elvis Presley and the Louisiana Hayride

29:12 - The role of television in spreading and promoting country music, Glen Campbell and Johnny Cash and their television shows

32:21 - Comparing the sounds and characteristics of the music and cultures of Nashville and Bakersfield, the significance of Nashville and Bakersfield to country music, the roles of Shreveport and Austin in country music

36:46 - Willie Nelson and outlaw country/progressive country, the Austin City Limits television show

40:37 - The singing cowboys of the 1930s and the 1940s, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Bob Wills

44:44 - Bluegrass music and Bill Monroe, honkey-tonk country and Hank Williams

48:36 - How the development of rock and roll influenced country music

55:26 - How the tragic plane crash deaths of prominent country music figures, such as Patsy Cline and Jim Reeves, shaped the country music world

57:13 - Prominent female country music artists, including Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, and Loretta Lynn, using country music to address controversial topics

1:02:27 - Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard

1:05:08 - Neotraditional country music and George Strait, Garth Brooks and the rise of stadium country, the influence of hip-hop, rap, and newer pop music on country music

1:12:16 - Final thoughts on the history of country music

1:15:06 - The guest’s work on Dolly Parton, Austin City Limits, and the Louisiana Hayride