Country music is a distinctly American genre that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 20th century. It primarily focuses on working-class Americans and blue-collar American life. The genre is known for its ballads and dance tunes, also known as "honky-tonk music," with simple form, folk lyrics, and harmonies generally accompanied by instruments such as banjos, fiddles, harmonicas, and many types of guitar (including acoustic, electric, steel, and resonator guitars) .
Country music has its roots in various forms of American folk music, such as old-time music and Appalachian music, but many other traditions, including African-American, Mexican, Irish, and Hawaiian music, have also influenced the genre. The term "country and western music" was adopted by the recording industry in 1949 to replace the derogatory label "hillbilly music".
Country music has always been a mixture of many styles, springing from many roots and sprouting many new branches to create a complicated chorus of American voices, joining together to tell a complicated American story, one song at a time. The genre has evolved over time, with subgenres such as country rock, bluegrass, outlaw music, and Western swing.
Old-time music was the earliest style of country music, and it developed in the southeastern states of the USA as a mix of folk music from the British Isles, church music, and African American blues. The Carter Family became the first stars of country music, and Jimmie Rodgers was another of country musics earliest stars.
In the early days of the genre, white folk music became country music while music by black artists, including blues, gospel, and rhythm and blues, was labeled "race" music. However, country music has since become more inclusive and diverse, with artists from various backgrounds contributing to the genre.
