1. Beginnings

2.   It was developed by rural dwellers  Ironically has been produced in urban centers for years  Nashville  New York  Hollywood  Continues to draw from the imagery and values of rural life and the common people who live that life What is country about country music?

3.   Country music stars are typically:  White  Male  From the poor working-class  From the South Country Music

4.   The climate of the South was more suitable for agriculture  Farms were widely separated; farmers were more isolated  The competition of black slave labor and the lack of job diversity discouraged new immigrants from settling there  Little ethnic diversity  This all led to a society that did not change as quickly as the more urban North Characteristics of the South

5.   Three classes – wealthy landowners, black slaves, poor white farmers  After slavery was ended, whites were in direct competition with blacks for jobs  Led to an inferiority complex  To cure self image problem, whites decided that endurance and power is displayed in proficiency at hard physical labor and sports and less principled acts (drinking, fighting, seducing women)  Very religious  Combination of religion and sinful behavior led to inner conflicts  Also known for longwinded storytelling with exaggerations Characteristics of People of the South

6.   Topics include  Praise of a simpler rural life  Ideal love  Family ties  Religious conviction  Male machismo  Pride of the working class Country Music

7.   Many country songs express the inner conflict between pleasure-seeking and the pursuit of religious devotion  These moral issues can be seen in remorseful songs about drinking, infidelity, and the consequences suffered from being away from home  This early country music can be considered 'white blues' Country Music

8.  Why does the portrayal of conflict spell success for country music (or any other style of music for that matter)? Conflict makes for more interesting songs, and our desire to cope with it compels us to write, sing or listen to those songs.

9.   In the 1920’s rural youth longed for the excitement, wealth and glamour of the city life  Sparked a growth of lower middle class  Rural youth realized city life wasn’t what they thought it was  Found themselves bewildered and lost in the ‘big city’  Fell victim to its pale human relationships and familial strains  This left them longing nostalgically for home, love of family, and the simple rural life Country Music

10.  Did they move back out to the country?  Instead of moving back to the country, they adapted the rural value system  This is where country music began to identify with the blue-collar worker (i.e. construction workers) and the truck driver, not just the farmer Country Music