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Traditional Country

 
 

Description of Traditional Country

 
Traditional country music's roots were born in rural American folk and blues. Inspired often by personal heartbreak, it's in a sense a folkish variation on the blues. The style's artists are less united by a common sound -- though the twang in the voice and unmistakable pedal steel are common hallmarks -- than by a common set of subjects: heartbreak, loss, drinking, cheating, and loneliness. From the pure honky-tonk of Hank Williams, to the rambling, yodeling songs of Jimmy Rodgers, to the rockin' electric guitar of Bakersfield's Buck Owens, traditional country artists sing and play music that reflects the lives, loves and losses of Middle America's country-folk.
 

Filed Under

 
Country  >  Traditional Country
 

Traditional Country Key Artists

 
Ferlin Husky

Ferlin Husky preferred high
end Nashville production to
complement his elastic
vocal range. He also
dabbled in honky-tonk.

Hank Locklin

Hank Locklin's silky tenor
voice blended well with the
smooth choral backing
singers that peppered his
early country songs.

Hank Snow

Snow was known for his
Traditonal Country songs
about traveling. His buttery
voice and charm made him a
regular at the Opry. Warn...

Hank Thompson

Hank Thompson fused
honky-tonk with western
swing, blending fiddles,
steel guitar, piano, bass and
drums with his baritone.

Hank Williams

Hank Williams was perhaps
the most important country &
western performer of his
time, and the most
influential country artist i...

Johnny Cash

Cash's trademark baritone
growl and disdainful sneer
were the crown and
scepter he bore as the king
of outlaw country music....

Kitty Wells

Wells' proto-feminist
persona and Honky-Tonk
songwriting paved the way
for artists such as Loretta
Lynn and Tammy Wynette...

Little Jimmy Dickens

Less than five feet tall and
equipped with a
high-pitched boyish voice,
Little Jimmy Dickens
pioneered country novelt...

Loretta Lynn

One of the first female
country singers to address
feminist issues, she was
considered an industry
maverick during the '70s....

Merle Travis

Besides Chet Atkins, Merle
Travis was an innovator of
country music guitar
picking. He wrote the coal
mining hit "16 Tons."

Red Sovine

Red Sovine sang early
truckin' songs wrapped up
in honky-tonk
instrumentation. His voice
segued from nasal twang t...

Roy Acuff

Roy Acuff's smooth,
dramatic vocal style, heard
on his first big hit, "The
Great Speckled Bird,"
changed early country m...

Slim Whitman

Slim Whitman is famous for
his distinct, yodel-style
singing voice. His hits
include "Indian Love Call"
and "Singing Hills."

Uncle Dave Macon

One of the earliest country
music celebrities, Uncle
Dave Macon played a banjo
and sang through his nose in
perfect harmony.

Vern Gosdin

Gosdin gave country music
an injection of
gospel-tinged honky-tonk.
His smooth, soulful singing
had him dubbed "The Voi...

Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson is one of the
founding fathers of the
outlaw country music
movement. Willie started off
as a songwriter. He wrote...

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