76 Country Music Fun Facts For All The Music Lovers Out There

One of the many forms of music that have been enjoyed in the United States has been country music, or country and western.

It is very popular in rural America and small towns. But there are some songs that have surpassed the boundaries and touched the hearts of people across the globe!

Nashville, Tennessee, came to be known as a music city as it has always been the focal point of country music. The Grand Ole Opry, a popular country music show, was broadcast from here, earning the city the nickname 'Music City'.

There are also many music publishing houses and recording studios located on Music Row, the neighborhood that has made this city so famous.

When country music began in the '20s, it was known as 'Old Familiar Tunes'.

As the listening audience of the country music genre expanded beyond Appalachia, in the eastern United States, it came to be known as Old Time Melodies of the Sunny South or Hill Country Songs and Ballads.

Over time, the name changed and this style of music was known by many names, including Mountain Ballads and Old-Time Songs, Hillbilly Music in the '50s, Honky Tonk, Folk Music, Country and Western between the '30s and the '80s, and Country.

Country songs are simple in form and harmony. Most often sung to an accompaniment such as a guitar, banjo, or harmonica, the songs are romantic or melancholic ballads.

In the '60s, there were some musicians who recorded their tracks in such a way that the track sounded gibberish when played, but if you played the same song backwards, then you could decrypt the message of that song!

Country music has many subgenres. Some of these are alternative country, which includes gothic country and Americana, bluegrass, including bluegrass gospel, traditional bluegrass, and progressive bluegrass, the Bakersfield sound, outlaw country, talking blues, and more.

When you have finished reading this article on country music fun facts, check out the 10 facts about African music and 10 facts about blues music here on Kidadl.

Birth Of Country Music

Let's take a look at country music history and how it all began.

Country music's roots can be traced to the late '10s and the recordings of the Southern Appalachian fiddle players. It was originally called 'hillbilly music'.

In the early 20th century, country music began to take hold in the southeastern states of America. It was a mix of folk songs and music from Britain, African American blues, and church music. It was usually played on instruments such as a fiddle, banjo, or acoustic guitar.

Old-time music was first recorded in the '20s, with those of the Carter Family becoming very popular. Their songs included 'Can the Circle Be Unbroken' and 'Wildwood Flower'. They were the first country music stars. This vocal group comprised A.P. Carter, Sara Dougherty Carter, his wife, and Maybelle Addington Carter, his sister-in-law.

Jimmie Rodgers was another early artist at the same time as the Carters. He was known for his vocal technique of yodeling.

Blue Yodel was his first hit record, and in 1927, it sold about half a million copies. Jimmie Rodgers is known as the Father of Country Music and was inducted in 1961 into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

There were many other hillbilly or country singers throughout the '20s.

In 1925, the Grand Ole Opry, a country music variety show, was one of the most popular programs on the radio, and families would often gather to listen to it together. This program was broadcast from Nashville, Tennessee, and sometimes featured a style known as 'Western Music'.

The songs in this style were about cowboys and outlaws. This program became so popular that it was one of the top programs until 1959 and featured many well-known country music artists. The program was canceled in April 1968.

In the '30s and '40s, western music became very popular as Hollywood cowboy movies, known as westerns, started featuring singing cowboys such as Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.

Country music executives in Nashville, which had become the focal point of country music, decided that the cowboy image was better for country music stars than the hillbilly music image. Hence, the genre was renamed Country and Western music, and the outfits were changed too, to cowboy clothes.

In 1944, Billboard magazine recognized the country music style and introduced a folk chart that included country, blues, and jazz.

In the '50s and '60s, gospel songs and music were the main components of country music. It was usually played on instruments such as a fiddle, banjo, or acoustic guitar.

Sometimes, keyboards, such as a honky-tonk piano, would also be used. In the early '50s, country music was a combination of western swing, honky tonk and country boogie. Rockabilly, an early style of rock and roll music, was also popular with country music fans.

In 1954, Elvis Presley, with his mix of gospel music, R&B, and country music, recorded his first song for Sun Records. Johnny Cash, another famous country singer, also recorded with the same music company later that same year.

The deaths of Patsy Cline and Jim Reeves, two widely-acclaimed country music stars, led to a decline in the popularity of country music. However, with political turmoil and a desire to return to old values, a genre known as country-rock was born.

In 1961, the Country Music Hall of Fame was established and Jimmie Rodgers, Fred Rose, and Hank Williams were the first to be inducted. In the '70s and '80s, many country artists and albums did well on the pop charts.

