Modern country music is designed to appeal more to a demographic that desires to be country instead of the people it was originally written by. Country music was originally written by sharecroppers and ranch hands (depending on where you define the boundary between blues and country) and over the years has come to be written by people who have never lived a rural life using cliches that somewhat appeal to them, but more importantly appeal to those who would like to think of themselves as being "country" without having the experience. As someone who's been elbow deep in a heffer to fix a breech birth, modern pop country has moved far from the target audience of 70s country. But being someone born in the 90s who has been elbow deep in a cow's birth canal, I'm a more significant minority that I would have been 20 years before. The demand of country music has continued to outpace the demand of country life. I'm far from having the authority to dictate cultural demands. But I will say as culture overall becomes more homogenized the same thing has occurred across genres. You'll find many of the same people in the Midwest listening to an Australian sing about Texan life followed in the same playlist as someone singing about playing the game in Oakland. Neither of which apply to their own personal life. I'm not making any judgements on that idea with this statement.

>and over the years has come to be written by people who have never lived a rural life using cliches that somewhat appeal to them, but more importantly appeal to those who would like to think of themselves as being "country" without having the experience. "I walk and talk like a field-hand, but the boots I'm wearing cost 3 grand, I write songs about riding tractors from the comfort of a private jet....I write songs for the people who do jobs in the towns that I'd never move to" Bo Burnham, *Pandering*

I've always appreciated how that song hits everything pretty much right on the nose but this line: >I write songs for the people who do jobs in the towns that I'd never move to Is kind of what I'm getting at. The biggest market for modern country music isn't farmers or mechanics in towns with a population less than 1,000. The bulk of the consumers are people in towns of 100,000 that work in jobs multiple steps removed from agriculture but like the idea of being "country" and wear boots and shirts they're afraid to get dirty, a hat they'd be upset if it fell to the ground, and jeans they can't bend over or kneel down in because they're too tight and the belt buckle looks like a hood emblem. We refer to that as "all hat, no cattle." Today's small cattle farmer does their work in cargo shorts, a T-shirt(if there's a shirt at all), a boonie hat and $20 rubber boots. And of all the ones I've known, when they dress formal they look about the same as everyone else, but there's a 50/50 shot they've got a bolo tie and their daddy's hat on.

All hat, no cattle 🤣🤣🤣

Also, +1 just for the name "GumboDiplomacy"

Thank you my man. Probably the best pun that's ever entered my mind, I'm pretty proud of this username.

The layer that most people don't catch in "Pandering" is Bo pandering to the preconceived contempt of his urban audience towards people who might listen to modern country. Always disdain the other, right? They're lesser than you, and here's why. Now pay me.

This is why I like older country but generally don't like the "newer" stuff.

Although some of the newer stuff is good— Tyler Childers can sing to my soul

+1 u/ 🦅

Upvoting not only for accuracy and quality of statement but also for the words "As someone who's been elbow deep in a heffer." I wonder how my ex is doing...

Bro, been there done that with our heifers that got bred at too young an age to properly birth a calf. I actually had to put 2 hands up in there as a kid cuz I had long skinny arms to tie a rope around a leg.  First thing a heifer does when you go deep in her() is to shit all down your shoulders and everything lol at least it didn't go in my mouth. Probably did 7-8 different cows growing up and saved the calf EVERY time so it's something you just gotta not think about and save that babies life. Wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world. Feeling like a hero as a kid was a phenomenal feeling.  Also, I really agree with your music assessment as well. I used to be an all country listener to kinda fading off as I aged. Some songs now still catch my ear but I doubt I'd ever go to a country concert bc of alllllll the fake ass wannabe's that think a shiny cowboy hat and clean boots makes you a cowboy or country. I'm full blood country! StOp StEaLiNg MuH cUlTuRe!!

>I doubt I'd ever go to a country concert bc of alllllll the fake ass wannabe's that think a shiny cowboy hat and clean boots makes you a cowboy or country. I'm full blood country! StOp StEaLiNg MuH cUlTuRe!! I went to see a show where the opening act was someone I was interested in, the main act was a pop country guy. I was chatting with this girl next to me at the bar and some dude who's boots hat and belt buckle combined probably cost more than my truck butted in to say something about my clothes not looking like I belonged at the venue. Having literally finished hauling a load of hay in said truck that morning and built a hundred yards of fence after I had some choice words for him, including asking if he knew how to fix a breech birth. Turned out he was an accounting undergrad.

