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Most major music magazines seem to only pay lip service to Country's biggest stars but disregard fledgling Country bands. On the contrary, most people are aware of “the next big thing” in the rap and rock genres. It seems as if everyone knows someone that'll admit to liking every musical genre except Country. Where does all this embarrassment come from?
If one were to assume that “things aren't what they seem,” they'd be correct. One only has to look at record sales to know what's really going on, but if sales are strong then why such a negative attitude?
Some insight into this attitude may come from the fact that most major media outlets aren't located where all the action in this genre is. People have always been skeptical of anything that's foreign to them, and music is no different.
If the Entertainment Industry is indeed in the business of making money, perhaps they should take more notice of what people in the heartland are buying. Music Television might do itself a favor by playing Country Music Videos by more artists than Shania Twain – and, it might be a good idea for movie producers to associate Western twang with characters other than serial killers in horror movies.
If you do your research and track US Record Sales over the years, you'll see that after The Beatles and Elvis Presley, Garth Brooks is the number three top selling recording artist of all time. Country star George Strait beats Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Metallica, Van Halen, and U2 – but, unless you're a fan of Country, all those other artists are probably more familiar.
People may also find it surprising to learn that although Michael Jackson's Thriller has sold over ten million copies, it's his only album that does; Madonna has two albums that have sold over ten million copies, Shania Twain has three, and Garth Brooks has four.
In the scheme of things, fans shouldn't despair that country music may be underappreciated by mass media – the truth is in the sales. And, as long as fans keep supporting their favorite artists by purchasing albums, Country artists will remain chart toppers.
© 2006 Ez-Tracks.com
When many people think of country music, they think of sad songs about lost loves, broken down trucks and runaway dogs. In their minds, they are hearing all of these woes sung in the traditional twangy country accents of the south. However, these perceptions of country music are far from where this style of music has evolved. Today, country music is one of the most popular genres of music, normally outsold only by rock and pop genres.
Created in the late 19th century, country music has under gone many changes over the years. There are now many sub-genres to this type of music, with some of the sub-genres being commonly played on top 40 radio stations.
To understand country music, it is helpful to know about the instruments commonly associated with it. In country music, one of the most common instruments used is the fiddle (or violin). Some of these instruments can be expensive, but most are relatively inexpensive and are very easily transports since they tare light in weight and not overly large. When country music first ‘hit the scene', the fiddle was practically the only instrument used as accompaniment. However, as the country music style became more popular, the addition of other accompanying instruments became normal. The banjo became popular in some country music pieces in the mid 1800s, while the guitar did not break into the country music scene until the early 1900s. Electric guitars did not become a regular instrument in country music until much later in the 50s. Other various instruments used in country music are the piano (introduced in the 1930s) and the drums (used since the 1960s). Rarely used, but distinctive sounding instruments are used in certain country songs: the accordion, the harmonica, and the washboards.
Country music has roots in several different styles of music. Its beginnings started with the settlers that came from Europe. During that time, many couldn't read or write, so songs were created to pass history down from one generation to the next. Although country ballads have changed a great deal, going from the original songs about objective, though gruesome, events to more personal, subjective ballads without all the gore.
Today, the sound of country music can sometimes be very similar to other genres of pop and rock. Some country musicians, like Shania Twain, have many songs playing on stations that aren't considered “country”. There are also musicians, like Sheryl Crow, who are considered pop/rock, but have songs popular on country stations.