Geography 490c The Country and the City Fall 2009

Race and Country Music

Questions for Discussion

What are the origins of country music? What was it called before it was called country? Where did it originate? How is it's emergence linked to commodification?
Is country music rural or is it urban? If it is urban, how do we accomodate Fox's claims about the rural authenticity of country music in Texas?
How did country music come to be though of as "white" music? Is country music still "white"? Why is that so?
Why was it necessary to differentiate "race music" from "hillbilly music" in the earliest days fo country music?
Where did country music's twang come from?
How was the rise of country music associated with economic restructuring in the 1930s? How is this similar to or different than Fox's thesis about the music of Lockhart Texas?
What was the function of minstrel acts in the early days of the Opry?
Why was it that after the 1970s, when Ray Charles, Charlie Pride and even Tina Turner were recording country albums, there did not seem to be as much or as prominent African American contribution to country music? Why, as Manuel notes, have African American artists had trouble getting airplay or record deals?
How do we explain the recent, industry-backed, success of Cowboy Troy (Hick-Hop), Rissi Palmer, and Darrius Rucker? Has something changed in the recording industry? Has artist organization within the industry, the Muzik Maffia for example, played a role? Have people's acceptance of diversity changed? What role might technological changes in the way people acquire and listen to music play?

Geo 490c The Country & the City Spring 2009 Department of Geography and Meteorology Valparaiso University
Today's Readings Kyriakoudes, Louis M. 2004. The Grand Ole Opry and the Urban South. Southern Cultures 10, no. 1: 67-84. Lewis, George H. 2001. The Color of Country: Black Influence and Experience in American Country Music. Popular Music & Society 25, no. 3/4 (Fall): 107. Manuel, Jeffrey T. 2008. The Sound of the Plain White Folk? Creating Country Music's “Social Origins”. Popular Music & Society 31, no. 4 (October): 417-431.	Race and Country Music Questions for Discussion What are the origins of country music? What was it called before it was called country? Where did it originate? How is it's emergence linked to commodification? Is country music rural or is it urban? If it is urban, how do we accomodate Fox's claims about the rural authenticity of country music in Texas? How did country music come to be though of as "white" music? Is country music still "white"? Why is that so? Why was it necessary to differentiate "race music" from "hillbilly music" in the earliest days fo country music? Where did country music's twang come from? How was the rise of country music associated with economic restructuring in the 1930s? How is this similar to or different than Fox's thesis about the music of Lockhart Texas? What was the function of minstrel acts in the early days of the Opry? Why was it that after the 1970s, when Ray Charles, Charlie Pride and even Tina Turner were recording country albums, there did not seem to be as much or as prominent African American contribution to country music? Why, as Manuel notes, have African American artists had trouble getting airplay or record deals? How do we explain the recent, industry-backed, success of Cowboy Troy (Hick-Hop), Rissi Palmer, and Darrius Rucker? Has something changed in the recording industry? Has artist organization within the industry, the Muzik Maffia for example, played a role? Have people's acceptance of diversity changed? What role might technological changes in the way people acquire and listen to music play?

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