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.