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Description of Country Rock

 
It's rare that a genre's origins can be traced to a single album or two, but the dawn of Country Rock arrived when Gram Parsons recorded Safe At Home with the International Submarine Band, then briefly joined the Byrds in 1968 for the definitive Sweetheart of the Rodeo LP, a fusion of Parsons' Honky-Tonk and mountain music tastes with the Byrds' Folk-Rock. Parsons' next band, the Flying Burrito Brothers, continued the tradition on The Gilded Palace of Sin, released in '69. Through the '70s, some Southern Rock bands fused country themes and twang with their Blues Rock, like Jacksonville, Florida's Lynyrd Skynyrd and Molly Hatchet; while Neil Young's output owes much to country. Parsons' legacy also inspired the Eagles, Poco, early Grateful Dead recordings and the Rolling Stones' more twangy songs, including "Wild Horses" and "Honky Tonk Women." Today, this legacy lives on through a legion of Alt-Country bands, with the Jayhawks, the soulful Whiskeytown and the genre-defining Uncle Tupelo among the most prominent torchbearers.
 

Country Rock Key Tracks

 
 

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Country Rock Key Artists

 
Alabama

With arena rock aesthetics
and pure mountain songs,
Alabama tapped a mother
lode of a fan-base with a
country rock sound. Sing...

Brewer & Shipley

Remembered for "One Toke
Over the Line," Brewer &
Shipley were weirdo
California folkies with a big
cult following.

Gram Parsons

Gram Parsons' weepy
country rock songs were
innovative compositions
influenced by the
Bakersfield sound and ps...

Hank Williams, Jr.

The son of Honky Tonk's
diety, Jr.'s segue from
traditional to outlaw
country found him working
with the likes of Kid Rock...

Highway 101

Highway 101 were a bit of a
musical anomaly in that they
started playing
1970s-inspired country rock
in the late '80s. Possibly n...

Kentucky Headhunters

With a sizzling combo of
Lynyrd Skynyrd boogie and
hippie-fied, Commander
Cody-style humor, they
remain Nashville maverick...

Mason Proffit

In the early '70s, Chicago's
Mason Proffit crafted one of
America's most unique
fusions of country, folk and
rock 'n' roll. Before Maso...

Michael Nesmith

Michael Nesmith was a
member of the Monkees,
who had a lucrative career
in music and television.
Nesmith's mother invente...

Moby Grape

Moby Grape combined
psychedelia with folk,
country and rock 'n' roll
better than anyone else did
in 1960s San Francisco. Th...

Neil Young

Since the mid-1960s Neil
Young has staked out the
ground where country,
rock and feedback meet.
From Buffalo Springfield t...

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

These sundazed pioneers
of West Coast country
placed the emphasis on the
"country" in their country
rock. Formed in 1965, the...

Ozark Mountain Daredevils

Although Ozark Mountain
Daredevils had a hit with
"Jackie Blue," the song was
more mellow than the rest
of their twang rock. Many...

Poco

Although Poco were a twig
on the California country
rock family tree, it was a
healthy branch. They
played twangy soft rock....

Pure Prairie League

Pure Prairie League hit the
charts several times in the
1970s with a soft-lit blend of
country and rock. Pure
Prairie Leage was named...

The Band

The Band captured and
released the ghosts of Okie
souls in their
unpretentious, down-home
roots music. The Band wr...

The Flying Burrito Brothers

One of the first country
rock bands, the Burritos
were formed by Gram
Parsons and Chris Hillman
after they split the Byrds....

The International Submarine Band

The International Submarine
Band was Gram Parsons' first
electric band. They started
as garage rockers before
going country. Some say t...

The Mavericks

Originally from Miami, the
Mavericks combine classic
pop with hard country and
subtle hints of Latin
influences. Frontman Raul...

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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