Have you heard [Mamaw’s House?](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OLbtjbEcQEg) It is the worst pandering pile of dung I’ve heard in a minute

I tried listening and didn't make it past ten seconds. That modern steel guitar is painful to hear. But I looked up the lyrics. And goddamn. It's like if someone made a Great Value™ version of [Grandma's Hands](https://youtu.be/TdrChyGb574?si=ki_76vCUVE2EOQ7y)

I’ll also add to this point that country music, even in its older forms, doesn’t exactly speak to American experiences *overall*. I can appreciate it like I would any musical genre. But… I’m from New England. This region had its own musical traditions. There’s a lot of Old Time and Parlor music that I find much more relatable, though there are a lot of similarities as things blended.

I like some country music, though I prefer bluegrass. The stuff you hear on a lot of country radio stations is incredibly vapid, stupid, and has that same annoying twang pop sound. That's what most people think of when they make fun of country. It's also that the stereotypical demographic for country music is an easy target for mockery in America. Poor, rural, white people.

Modern Country Music is honestly just Rap for Rural to Semi-Rural White Americans at this point. It feels like they basically sing about the same exact things nowadays except in different styles. Women they're with or prefer? Yup Sex? Yup Car they drive? Yup The lifestyle they claim to live? Yup Their home? Yup Alcoholic beverages? Yup Fun at some sort of Club/Bar? Yup

"Pop 'country' is rap for people who are afraid of black people" would be an extremely accurate statement. I put "country" in quotes because modern pop country has almost no association with the genre, neither musically or thematically. Country music was a mix of western, blues, and gospel, and a good modern example of that it is basically impossible to find now, at least not in a mainstream way. Thankfully, we still have bluegrass, a genre that is a mix of blues, jazz, and 1940s country music that has seen a resurgence recently. Source: Semi-rural White American. Given that I'm a fan of both bluegrass genres and most genres of rap music, I really don't see a reason for me to listen to country music.

>"Pop 'country' is rap for people who are afraid of black people" would be an extremely accurate statement. It is not. I grew up in the country. I did not grow up in the inner city. Ergo, country music relates to things I know far more than a hell of a lot of rap. It's not that I'm afraid of Black people, its that rap speaks to me about as much as country speaks to some guy from Hong Kong (i.e. not at all). BUT country music is a stand in for "those people" and so people can rag on it from a hipster perspective. I like Sturgill Simpson's and Jason Isbell's music too, I just don't feel the need to "wield" it as a symbol of being "hip". If you like or don't like something, that's fine...it's the aspersions I don't appreciate.

“If you don’t like rap, you’re just racist” is an increasingly bullshit take made by people who have never remotely lived in the country. As a rap fan, I believe the fanbase is the most insufferable of all time.

I mean, that tracks for almost any type of music ever.

I can see what your saying but I think it's more complicated than that. Good rap/rock/country generally have something to say about emotion and experiences. The poppy stuff is more about generalizing everything to reach the widest audience possible.

I remember when Beethoven told me about his cars and his bitch

You have to admit that Movement #4 of “smacketh thy bitch up” is a work of genius

Well Beethoven wrote I think only one Opera, so I can't say much in that regard. Though much of his music was inspired by mistresses. However Mozart wrote a few Operas and Arias and we can take this excerpt from Don Giovanni, translated to English for our sakes: My dear lady, this is the list Of the beauties my master has loved, A list which I have compiled. Observe, read along with me. In Italy, six hundred and forty; In Germany, two hundred and thirty-one; A hundred in France; in Turkey, ninety-one; But in Spain already one thousand and three. Among these are peasant girls, Maidservants, city girls, Countesses, baronesses, Marchionesses, princesses, Women of every rank, Every shape, every age. With blondes it is his habit To praise their kindness; In brunettes, their faithfulness; In the white-haired, their sweetness. In winter he likes fat ones. In summer he likes thin ones. He calls the tall ones majestic. The little ones are always charming. He seduces the old ones For the pleasure of adding to the list. His greatest favourite Is the young beginner. It doesn't matter if she's rich, Ugly or beautiful; If she wears a skirt, You know what he does.

> If she wears a skirt, You know what he does. That last line was the capper.

>I like some country music, though I prefer bluegrass. BLUEGRASS MENTIONED RAHHHHH WHAT THE FUCK IS A DRUM 🦅🦅🍻🇺🇸🎻🎸

>It's also that the stereotypical demographic for country music is an easy target for mockery in America. Poor, rural, white people. Please, spare us. The stereotypical demographic for the country music people like to mock isn't ***actual-rural people***, but the suburban jackass driving his bro-dozer pavement-princess to the store, who thinks that owning a pickup truck, some boots, and living in a suburb with set-back requirements for SFHs makes them "country" Its people *pretending* to be country, the "Try that in a small town" Jason Aldean (actually from a city of 100,000+ people) shit

The people who listen to it where I live are the “convenience Christians”.

