quiz 1

Question 1

What are traditional Country Music Styles?

Answer 1

Fiddling, Ballads, Country Songs

Question 2

What are important music instruments in the style?

Answer 2

accordion, autoharp, banjo, mandolin, steel guitar

Question 3

What is the genre defined by?

Answer 3

commercial, artist, fan-base

Question 4

What makes country music authentic?

Answer 4

construction/awareness, multi-generational appeal, music conservation/preservation, instruments/sound “twang”, traditional vs. originality, biography, image

Question 5

Definition of Country Music

Answer 5

“A commercial genre that claims a lineage from early 20th century, rural, while mostly southern, working class popular music” OR “country music is any music the artist means to be country”

Question 6

Otherness: Cultural Cringe

Answer 6

Rural vs. Urban, colonial inferiority complex around Northern vs Southern divide (hillbilly),

Question 7

Otherness: (All)

Answer 7

Cultural cringe, religious fervor/fundamentalism, sentimentality, Popularity (traditional vs pop, lack of originality), Access and Opportunity,

Question 8

Why did the earliest disseminations have broad appeal?

Answer 8

Because of rural to town migration and because soldiers from WWI and WWII from different places shared their music with each other

Question 9

During what major event did the earliest disseminations of country music take place?

Answer 9

During the Great Depression

Question 10

What aspects of community did the earliest disseminations of country music represent?

Answer 10

southern/working class identity, activity, politics, and gender roles.

Question 11

When were the phonograph and gramophone invented?

Answer 11

Phonograph (1877) Gramophone (1887)

Question 12

How did record labels affect country music?

Answer 12

more opportunities, cataloguing the genre (separating it from blues), “Dime store” labels (ABC records), contracts

Question 13

What year did early country music sales peak?

Answer 13

1922

Question 14

What were the nature of pre-vinyl records?

Answer 14

Wax cylinder, 3 per side, 1 song per side (A side/ B side)

Question 15

When was the electronic microphone invented?

Answer 15

1925

Question 16

Who made the talking machine

Answer 16

Victrola

Question 17

Who made the “first country recording” when and what are some things about him?

Answer 17

Fiddlin’ John Carson-
1923
Born Georgia moved to Atlanta
Factory worker
celebrity fiddler in KKK competitions

Question 18

What was Fiddlin’ John Carson’s commercial enterprise?

Answer 18

USB radio (welcome south brother)
Okeh records (ralph peer)

Question 19

Who was Deford Bailey?

Answer 19

Black Hillbilly from Nashville
“Harmonica Wizard”
was in original cast of players for WSM barn dance at the Grand Ol’ OPry
Left in 1941 cause of racism

Question 20

Who was Heddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter?

Answer 20

Country, Blues, folk, musician from Louisiana
Discovered in prison
400 songs recorded only 50 released (ARC)

Question 21

What was the cause of “Country’s Big Bang”? 1927

Answer 21

Recording sessions of primarily singers (19 acts) in Bristol Tennessee known as the Bristol Sessions which produced the first country hits

Question 22

Who was the Carter Family?

Answer 22

They were the “First Family of Country”
Discovered at Bristol Sessions
from clinch mountain Virginia
Sang wholesome country
a lot of songs were stolen and changed to evade copyright laws

Question 23

Who was Jimmie Rogers?

Answer 23

Tragic troubadour from Mississippi but became an “Adopted Texan”
Sincere, 1st person narrative, yodeling
played with very diverse range of ensembles
died young

Question 24

Who was Roy Acuff?

Answer 24

(next gen of country)
Opry star from Tennessee who was a hillbilly who wouldn’t “clean up his act”, not the best singer or fiddler but most sincere. Elder statesman at opry.

Started Rose-Acuff publishing (1942)
made songbooks
first publishing company to not take advantage of artists.

Made

Question 25

Who were two big stars of 30-40s country themed comedy acts?

Answer 25

Minnie Pearl and Grandpa Jones

Question 26

How did the depression affect country music?

Answer 26

Country got a "smoother sound" because people were spending less on entertainment and creating a less regionally specific sound created broader appeal. More of a push for wholesome family acts as well.

Question 27

How was Western Swing different than Country music?

Answer 27

Western swing didn't start until the 1930's-1950's and took place mostly on the west coast and in the southeast. More of a musical melting pot with less cultural consideration (Blues, Swing, pop, non-regional dialect)

Question 28

Who was Bob Wills?

Answer 28

A Texan Western Swing star who started out playing fiddle for Pappy O'Daniel in the "dough boys" Played at the Opry in 44 and convinced them to let him use drums later become a cowboy western star and had the first pop crossover hit

Question 29

Why was the construction of the Singing Cowboy made?

Answer 29

In Hollywood they wanted a less rough around the edges representation of country culture and the cowboy was a hero instead of a hillbilly. During the depression there was a theme of wrapping things up into neatly packaged aesthetics as a form of escapism.

Question 30

Who were some Singing Cowboy stars?

Answer 30

Ken Maynard, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Patsy Montana, Tex Ritter

Question 31

Fiddlin’ John Carson: “The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane”

Answer 31

Style: Early Hillbilly 1923 A cover of an old minstrel song about a slave who is nostalgic for being in the fields. (john carson was in the kkk)

Question 32

Lead Belly: “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?”

Answer 32

1944 about a man's wife cheating and then he gets killed

Question 33

Carter Family: “Can the Circle Be Unbroken”

Answer 33

style: hillbilly gospel (cover of a gospel song) dime store ARC label 1935

Question 34

Jimmie Rodgers: “Muleskinner Blues”

Answer 34

1931 hillbilly/country blues

Question 35

Roy Acuff: “The Great Speckled Bird”

Answer 35

ARC 1959 strophic form hillbilly classic 1930s sounding country song learned song from gospel group used this song to get a record deal and later play at the Opry

Question 36

Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys: “New San Antonio Rose”

Answer 36

AABA western swing 1940 no audible connection to hillbilly uses sound from mariachi lyrics were re worked to be cowboy themed

Question 37

Patsy Montana: “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart”

Answer 37

1935 strophic with refrain singing cowboy style first song by a woman to sell 1 million copies ARC

Question 38

Gene Autry: “Back in the Saddle Again”

Answer 38

1939 Verse Chorus Singing Cowboy Style for a movie called Border G-Man represents success of connection between film and music