Home links Trapshooting Pictures
FFA Country Music Indianapolis Speedway Agriculture
The History of Country Music
Origins
The origins of country music can be found in recordings Southern Appalachian fiddle players made in the late 1910s. It wasn’t until the early ‘20s, however, that country music as a viable recorded genre took hold. The first commercial country record was made by Eck Robertson in 1922 on the Victor Records label. Vernon Dalhart had the first national country hit in 1924 with “Wreck of the Old ’97.” But most historians point to 1927, the year Victor Records signed Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family, as the true moment country music was born.
Urban Cowboy
The 1979 John Travolta movie, Urban Cowboy, popularized a movement in country that focused heavily on easy-listening crossover success. Artists like Johnny Lee, Dolly Parton and Mickey Gilley scored major hits on both the country and pop charts, while the “outlaws” of the mid-‘70s saw their music wane in popularity. History has proven that much of the music from this era, referred to by some as country’s disco era, was quite disposable. However, a number of notable artists did emerge during this dark period to forge wonderful careers, including Alabama, George Strait, Reba McEntire and Steve Wariner.
The Class of '89
The list of superstars who debuted in 1989 reads like a future Country Music Hall of Fame induction class: Clint Black, Alan 
Jackson, Travis Tritt and Dwight Yoakam all scored their first country hits in 1989. They drastically altered the
direction of country music by infusing a youthful vitality and rock-and-roll mentality into a genre that was quickly growing stale and predictable. The amazing Class of ’89 bridged the gap between20th and 21st Century country music.
Contact the webmaster at Trapshooter1@rocketmail.com