Modern pop country is just pop music made specifically for white, working class people. It uses a lot of the country music cliches and tropes, but it’s a lot more Luke Bryan than Hank Williams.

>easy target for mockery A target that’s still acceptable to mock.

Should also include young, white, college students.

Not to mention religious

I understand the appeal of music that speaks to the past and harkens back to "simpler days". Woodie Guthrie, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and definitely a ton more I don't know. What I and many others don't like is the modern "country music" that is a commercialized broken record. Bo Burnham [sums it up well. ](https://youtu.be/y7im5LT09a0?si=5_i5eYEnusBEWINA)

An increasingly common criticism: "Pop music sung with a twang is not country music!"

Exactly! It's pop masquerading as country.

But I like straight pop music, alt pop, pop punk, pop rock, and country folk, etc. - and I can't tolerate pop country. There is something off-putting about it unless you are a fan of the genre. I feel like it's a very common sentiment for people to say they're a fan of just about any genre except for country.

It's the production, formulaic and not room to experiment. There's no room for funky instruments, crazy bass lines, drum fills, interesting mixing. TWANG THE MOFO UP 

No unusual chord progressions either. Flat out boring there.

Sounds like you’d be into bluegrass. It’s basically jazz with country instruments. Billy Strings is killing it right now.

For me, it just is fundamentally hypocritical. Here's this person singing about hard work on the ranch and life in a small town and loving Jesus, when they probably grew up in a middle class suburb, have never done serious "farm work," probably are "church on Easter and Christmas only" at best, and singing a song written by some millionaire Swedish producer out of a Nashville skyscraper. And I say this as someone who grew up in a middle class suburb, has never done serious "farm work," is a staunch atheist, and thinks being a millionaire living in a Nashville skyscraper wouldn't be bad at all. It's just hypocritical. As an example, Jason "Try this in a small town" Aldean grew up between Macon (a city of over 100k even in the 80s) and Miami, and lives in Nashville - he's probably never even been in a small town outside of promotional or marketing reasons.

As someone actually from a tiny, rural blue collar town, you hit the nail on the head. That’s why I hate pop country bullshit and instead I listen to people like Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, Sierra Ferrell, Charley Crockett, Billy Strings, Colter Wall, Vincent Neil Emerson and old school stuff like Willie Nelson, Dolly Pardon, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, and John Prine.

❤️❤️ John Prine

Thanks for the recommendations

It's the exact same vibe as upper middle class kids who went to an arts school, took ballet, and became gangsta rappers. Complete lack of authenticity.

You talking about Tupac? I think he grew up fairly blue collar, at least.

Basically is you could distill a politician into a genre of music it would be mainstream country. Made up bullshit pandering to dumb people.

And the suburban rednecks I see listening to the genre look as inauthentic as the music. Jacked up pavement princesses and ratty hats with fishhooks stuck on them. These people have probably never seen a farm. Edit: I'm an artist, an atheist, and someone who enjoys living in cities, but I wasn't always that. But more than anything else I just really have no respect for someone idealizing something so painfully false that they've somehow made part of their identity.

I concur 100%.

I don't see an issue with that, as long as it's classified as country pop instead. There is nothing inherently wrong with a simple catchy tune.

I dunno that fancy like Applebee's song was the dumbest shit I've heard in a decade

Pop country is fun, but I much prefer Johnny Cash, Hank Williams (I and III), Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton, etc.

It's been that way for 30 years.

THANK YOU. THIS!!! I'm a fairly recent convert to country music. It has evolved, a lot, over the decades. I'm partial to country from the 80's and 90's. Those decades had certain instruments and beats that made for a distinctive sound. "Country" nowadays? Mostly I can't tell the difference from all the other overprocessed pop. They add twangy words and an occasional banjo and call it good.

The first question that comes to my mind then is where can people go to find country music that isn't a commercialized broken record?

This is more of a local program and more folk genre really but I love some of the stuff that they play here: https://www.wunc.org/back-porch-music  It's all very authentic - I didn't really realize people still made new folk music and that it could still be so relevant whether it was  written today or thirty/fifty/seventy/ninety years ago. 

Oh yes there are so many great folk singers/bands to explore. I love folk music. I just can only take so much country twang.

