|
A-Team |
This was the group of studio musicians back in the
Nashville Sound period (1960s - 1970s) that were used on virtually
every hit record. |
|
Accordion |
A reed instrument worn
like a vest, with right and left hand keyboards. The accordion is
used primarily in conjunto, tejano and cowboy musics. Jimmy C.
Newman offers a cajun approach to the instrument, while Flaco
Jimenez is the most popular accordionist playing conjunto today. |
| ACM |
Academy of Country Music.
Host of the spring country music award show. |
| Acoustic |
A performance of music
with non-electronic instruments. |
| Americana |
Is an amalgam of roots
musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions
that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds
that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock
and roll and other external influential styles. Americana is
popularly referred to, especially in print, as alternative country,
alt-country or sometimes alt.country. |
| Autoharp |
A member of the zither
family. It's played by strumming the strings with one hand while the
other hand controls a bar which damps those strings not in the
chord. It was made famous by Sara Carter of The Carter Family. |
| Bakersfield Sound |
Style of music influenced
by rock and roll and traditional country. Was created in contrast to
the Nashville Sound that was filling the country airwaves in the 50s
and 60s. Popular artists include Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and
Dwight Yoakam. |
| Banjo |
A plucked stringed
instrument whose distinctive tones stem from the strings being
supported by a bridge that rests on a tightly stretched skin
membrane. Banjos were brought to America from Africa by early
slaves. The banjo is the most recognizable instrument associated
with country music. There are several types, including the
four-string tenors, the plectrums (played with a plectrum, and
similar to the five-string, but no fifth string), and six-string
guitar-banjos. The most common today is the five-string model. |
| Baron of Bakersfield |
Nickname for country music
legend Buck Owens. |
| Bluegrass |
Bluegrass emphasizes the
Appalachian roots of the genre. It's played quickly and precisely on
instruments such as the mandolin, fiddle, Dobro, and banjo. Bill
Monroe is the pioneer in this form of country music. Other classic
artists are Flatt and Scruggs, The Stanley Brothers, Jim and Jesse
McReynolds, and the Del McCourey Band. A jazzier style of Bluegrass,
sometimes referred to as "Newgrass" spawned artists such as New
Grass Revival, Bela Fleck and David Grisman. A more pop style of
Bluegrass has been made popular by Alison Krauss + Union Station. |
| Cajun |
This style of music
originated with the French-speaking Arcadian people from the bayou
region of southwest Louisiana. The music is centered around
accordian and fiddle, with an occasional drummer. Popular artists of
this style include Jimmy C. Newman, Doug Kershaw and Eddy Raven. |
| CCMA |
Canadian Country Music
Association. |
| CMA |
Country Music Association.
Host of the fall country music awards show. |
| CMA Music Festival |
This is the new name for
Fan Fair starting in 2004. |
| CMT |
Country Music Association.
Host of the fall country music awards show. |
| Coal Miner's Daughter |
Nickname of Loretta Lynn. |
| Conjunto |
This style of music
originated in the Rio Grande Valley in the late 1800s. Conjunto
bands blend polka and waltz rhythms with Mexican folk music. Flaco
Jimenez and the Texas Tornados are two of the genre's most noted
performers. |
| Country Music |
Style of music based on
the music of cowboys in the American West or the folk style of the
southern rural United States. |
| Country Music Hall of Fame |
The Country Music Hall of
Fame is devoted to the recognition of noteworthy individuals for
their outstanding contributions to Country Music. Founded in 1961 by
the Country Music Association, the Hall of Fame currently counts 86
individual and groups among members. |
| Countrypolitan |
Nashville Sound The Golden
Age of Nashville |
| Country Pop |
New Country is slick and
highly produced, pop-oriented country which is played on commercial
country radio and video channels. Some of the most popular artists
in this genre are Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Tim
McGraw, and Kenny Chesney. |
| Country Rock |
This is rock with a twang.
