A Brief History Of Texas Country Music… And What The Future May Hold

Country music has one of the most loyal fan bases of all of the subgenres…and Texas Country music is bigger than them all! Country music has its roots firmly planted in Texas (hence the name). It has been enormously successful in the state thanks to the cowboy culture of the late 1800’s.

The Texas Country music genre was born after Texan artists retreated from the Nashville music scene to other places throughout the US, all achieving higher success that Texan artists who had chosen to stay in Nashville. The popular term for this subgenre is “red dirt music”. Due in part to the heavy influence of the Oklahoma music scene… the “red dirt” is a merely a comparison for the miles of dirt between the two states.

Cowboy.1887.wsOriginally, Texas country music was a direct influence of the cowboy culture that was prominent in the 1800’s. Cowboy culture comes from a mixture of Anglo and Hispanic cultures created within the state of Texas. This style of ranching then spread across Western America. The culture surrounding this way of life became one of the most famous across the globe. While people still do incorporate Cowboy Culture into their life, it is very different from back in the 1800’s.

Cowboys used to rely on gambling as a means of entertainment, playing games of chance such as Faro, an incredibly simple card game, not like today’s gaming options. It wasn’t until the 1920’s that country music began to take off, giving them another pastime.

It wasn’t until the late 1960’s that Texas Country music emerged as a separate sub-genre. Texas country music takes the original country sound and gives it a more care free and honest attitude with their lyrics. The lyrics are the backbone of any Texas country music tune, expressing the care free views of outlaw country.

Willie_Nelson_at_Farm_Aid_2009_-_CroppedWillie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and David Allan Coe were the first to escape the Nashville music scene, in turn inspiring other Texan artists to do the same. Artists such as Cory Morrow and Pat Green have become very popular even to this day on the Texan music scene. Mainstream artist continue to be influenced by the genre and can be heard in artists such as Jack Ingram.

With such a powerful history and influential artists such as Willie Nelson continuing to inspire young and future generations,Texas country music’s influence will continue to be heard across popular country music. The subgenre itself still has a strong almost cult like following, such passion will never die out.

 

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