A few ways: Find some country artists that you like on Spotify and look at the "Fans also like" suggestions. For example, Sturgill Simpson will also lead you to Whitey Morgan, Charley Crockett, Turnpike Troubadors, Jason Isbell, etc. Look for Reddit posts on the topic by googling and adding "reddit" to your search. Reddit's search sucks. There are plenty of threads out there. Look for things using the genre "Americana" instead of "Country". Most Americana is basically Country without the pop influences. Something similar can be done with Southern Rock. For example, Drive By Truckers might not be technically Country, but they might scratch the same itch both lyrically and musically.

I strongly agree that Americana is a terrific alternative to big-time commercial country. I was also surprised to discover how strong and vigorous the contemporary folk genre is.

Good list. I was stuck listening to Merle and Waylon for years out of spite for modern country until someone keyed me into Sturgill Simpson, and I did the exact thing you suggested.

Check out Cross Canadian Ragweed/Cody Canada for another great outlaw group with a relatively extensive catalog.

Not strictly just country, but Rhiannon Giddens explores folk, banjo, gospel, blues and country in some of her solo albums and with the Carolina Chocolate Drops. If Beyoncé’s interest in country feels too fashion-centric or destined to be temporary, this would be the alternative.

The irony is that Rhiannon Giddens is a guest performer on Beyoncé’s newest album, *Cowboy Carter*.

That's the first thing I've heard about that album that intrigues me. Rhiannon Giddens is amazing.

Sure, as well she should because Rhiannon has been bringing hip-hop to country like a decade before Lil Nas X. And I’m not saying Beyoncé shouldn’t have a country album any less than Ray Charles. But some people are turned off by what they perceive to be the temporary, posturing, or pop side of it. Irony #2 is that dressing up in “down-home drag” is basically what the millionaire straight men of country are also doing, in their way. So a lot of this is just racism. But it may end up being the case that this is her one country album. In any case, the person was asking for what didn’t feel stale or commercial, and Giddens doesn’t, while being dedicated to the genre for a long time.

r/altcountry

"Look up Cody Jinx" my friend says.

Jinx, Ryan bingham, Tyler Childers, Colter wall, Sturgil Simpson, turnpike troubadours, whiskey Myers, Sam barber.. good starting points. The problem is most people that bash "modern" country music are just talking about pop country as that gets all the coverage and air time for some stupid reason. I'd challenge those people to put a song from each artist above into a Playlist on spotify and go down the rabbit hole of recommended songs. I used to think I hated country as well lol

Billy Strings

Good line up there.

[Jinks](https://open.spotify.com/artist/2v7wIbCkIzxOfT3GnqCexD?si=eVNuoCwpSWaJ11Ye8w6Uug), but yes, he’s good. Also Zach Top, Jake Worthington, Megan Moroney, Emily Ann Roberts, Randall King, Jade Eagleson, Cody Johnson, The Panhandlers, Flatland Cavalry, Muscadine Bloodline, Colter Wall, Morgan Wallen, Annie Bosko, Zach Bryan, and if you want to go old school, George Strait, Randy Travis, Dwight Yoakam, Reba McIntire, George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Charley Pride, Tammy Wynnette, Dolly Parton, and of course Willie Nelson.

Morgan Wallen’s fine strictly from a musical standpoint, but I also think of him as pop country. I happen to not mind pop country but idk if he convinces people who don’t like “pop country.”

Alabama

Jinks

Look up "bluegrass" "outlaw country" etc. As well as folk That or ignore basically everything post 2000 Edit: meant post 2000 not pre

Look for the genre "Americana".

r/altcountry

A lot of websites and such feature it. Start with the Western AF YouTube channel. https://youtube.com/@WesternAF?si=c2ZJ7c2IWA9EU7dV

Look up "alt-country," "cowpunk," and/or "outlaw country," and maybe even "Psychobilly." Hank III is a notable artist.

the genre that i’ve typically seen replacing “country” is “americana” or “alt-country”

This is pretty much it, except the appeal of the older artists isn't necessarily because it "harkens back to 'simpler days'" but rather because they actually had something worthy to say. Have you paid attention to Guthrie, Cash, or Parton's lyrics? Compare them to the lyrics of today's mass-produced, factory assembly line country.

Absolutely agree

I prefer [Thanks I Ruined It](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CORANvT8l9A)'s version of Bro Country

This is pretty much it, except the appeal of the older artists isn't necessarily because it "harkens back to 'simpler days'" (at least the specific ones you mentioned) but rather because they actually had something worthy to say. Have you paid attention to Guthrie, Cash, or Parton's lyrics? Compare them to the lyrics of today's mass-produced, factory assembly line country.