Some popular artists in this genre include the Eagles, Gram Parsons,
Neil Young, Doug Sahm, and Linda Ronstadt. Also known as Hard
Country. |
| Cowboy Country |
With America's fascination
of the Old West, Cowboy music became popular in the films of Roy
Rogers and Gene Autry. Other cowboy singers include The Sons of the
Pioneers, Riders in the Sky, and Michael Martin Murphey. |
| Dobro |
Precursor to the steel
guitar, it was invented by the Dopyera Brothers in the 1920s. It's a
twangy cousin to the slide guitar. It's played face up with a series
of finger picks and a metal bar which is used to fret strings.
Bashful Brother Oswald first popularized the instrument as one of
Roy Acuff's Smoky Mountain Boys. Today Jerry Douglas and Mike
Auldridge are today's masters of the instrument. |
| Dulcimer |
There are two types of
dulcimers; the three-stringed mountain or Appalachian dulcimer,
which is strummed or plucked, and the hammered dulcimer, which
consists of sets of strings across two bridges which are affixed to
a trapezoid-shaped box, and played by striking the strings with
small hammers. |
| Early Country |
The earliest country was
descended from ballads and folk songs brought by immigrants from the
British Isles in the 18th and 19th centuries. Two of the most
popular artists of this time were The Carter Family and Jimmie
Rodgers. |
| Fan Clubs |
Most artists have an
organization where fans can get information on the artist as well as
tour dates, meet and greets, photos, newsletters, and some even
offer VIP seats to their concerts to members of the club. Some fan
clubs are online only. |
| Fan Fair |
Festival held in June each
year where country music artists meet their fans. Besides
performances, many artists also spend time in their autograph booths
meeting and taking pictures with fans and signing autographs. This
is usually the time when most artists have their annual Fan Club
parties. In 2004, will be called CMA Music Festival. |
| Fiddle |
Also known as a violin.
The fiddle came to America from the British Isles. John Carson was
one of the first fiddlers to be recorded, in 1923. The fiddle lies
at the heart of many music styles. Bob Wills built the Western Swing
sound around the fiddle. Bill Monroe also put the fiddle at the
heart of the Bluegrass sound. |
| First Lady of Country
Music |
Nickname for Tammy Wynette. |
| GAC |
Great American Country.
Cable video channel. Viewership is second to CMT. New home for the
televised Grand Ole Opry performances. |
| Grand Ole Opry |
Originally called the WSM
Barn Dance. Named the Grand Ole Opry by announcer George D. Hay (the
Solemn Old Judge) in 1925. The show consisted of performances of
country stars of the day, and was carried by WSM radio up until
1939, when NBC carried the show. Currently the Saturday night
performance of the Opry is carried on GAC. |
| Hard Country |
This is rock with a twang.
Some popular artists in this genre include the Eagles, Gram Parsons,
Neil Young, Doug Sahm, and Linda Ronstadt. Also known as Country
Rock. |
| Hillbilly Shakespeare |
Nickname for Hank
Williams, Sr. |
| Honky Tonk |
This is probably the most
recognizable type of country music with its rhythm guitar, steel
guitar and wailing vocal style. The best representatives of this
style of country are Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell and Ernest Tubb. |
| King of Country Music |
Nickname for Roy Acuff. |
| Mandolin |
A short-necked instrument
with eight paired strings. Luthier Orville Gibson introduced the
flat-backed, scroll-bodied mandolin in 1898. When designer Lloyd
Loar introduced his improvement of this design, the Gibson F-series
mandolin in 1923, the model's improved tone and greater volume
enhanced the mandolin's appeal. Bill Monroe became the mandolin's
first country-style virtuoso and brought the instrument into new
prominence when he joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1939. |
| Meet and Greet |
Before or sometimes after
a show, many stars meet their fans for photos and autographs. Most
of the time you need to be a member of the artist's fan club, or win
a contest to get backstage. |
| Mother Church of Country
Music |
This is the name of the
Ryman Auditorium, the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 - 1974. |
| Nashville |
Capitol of country music.
