North America

It's probably a measure of the West's notorious ethnocentrism that "North America" rarely appears as a subcategory of World Music. Yet the continent has a rich heritage of indigenous folk music that can sound just as otherworldly to urban ears as chanting Tibetan monks. The ritual drumming of Native Americans, Cajun fais-do-do's, Jewish klezmer music, and even the hillbilly music of the Appalachian mountains which led to country and bluegrass are all unique expressions of a region or a people. North America's mix of cultures has also produced fertile hybrids that arguably qualify as Worldbeat, from Zydeco to Tex-Mex and Tejano.