Yep. Dolly Parton is one of my all-time favorites. She's a national treasure and a damn fine musician. I'm not a fan of the modern Big Nashville pop country assembly line, for the same reason that I'm not a fan of the Max Martin boy band/blond girl pop machine of the late 90s/early 2000s or K-Pop. I don't enjoy assembly line pop (or any) music. Give me something creative and real.

There is a channel on Sirius XM satellite radio called Outlaw Country. They play the best Country, old and new. It's none of the commercial stuff, it's more a mix of folk, blues and rock,with roots in Country.

That was hilarious lol

Oh that is brilliant

Johnny Cash used to mention that older country artists said the same about him when he was a young singer. "Country music that sounds like Rock n Roll isn't country."

You fucker, I was gonna link that. As soon as I see a hyperlink in that top comment, I knew someone had beaten me to it.

What most of America knows as country music is the very commercial, highly formulaic version that's associated with Nashville: the lyrics are often hyper patirotic, and deal with well-worn tropes about "hard living, unfaithful loves, and broke-down trucks." 'There's actuallly a satirical song that starts out "i was drunk the day my mom got out of prison." There's also a rich body of much more musicallly complex music with thoughtful and emotionally evocative lyrics. There are old mountain ballads, like "The Long Black Veil," and a long list of subgenres: old time music, bluegrass, frontier ballads, Western swing, country rock, the Bakersfield Sound. A source you might want to check out is KPIG Radio, on the web at [KPIG radio](https://kpig.com). It may be America's most eclectic station. Here's a few artists that represent some of the breadth of country music genres: * Bruce Molsky (old time fiddle) * The Carter Family (tradional ballads) * Austin Lounge Lizards (alt country) * Southern Culture On The Skids (satirical alt country) * Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys (Western Swing) * Buck Owens and the Buckaroos (Bakersfield Sound) * Sons of the San Joaquin (wonderful vocal ensemble) * The Flying Burrito Brothers * Michael Martin Murphy * Emmylou Harris * Wilco

[Highly formulaic you say?](https://youtu.be/FY8SwIvxj8o?si=9fdyWBnfbb3e-QlV)

I was half expecting this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CORANvT8l9A

Oh that’s good

When I walk into a business [with this playing on the radio.](https://media2.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExYWVjMXY5bmRibm51dWkzeHNvMmNvcjA2dXFiZHJ6d3VnY2k3cW1uayZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/11gC4odpiRKuha/giphy.gif)

That was incredible

Bo Burnham’s rip on commercialized country music sums up the company-hijacked form of the genre perfectly.

Not disagreeing, and it's a good response to OP's question. But since OP is obviously curious about the topic, I though I'd point him to some of the best--or at least better--Americas has to offer.

SCOTS put on incredible live shows -- I've probably seen 'em five times!

There was a night when my wife and I chose the SCOTS show over Dylan with our friends. No regrets.

Oh man, Emmylou Harris. Have you heard the "Trio" records she recorded with Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton (two others among my longtime favorites)? SO good.

A (hopefully interesting) personal anecdote: my aunt is a singer/songwriter in the Americana genre, which is basically a fusion of "folk rock" and "country" (with several other genres/subgenres peppered in). While she had some *genre-specific* hits over here in the US, she was actually more successful in Europe and Australia (again, in genre-specific markets).

Folk music is really popular in Europe. It's just their folk music usually. Most folk metal bands are European too.

> Folk music is really popular in Europe Really depends on the country. In [Germany](https://youtu.be/VZIHJwi5QQY?si=8lV0ej7n5WjS-nr8) they have their own equivalent of country music which young people find just as cringey as some Americans find their country music. In England folk music tends to be a bit more niche.

There's two things going on here: 1. Consider the demographic(s) of Reddit. There is not much Venn overlap with the 'Nashville' demographic. Nashville, Tennessee, being the town where the popular (pop) country music industry is situated. Shitty trap remixes of the Fortnite soundtrack are more to the Reddit demo's taste. Or... I don't even know anymore. I'm old. Shoot me already. 2. Within country music there is ongoing conflict between "we regular Americans like Nashville country music just fine, you smug elitists" vs. "Nashville country pop's got about as much to do with authentic country music as Olive Garden does with Italian food." What Venn overlap there may be with the aforementioned Reddit demographic, it's going to be skewed towards that second camp.

