Country Music: A Cultural and Stylistic History

by Jocelyn R. Neal

Written by an experienced teacher and renowned scholar of the genre, Country A Cultural and Stylistic History , Second Edition, offers a chronological narrative that explains country music's origins, development, and meaning from the first commercial recordings of the 1920s up to the present. It highlights significant performers, songs, and institutions throughout the history of country music. It also considers key social, political, and musical issues that span many decades of evolution within the genre.

Genres: Music

576 pages, Paperback

First published August 10, 2012

Reviews

[Autumn Halfpenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marking this as finished even though I didn’t read the last 27 pages (the appendix). It’s unusual for me to enjoy school textbooks, but this one was very engaging and I enjoyed learning about the beginning of country music until today, learning about artists I’m familiar with. I thought it was especially funny that it included “Thug Story” as an example of a country hip hop crossover, since this is a more niche example. Overall, favorite textbook I’ve read and first one I’ve been able to get through without giving up and relying solely on notes from class :)

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot on the history of country music.