Classification Essay

Slamans 1
Sarah Slamans
Dr. Frazier
Comp 1 ENGL 113
6 October 2020
Country Music
Have you ever thought about how many different types of music we listen to? There are
so many different types of music that we can classify into their own individual groups. We are
surrounded by different types of music that set different moods for everyone. There are certain
genres for every mood that you are feeling. My favorite type of music to listen to is Country out
of all our musical genres. Country can have its own types of its genres as well for instance there
is Red Dirt, Classical Country, Modern, and Country Pop. Each one differs from the other even if
they are all in the same category.
Country music can range anywhere from Red Dirt to Classical Country. Red Dirt country
music is predominantly the main one I listen to daily. Red Dirt music obtained its name from the
red soils in Oklahoma. Originating in Stillwater Oklahoma it became one of the leading and
fastest growing country music genres on the radio. Not only in Oklahoma, Red Dirt can also be
heard south of the red river in Texas. Artists mainly attached to this Texas sound are Waylon
Jennings and Willie Nelson. Another artist connected in a big way is Bob Childers, Bob was
widely recognized as the Father of Oklahoma Red Dirt music. He quickly grew the sound of Red
dirt and did it from the ground up, he would play his music in a two-story house outside of
Stillwater in a place he called “The Farm”. Country music has a variety of genres and everyone
has their own taste, some prefer more of a laid-back country.

Slamans 2
Classic country is a music radio format that mostly plays mainstream country and
western music hits from past decades. This format tends to be a slower and at a more lyrical
pace. Classic country specializes in hits from the 1950s through the early 1980s this era includes
people like Hank Williams, George Jones, and Johnny Cash. Hits from the 1980s and even some
pre-1980s also included artists such as Willie Nelson and Merl Haggard. New FM country
stations soon started to exclude older "classic" country artists from their playlists. Classic
country remains one of the few formats that has proven ideal for AM radio. In the mid-1990s,
mainstream began a newer practice of streaming country music and a large segment of older
country fans turned away from mainstream country. Modern Country began moving to FM
around this time.
Modern Country is also known as popular culture country. In the 1990s, country music
became a worldwide phenomenon thanks to George Strait to whom had a very successful career.
George is also known as the “King of Country” and considered one of the most influential and
popular recording artists of all time. Another great artist emerged during this time known as
Toby Keith. He began his career as a more pop-oriented country singer in the 1990s. Toby
evolved into an outlaw persona in the late 1990s with Pull My Chain and its follow-up,
Unleashed. The popularity of country music exploded in the early 1990s with many more
modern country artists. These modern country stars emerging were artists like Chris Stapleton
and Justin Timberlake who set the tone for Country Pop.
Country pop is a fusion genre of country music and pop. music that was
developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream
audience. Country pop music blends genres like rock, pop, and country all together. This
included Chris Stapleton who collaborated with Justin Timberlake on the Hot 100 top ten single
Slamans 3
"Say Something" which was the mostly viewed video on the internet. In 2012, Billboard restored
recording sales to the chart formula but also added airplay from non-country stations, giving an
inherent advantage to country pop crossover songs. Crossover songs have increasingly set the
record for the longest run on top of the country chart. Artists such as Luke Bryan has increased
the crossover success of country artists, a tradition which has further continued through the
infusion of R&B music by artists including Brett Eldredge, Thomas Rhett, and Sam Hunt.
We are surrounded by many different types of music that set different moods for
everyone. There is a certain genre for every mood that you are feeling. So many that we can
classify into their own groups. My favorite types to listen to is Red Dirt, Classical, Modern, and
Country Pop. Each genre has their own variety types of classifications and their own tempo.
Music is an interesting escape and we now see how different they are even if they are in the same
category. There are just a few activities in life that utilizes the entire brain and music is one of
them.

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What are the main types of country music discussed?

What is Red Dirt music and its origins?

Slamans 1

Comp 1 ENGL 113

they are all in the same category.

has their own taste, some prefer more of a laid-back country.

around this time.

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