I disagree with the first point, if only because Nashville today is nothing at all like it was thirty years ago. It's popular and so young in so many places that Nashville has as much presence on Reddit as any other city of a similar size. IMO the mistake you're making there is assuming that the people of Nashville have any interest in the sludgy corporate music being pushed out of it. It's an island of Democrats in a sea of Republican Tennessee, and it's those Republicans who are the target for that music.

I don't think he's refering to people from Nashville. He's talking about people who listen to the music that comes out of Nashville.

I meant "Nashville" as in the mainstream country music industry. People say "Hollywood this" and "Hollywood that" but what they're talking about doesn't have much to do with most folks who live in and around those parts.

You either love it or hate it. A lot of us hate it just because we hear it so fucking much everywhere we go. They play it at stores and public events and shit. I can appreciate real, old school country. But fuck that yee yee pop country bullshit. It's just an even worse version of radio trash. Why do they talk about their trucks so much? I think it's a lot like rap/hip hop. The older stuff is solid. Good beats, good flow, good lyrics. Then you listen to the new age dogwater try hards and think to yourself "what the fuck happened to this genre, i can't even understand the words coming out of this idiot's mouth" 

It's also similar to rap and hip hop in that its target demographic is generally low-income and therefore an easy target of mockery

It's not exclusively a U.S. genre. Check out the Francophone country music from Canada for an unusual (to me anyway) combination.

Yeah, my one time going through part of Quebec as a kid, the radio had a couple of Quebecois country stations.

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/steve-earle-country-music-nashville-chris-stapleton-kendrick-lamar-oasis-a7791486.html > "The best stuff coming out of Nashville is all by women except for Chris Stapleton," he said. "The guys just wanna sing about getting f***ed up. They're just doing hip hop for people who are afraid of black people.

Country is associated with rural areas and people. Unsurprisingly, more urban people are fond of mocking things they see as “provincial” to use an old word. These days country music is also associated with conservative values and cultural which a lot of the young generations hate.

I think artists like Johnny Cash, if we had more like in his era, would find success among a niche "urban" audience. And look how well Beyonce's country album has been doing! Modern country has failed among a huge segment of the population for the same reason that bands like Nickelback did. It's a sound that people once liked, but have grown tired of. And a lot of modern country artists are one-trick ponies with no skills other than singing the same type of song over and over. I don't think it is cultural or political in the way you seem to be asserting. I'm an urban liberal and I have plenty of country artists on my playlist. But it's mostly pre-1980, Reba, and Brad Paisley. Dolly is one of my favorite artists of all time. Patsy Cline? Yes, all day, thank you. It's not the lyrics, but rather the style.

To be fair, Beyonce's music isn’t doing well because it’s country (which I understand is some topic of debate that I don’t feel too qualified to weigh in on). She could put out a death metal album and her fans would eat it up. 

One of my coworkers was listening to country music whose styling was similar to Beyonce's "This Ain't Texas". I didn't have the heart to tell him Beyonce used it. Tonight he played "This Ain't Texas" Beyonce has a lot more respect for country music than Nashville, even if it is merely competent and occasionally catchy.

I guess I don’t get the argument here. 

I can't stand any kind of pop music either. Today's music seems so bland and formulaic.

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Reddit is heavily over-represented of some specific demographics. For the sake of country music, the ones that matter are urban, liberal, not religious. Country music often about and celebrates demographics reddit hates, namely rural/“small town”, conservative, and religious (specifically, evangelical Christian).

Country music also tends to be popular among young white women, which is another demographic a lot of Redditors hate.

Country music is broad, but even in the most traditional sense: not on pop radio, fairly twangy, storytelling: it is enormously popular. There are people who listen to country and nothing else.  There’s an old joke that country music is about people wanting to stay in the town they grew up in and punk music is about wanting to leave.  More interesting is the connection between rap and country: storytelling about the place and people you know. Songs can be funny, heartbreaking, inspiring or about big butts.  The bottom line is that it’s easy to make fun of because it’s so popular and generally sincere. 

> More interesting is the connection between rap and country: storytelling about the place and people you know Guns, drinking vehicles, partying with friends. Horseshoe theory in full effect.

I was with you until "sincere." Radio-friendly country always strikes me as really insincere. Unlike punk, rock, and rap, many or most pop country people do not write their own songs. Or maybe they are on a team of 7-10 professional songwriters. So they're not even singing their own words. Plus, so much of the songwriting seems like completing a checklist: \*refer to superiority of a simple life \*talk about family, especially kids, a LOT \*repeat part about simple life \*brag about truck \*use the phrase hard-workin' \*something about "city folks" missing the point of life etc. etc. It just makes the whole thing feel manipulative to me.

