Each club day comes with a great afternoon tea! The location of our club meeting is in the St John Hall, on Bowen Street in Feilding.
You can contact John on 0 2 7 - 2 9 0 3 1 0 3 :)
If you love country music or just want to know about how it came to be; keep reading because we are about to tell you some interesting facts you need to know about the history of this popular music genre:
A little history...
1- Initially called “country and western music”, to the latest term “country music”, this music style’s origins date back to the 20th century.2 – It emerged in the south and west of America, mainly from the American working class of the Appalachian Mountains.
3 – “Country” was influenced by many cultures and music genres: from African Americans, jazz, and blues to the ballads and songs of English, Scots and Irish immigrants who settled in America.
4 – It is believed that country music became a formal genre in America after the country musician “Fiddlin’ John Carson” was discovered.
5 – Many rural radio stations arose in the 1920s playing this popular genre in programmes such as “National Barn Dance” and the “Grand Ole Opry” from Nashville.
6 – Among the first country musicians and groups were “the Carter Family” with its famous song “Wildwood Flower”, and Jimmie Rodgers, who is considered the “Father of Country Music”.
7 – Country spread to new areas after the migration of southern rural residents to the city, receiving then, great influence from gospel music and blues.
8 – Throughout the 1930s many variants of country music arose, including “The Western Swing” that incorporated drums and the steel guitar. As well as the western swing, cowboy films played a very important part in the evolution of this genre of music.
9 -In 1940, the Honky-tonk variant became very popular, which included a combination of guitar with sentimental lyrics.
10 – Another important figure of country music was Bill Monroe and his band, the Blue Grass Boys, famous for the bluegrass genre.
11 – In 1950, country music received influence from Rock n’ roll, and in the mid-1950s “the Nashville Sound” movement arose as opposed to the honky-tonk music of the previous period.
12 – In 1970 “The Outlaw” movement, also called progressive country, gained strong popularity.
13 – Among the many popular country artists of the 20th and 21st centuries are Lyle Lovett, Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert, just to mention some.
14 - New Zealanders have a strong connection to the land and their rural heritage, which is reflected in country music. The music speaks of a lifestyle that is familiar to many New Zealanders, with its themes of hard work, family, and community. Country music is also seen as a more honest and down-to-earth genre than other forms of popular music, which may be another reason why it is so popular in New Zealand.
15 - Toe-tapping country music was popular from the 1920s, with stars including the yodelling sharpshooter Tex Morton and Johnny Cooper, the ‘Māori cowboy’.
16 - Early country music Country music grew out of folk music, as British immigrants to the US transformed traditional songs. New Zealanders adapted country music to describe their own country.
From the 1920s records by American country acts were available in New Zealand, and some visited. In 1932 Robert Lane made demonstration discs in Wellington – some of the world’s earliest country recordings outside America. He moved to Australia and had a long musical career as Tex Morton.
The Tumbleweeds, set up in 1949, were a popular country band.
Country music, 1950s onwards The early recording industry promoted many local country singers. Johnny Cooper, known as the ‘Māori cowboy’, covered American songs. From the 1960s artists such as Peter Posa and Maria Dallas were played on the radio, and John Hore and Eddie Low released records. The country touch (1968–69) and That’s country (1976–83) were popular TV shows, featuring musicians such as Patsy Riggir, Brendan Dugan and the Topp Twins. The Gold Guitar Awards for country musicians were held each year in Gore. In the 2000s some artists played ‘alt country’ – combining country and alternative rock influences.
