• Old Time music and Hillbilly
• Blues
• Cowboys songs
• Singing Cowboys
• Bluegrass
• Western Swing
• Honky Tonk and Hillbilly Boogie
• Cajun music
• Rockabilly
• Country and Western

Old time music developped in the late XVIII in the appalaches. English and Irish settlers had only the Bible and celtic singings for entertainement. And yet, with the traditionnal songs from the European pionners, rose the futur Country Music. A title like " Barbara Allen " sung by "Les Cotes De Fer" for example, was interpreted 3 centuries later by the Everly Brothers.In fact, the isolation of these regions has preserve the music from Britain. Most of the time, music was played with fiddle and borrowed his rythm to the irish dancings. But quite quickly the hillbillies began composing more personnal themes using the dulcimer, the african banjo and the italian mandoline. At the begining of this century appears the word "Hillbilly Music". The first records were recorded in New York by two violonists, Eck Robertson and Gilliland on june 30th of 1922 including a country dance, "Arckansaw Traveler". Country Music was just born. Then came the other pionners, Fiddling John Carson in 1923, Uncle Dave Macon, Vernon Dalhart, Riley Puckett and Gid Tanner in 1924, Charlie poole in 1925, The Skillet Lickers in 1926 (Puckett, Tanner and Clayton McMichen), Sam McGhee, Dock Boggs, the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers in 1927. Jimmie developped his own and unique style : Bluesy Cowboy Songs with yodel very close to the White Blues.

This is a popular music created by the Negroes emancipated after the secession war. Blues, song of 12 times and his famous blue notes (Eb and Bb in C), was at the beginning, jazz and of course boogie-woogie (way to play the blues to the piano). In fact blues has influenced all kind of musics: Jimmie Rodgers' and Hank Williams' country, Bill Monroe's bluegrass, Bob Wills' western swing, Moon Mullican's Hillbilly Boogie and the rock'n roll of the pioneers from the fifties. With 3 blues chords you can easily accompany several thousands of country, Rockabilly and rock pieces. The first blues were recorded in the 20's. Surprise in 1927 with Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Matchbox Blues" that would be next a classical RaB piece with Carl Perkins (R.I.P) and his famous "Matchbox" repeated too by Jerry Lee Lewis, Ronnie Hawkins and The Beatles! Among the best of the delta blues we can quote Robert Johnson, the king of the bottle neck. However Johnson took the example of Son House, initiator of the bottleneck style in the blues. This bottleneck came from the hawaician guitar very popular in the US since the beginnig of the XX centuary. From this guitar rose the Dobro then the pedal steel guitar that suit to the Negroes' blues and the Whites' Country. Cliff Carlisle was Jimmie Rodgers' guitarist and that was nice with Jimmie's cowboy's blues with Yodel.

American folklore didn't developpe exculsively in the Appalaches. Especially Texas, with his vast plains and his cowboys, was propicious to the creation, in the XIX century, of a range of western folksongs. Let's quote "Texas Ranger" (recorded by the Cartwright Brothers) sung before in the West around 1830: "Texas Soldier Boy". Cowboy songs, originally interpreted a cappella or with a single fiddle accompaniment (guitar, common in the South since 1850, is common in the West only since the dawn of the XX century) related most of the time the personnal experience of the pionneers. The same musical theme was utilisated for different stories, only few things changed. Most of the musics they used came from the britanic folklore. But the poet cowboys wrote their own and personnal texts. Among them we can quote Carl T. Sprague (1925), Harry Mc Clintock, Jules Verne Allen, Jack Webb, Billie Maxwell, J. D. Farley, Powder River Jack and Kitty Lee, and the famous Ken Maynard who was the first Singing Cowboy on screen.

Ken Maynard who played in westerns was the pioneer of these singing cowboys in 1930,followed by Gene Autry in 1934, the first great vocalist of country music's history. The singing cowboys became very populars in the 30's and the 40's. The songs were often stemed from western folklore, but this time the performers are true professional singers accompagned by an elaborated scoring. Actually the first sort of commercial country music was born. The best exponents were The Sons Of The Pioneers, Roy Rogers, Tex Ritter, Johnny Bond, Johnny Western and a lot of other unknowns. In a sort they were pioneers for country and western and they imposed their own songs in spite of the repeats from folk. Jimmie Davis' "You Are My Sunshine" became the greatest classic of Country Music (even in rock'n'roll and Rockabilly!) thanks to Gene Autry's repeat in 1941. However these singing cowboys, bad taste dressed, were not appreciated by some other musicians like Bill Monroe who has developped at the same time ('35-'55) a music inspirated by the Old Time and the BlueGrass from Kentucky.

The most creative period for Bill Monroe is the decade that follow the world war II. Vocal perch on the shrill, vocal harmonies elaborated, fast beat, virtuosity (conversation between banjo, mandoline, guitar and fiddle), are the characteristics of this style reserved to very good musicians.
Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys are often excellent musicians. Let's quote as an exemple Lester Flat & Earl Scruggs, Carl Story, David Akeman, Clyde Moody, Chubby Wise, Jimmy Martin, Mac Wiseman, Bill Keith and Peter Rowan. Lots of artists are inspirated by Bill Monroe: Stanley Brothers, Jim & Jesse, Osborne Brothers, Doyle Lawson, Kentucky Colonels, Kenny Baker, Lilly Brothers, Lonesome Pine Fiddlers, Larry Sparks, Charlie Moore, Don Reno & Red Smiley, Bill Narrell, Don Stover, Joe Val, Vern Williams, J. D. Crowe, Bluegrass Cardinals, Jethro Burns, Vassar Clements,... The vogue of Bluegrass stop when the rock'n'roll appeared.
Today, Newgrass (the new Bluegrass) is close to Country Music.
Don't forget that two titles from Bill Monroe are two classics of Rockabilly and Rock'n'Roll: "Blue Moon Of Kentucky" (by Elvis Presley) and "Rocky Road Blues" (by Gene Vincent). In 1935, while Bill Monroe is looking for his style, a Texan has just find his own style, Western Swing.

Bob Wills and Milton Brown are the great artists of this style that incorporate the instruments of jazz and above all its swing to the String Bands of texan folklore. Bob and Milton record together in 1932 before leading band each one on his side. For the very first time, White musicians bands make people from Texas and Oklahoma dance on a crazy rythm borrowed to Black music of jazz swing. An amazing and explosive mixture that has influenced Country from the Thirties to nowadays.
This music has the slapin bass from Rockabilly, the electric steel guitar, the fiddle, the brass, the piano from Honky Tonk, drums... All of these instruments are a revolution (most of these intruments aren't here on the music from Appalaches). I'm going to mention some famous artists of wertern swing: The Light Crust DoughBoys, Bill Boyd, Cliff Bruner, Jimmy Revard, Adolph Hoffner, Buddy Jones, Johnny Lee & Billy Jack Wills, Roy Newman, Spade Cooley and Tex Williams. What is the name of Bill Haley's first band? The Four Aces Of Western Swing. It is very amazing to ear Bill's yodels!
Due to the cost of such a big band, little bands rise. This is the birth of an Ernest Tubb's Honky Tonk. This artist keeps the fiddle bass (slappin bass), the electrique guitar and the swing of Western Swing. His vocal is an Hillbilly one. Moon Mulican's Hillbilly Boogie develop too during the war.

Rockabilly is a lead guitar, a rhythm guitar and a upright bass. Real true rockabilly... well you get too carried away till a drummer can't keep up with it! --- Charlie Feathers, 1979 ---