Home of the Grand Ole Opry, Country Music Hall of Fame, Fan Fair,
and numerous record labels. |
| Nashville Sound |
This type of country was
created in the late 50s, which included piano, strings and
background vocals over the more traditional sounds of banjo and
fiddle. The two producers responsible for the "sound" were Owen
Bradley and Chet Atkins. Popular artists of this style include Patsy
Cline, Jim Reeves, Ray Price, and Eddy Arnold. |
| Neo Traditionalism |
This style was a throwback
when musical integrity was more important than image. Ricky Skaggs,
a picking prodigy, who was inspired by Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley
went against the norm and brought country back to its roots. Also
part of this genre were Randy Travis, George Strait, Alan Jackson,
and the Judds. |
| New Country |
New Country is slick and
highly produced, pop-oriented country which is played on commercial
country radio and video channels. Some of the most popular artists
in this genre are Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Tim
McGraw, and Kenny Chesney. |
| Outlaw Country |
Outlaw Country was the
opposition by some artists to the Nashville Sound. It came into
bloom in the mid-70s, and was a return to mainline country and a
rebellion against the production system. Famous artists in this
genre include Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson,
Jessi Colter, and Tompal Glaser. |
| Poet of the Common Man |
Nickname for Merle
Haggard. |
| Poptry |
See new Country. |
| Possum |
Nickname of George Jones. |
| Queen of Country Music |
Nickname of Miss Kitty
Wells. |
| Red-Headed Stranger |
Nickname for Willie
Nelson. |
| Rockabilly |
This style of music was
invented by Elvis Presley and Sun Records guru Sam Phillips. A band
would usually consist of a guitar, drums, and the upright bass. The
singer, whose voice is usually recorded with “slapback” echo, belts
it out into the mic. Other popular Rockabilly artists are Jerry Lee
Lewis and Carl Perkins. |
| Ryman Auditorium |
The Ryman first opened its
doors in 1892, and was home to the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974. |
| Set List |
List of songs an artist
plans to perform during a particular show. |
| Studio Musicians |
Musicians with exceptional
skill that play on many different artist's recordings. Most artists
use studio musicians rather than their own bands for recording,
however there are some exceptions. |
| Steel Guitar |
The steel guitar differs
from a regular guitar in the way that it's played. The lap steel
guitar is held on your lap facing you. The strings are raised above
the fretboard; rather than pressing them to the fretboard, a steel
bar is pressed against the strings. The pedal steel guitar is
distantly related to the Hawaiian steel. It's a very complicated
instrument to learn, and in country music circles it's considered to
be the instrument that separates the men from the boys. |
| Street Teams |
Street Teams are
organizations of fans helping to promote their favorite artists.
Labels organize the fans who then pass out flyers at shows and make
sure they get votes on fan-voted awards. They also call in to the
Video Channels (CMT and GAC) to get their videos played. |
| Tater |
Nickname of Little Jimmy
Dickens. |
| Tejano |
Musical style based on
traditional Mexican music, Tejano is distinguised by upbeat lyrics
and dancable music. Emilio and most recently john Arthur martinez
are two of the popular artists in this genre. |
| Texas Troubador |
Nickname of Ernest Tubb. |
| The Golden Age of
Nashville |
This is another name for
the Nashville Sound |
| The Hag |
Nickname of Merle Haggard. |
| The King of Country Music |
Nickname of Roy Acuff. |
| The King of the Cowboys |
Nickname of Roy Rogers. |
| The King of Western Swing |
Texas born Bob Wills was
the co-founder of the musical style known as Western Swing. This is
how he got the nickname "The King of Western Swing." |
| The Man in Black |
Nickname for Johnny Cash. |
| The Singing Brakeman |
Nickname for Jimmie
Rodgers. |
| The Tall Texan |
Nickname of Billy Walker. |
| Violin |
See Fiddle |
| Western Swing |
This type of country music
took traditional string bands and incorporated a Big Band sound and
elements of popular 30s music such as show tunes. The figurehead of
this style of music is Bob Wills, with Tex Williams and Milton Brown
also prominent in the style. In today's music, Asleep at the Wheel
continues the tradition of Western Swing. |
| Zydeco |
This is a hard driving
electric music that emerged from Cajun and Creole cultures of
Louisiana's bayou. The music is sung in French, and steeped in blues
and African influences, usually featuring a washboard. C.J. Chenier
and Buckwheat Zydeco lead two of the hottest zydeco bands. |
