Country music is often described as simple, heartfelt, and rooted in storytelling—but it’s also a rich cultural world that tells us as much about identity, place, and class as it does about sound. In this unit, we’ll trace the history of country music and think about what defines a genre—not only through musical traits like twangy guitars or vocal styles, but also through the images, industries, and ideas that shape what we hear as “country.” From rural traditions to pop crossovers, country music gives us a chance to explore how sound and social meaning intertwine.

Listen

When artists push the limits and play with the expectations of traditional music genres they provide us with unique tools to understand them. Listen to this episode of Today Explained to understand the controversy Behind Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road.”

If you prefer to read the transcript of the episode, you can find it below.

Read

Did you know there is more than one kind of “country music” ? Identify different styles and eras reading the excerpt below from the Open Educational Resource Understanding Music: Past and Present from the University System of Georgia.

Explore

Just like with Rock & Roll there are many non-musical elements that are intrinsic to the style we identify as “country music.” Browse through the objects at the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum and Smithsonian’s “Country Music Treasures” and make a list of the different kinds of objects and materials crucial to our understanding of country music.