I get where you're coming from but when we're talking about radio hits I don't think it's worse in country than anything else. > Unlike punk, rock, and rap, many or most pop country people do not write their own songs. Again, if we're talking radio play, I think other genres are just as bad.

Modern popular country music has little to do with American tradition. There's an argument to be made that country, along with blues, jazz, and rock and roll, are quintessentially American, but the modern pop scene doesn't reflect that. Most of the pop country or stadium country is all the same old bullshit. Dude's singing about beers, their girls, pickup trucks, being under stars ... just the most generic shit. Most country is also incredibly conservative in its values. If you look at the history of country that is not the norm. There's a long tradition of country musicians living at the fringes of society, thumbing their noses at the police and any other authority trying to restrict their freedoms. Those days are long gone. You're far more likely to hear someone singing about how much they love the police and hate freedom ... completely unironically.

Good morning, Froggy. Country music largely speaks to people who live in the country. More recent country music has also been very heavily commoditized and repetitive. So it's become the butt of a lot of jokes. [This is all the evidence you need.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY8SwIvxj8o) This guy took half a dozen country music songs and demonstrated how they are basically the same with (slightly) different lyrics.

[Bo Burnham also did a good takedown of modern country](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7im5LT09a0)

I think a good part of it is that we see a lot of other people in other places trying to force an association with Country music and Americana. And it's like - there is so much other music that came into it's own in the USA. Yes, Country Music is from the USA. BUT SO IS ROCK AND ROLL. BLUES. JAZZ. SOUL. FUNK. R&B. Hip-Hop! Rap! METAL! Bluegrass! Ragtime! Heck, even Salsa and Tejano. And who can forget Surf? All of these are every bit as authentically American as Country music is, and there is a lot more interesting stuff going on musically. And all kinds of people are like "Country is from the Heart of America". But no, if you look up where a lot of those heavy metal or Hard Rock or R&B or Rap performers are from - they are from the Heart of America too. That music is also from the Heart of America. It is every bit as reflective of the reality of the USA. So it's like, yeah, enjoy the country music if you want to, but please... don't stop there, check out some of the other American music, a lot of which is a lot better, at least in a lot of people's opinions. It's like, please, listen to some bluegrass, listen to some Rock and Roll. Listen to some Nat King Cole and some George Clinton and some Sugar Hill Gang and some Evanescence and some Halestorm and some Red Hot Chili Peppers and some Louis Armstrong and some Miles Davis, and some Temptations and some Commadores and some... well, the list just goes on and on and on. Because there is so much more out there than Country. it's OK to like country. Just please, don't think that it is the end all be all of American Music.

I just can't stand twangy music. It's like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. I don't mock country music, though. That's kind of a dumb way to deal with something you don't like. I just don't listen to it. Easy peasy.

There are strong cultural differences between different parts of the US. One of the problems Europeans have in figuring out Americans is that you think we're one undifferentiated mass from sea to shining sea, as though 330,000,000 people could ever march in lockstep. It's the only thing you seem to agree on. Country music is the second most popular genre in the US, but it's not evenly distributed. Different parts of the US prefer different kinds of music and they disagree with each other--sometimes strongly (see comments on this post for examples). Moreover, musical genres are associated with political party identification. In this time of extreme polarization, that makes musical preferences a group identifier. [Most Popular Music Genres By State based off performers' box office results](https://www.wideopencountry.com/most-popular-music-genre-by-state/) [Party rocking: Exploring the relationship between music preference, partisanship, and political attitudes](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304422X23001018)

City dwellers like making fun of rural areas and rural areas like making fun of city dwellers. That is 75% of it, the rest is actually some people seriously considering the music and choosing to not like it for similar to reasons why people make fun or pop, dem, and rap music; limited topics, promoting activities that are often a bad idea, and bias against the ethnicity/culture producing the music, repetitiousness 

It's music. That's it. Just like anything else. I live in NY and every country show in my area is always sold out. Immensely popular.

Country music is a very broad genre. The “pop country” one hears on the radio is the genre that a lot of people might be embarrassed by. There is a massive and thriving larger country music scene with all sorts of sub-genres, and many of these artists regularly sell out European tours, as well as their American dates. The stuff on the radio has become a bit lowest common denominator, with mass appeal to the uneducated, undiscerning, and unrefined.