It was during this time that the neotraditional movement in country music began. Artists went back to their roots with more traditional vocal styles and instrumental backgrounds.

By the '90s, country music had spread worldwide, with both neotraditionalist and stadium country artists such as Garth Brooks enjoying popularity.

Famous Country Music Singers

George Strait, also known as the King of Country, is said to be the most popular and influential artist of all time. He started the neotraditional movement in country music. Strait has also had 60 number one hits between 1982 and 2009. This is more than any other singer in any other genre of music, including pop music.

Garth Brooks was one of the most popular performers and recording artists in country music. He was the first singer to have a multi-platinum country music record. He was named Artist of the Decade in the '90s.

Patsy Cline, one of the most influential female musicians in this genre, was born Virginia Hensley. She enjoyed tremendous success during her time in this male-dominated industry and was on par with her male peers.

Her career spanned a decade and had numerous hit songs, such as 'Crazy' and 'I Fall to Pieces'. Cline was killed in a plane crash in 1963.

Another well-known female country music singer is Dolly Parton. On the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, she holds the record for the most top 10 albums.

Dolly Parton also has the most number-one hits and the maximum number of Grammy nominations. Among the funny facts about country music is that Dolly Parton lost a Dolly Parton lookalike contest. It was a drag queen celebrity lookalike contest held in Los Angeles.

Bill Monroe was the one who invented the bluegrass style. The bringing together of Appalachian music with faster tempos is what made his style so unique.

He was a regular at the Grand Ole Opry in the '40s. He was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. He died in 1996.

Hank Williams is considered the greatest country songwriter. Although he died very young, he wrote many popular and hit songs, such as 'Lovesick Blues', 'I’m So Lonesome I could cry', and 'Cold Cold Heart'.

The first country recording artist to be commercially successful was Fiddlin’ John Carson in 1923. This country singer sang hits such as 'The Old Hen Cackled' and 'The Rooster’s Going to Crow' and 'The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane'. The latter was considered to be the first country song to be commercially recorded.

Gene Autry, known as 'The Singing Cowboy', was also a popular movie star. Willie Nelson is considered to be one of the most accomplished singers in country music. He wrote his first song at the age of seven and has been playing the same guitar for the last 50 years.

Florida Georgia Line, a country music duo comprised of Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley, who started performing in 2010. Since then, they have released many studio albums and are still very popular. Their song 'Cruise' stayed at the number one spot on Billboard's country charts in 2012 for more than 24 weeks. This made country music history.

Country music now has global appeal. Keith Urban is one of the most popular country music singers in Australia. Shania Twain is the best-selling female country artist with more than 75 million records sold.

Country Music Trivia

Did you know that Johnny Cash played two live shows in January 1968 at Folsom Prison? The album, called 'At Folsom prison' was recorded there.

George Strait won a Grammy in 2009 for the album Troubadour. He is known as the 'King of Country'. Hank Williams was only 29 years old. He was on his way to Ohio to perform at a New Year’s Day concert in 1953.

Bristol, Tennessee, was the birthplace of country music. The US Congress gave it the official title of 'The Birthplace of Country Music'. The hit song 'Somebody like You' by Keith Urban was declared the biggest hit of the ‘00s by Billboard Hot Country Songs.

The Grand Ole Opry was America's longest-running radio broadcast. The number one country music song of all time is 'I Walk The Line' by Johnny Cash. This song was in the top spot of the Billboard Chart for 43 consecutive weeks. Cash wrote this song for Vivian Liberto, his wife at the time.

The state where country music is very popular is Texas. Henry Ford, of the well-known Ford Automobiles, spent a lot of money in the '20s promoting country music.

Unique Country Music Facts

Check out the following country music fun facts.

Between the '40s and '60s, Bakersfield, California was known as the Nashville of the West as people from Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma came here looking for work and brought their music along too. The United States has more than 2,000 full-time radio stations playing only country music.

Although he is aged 81, the shows performed by Willie Nelson are still sellouts. Another unique fact about country music is that you only need to know four chords to play most songs on a guitar. A few more difficult ones might have five.

The lyrics of a country song usually tell a story and contain emotions such as happiness or sadness. The songs are usually three and a half to four minutes long and are not long or boring. The lyrics also usually have a valuable life lesson.

In addition to the above-mentioned country musicians, contemporary country music artists such as Carrie Underwood and Blake Shelton have made this genre of music very popular worldwide.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully, created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Country music fun facts, then why not take a look at Brazillian music facts or Christmas music facts.