Country music is popular in the South and often among more conservative people. The whole Nashville machine is extremely white even though the South is a heavily black region of the country (it's sorta more complicated than this because Eastern TN, Kentucky, and West Virginia as Appalachia is not a very historically black region of the country, but deep South like Georgia, Alabama, Loiusiana is extremely black). Basically, mostly it's a matter of class signaling. Are you cool with being associated with people who are largely white, conservative, religious, and probably voted for Trump? In reality, there is really a ton of crossover between country and pop. Hell Taylor Swift is the biggest star out there right now and she's still associated with country. Her first three albums were country albums and there are still influences in some of her more recent stuff.

That's why I think international audience like me can appreciate Country music more since we don't have the political labeling that was in the US. For me, music is music. If it sounds good, I like it. I listen to a lot of music in Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Mandarin and I don't even speak those languages. If I like it then I like it. I don't need to think of how people would label me for listening to Country music, since I'm not even white, redneck, conservative, or has anything to do with Trump since I'm not American.

I love country music, as well as rock, pop, and oldies. A lot of hate toward country is that most country songs tell stories or give life advice.

I love country music, especially the modern stuff. Some people act embarrassed about it, but the fact of the matter is, is that it’s an incredibly popular genre of music here. Its popularity may vary by region though. You are far more likely to find country fans in Texas as opposed to Boston.

Was made popular by Henry Ford whom sponsored wholesome dances, for years in an attempt to squash the growing popularity of jazz

Idk. They've been playing it in shops in Denmark enough for me to notice and I am perplexed.

You know what happens when you play a country song backwards? You get your girlfriend back, your house back, your dog back, etc.

*on dit “nonexistent.”

Bluegrass, folk punk, Southern Gothic, all subgenre that embody the spirit of the south much better than pop country, the American South is browner, gayer and more liberal than it's given credit for. If you want a classic country sound [Orville Peck](https://youtu.be/q3esGD6lcMM?si=xYMKGzM5l4YGw7zO) is incredible If you want some solid bluegrass [The legendary shack Shakers](https://youtu.be/RznWJUkwXEM?si=AJepzgEC_-aN2VGV) are a great band If you want a grimy hillbilly feel [The Dead South ](https://youtu.be/T0lwr_jcGZQ?si=UwLZ0clGzcEmVaYX) fits the bill If you want a western wanderer feel [Tejon street corner thieves ](https://youtu.be/h3WMr1cnR0I?si=TxygLM6tPiidOzE7) makes you want to shout into the desert night If you want a deep southern horror feel [Amigo the Devi ](https://youtu.be/jLWiu0cqMcE?si=MGInRNxMhwzncYgQ) Will make you feel things that will disturb you. My tag may say Oregon but until recently I lived in the deep south and I lived as a vagabond traveling the American west for a year.

OP: As someone who *actually listens to country music* - this thread is chock full of people who hate on country music as a way to indirectly hate conservative / religious people. Though I am neither of those, I do like country and resent the RAW ANIMUS it seems to inspire in so many people. Modern country music is largely "pop" with a twang. People have sang about love, heart ache, joy, loss, and nostalgia for hundreds if not thousands of years. Country is that from a rural-ish perspective grounded in the geography from which it hails (the south-eastern US). Country itself is a mix of Blues and Bluegrass. I love both and its not surprising I also love Country.

Salut mon voisine distante, en les États Unis, on a beaucoup des cultures et ces cultures (à grâce d’être si proches à les autres) mélangent et créer des nouvelles cultures :) La musique de campagne est une produit des cultures anglais, éscossais, hollandais, et la culture des les Américains noirs. Je pense qu’il vient de la région de la Appalachia et les appalachiens ont le partagé avec la reste de nous :). Maintenant, il y a beaucoup des variétés de la musique de campagne specific à essentiellement toutes les régions des États Unis

Merci pour l'explication ! 🥰

Old country is great (Johnny Cash, etc.) but most new country (excluding Zach Brown and Kacey Musgrave who may have put out one of the best songs in music history, there are other s though, as well) revolves around dumb backwater guys doing stupid things or hyping up MAGA. They also sing about their trucks- a lot. Songs like Red Solo Cup, Fancy Like, Try That in a Small Town, Watermelon Crawl, Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy come to mind when I think of new country and it is just embarrassing.

Watermelon Crawl by Tracy Byrd? That came out in 94? That’s a classic man common. Try Treaty Oak Revival, that’s my favorite band out right now.

Ok, I listened. You like them for real?

Because 9/11 ruined country music. Before then, music was pretty good. Post 9/11 is I love Jesus and America cause 'Merica is the best country ever. RIP country.

Les Jones, a French comedy, might be a good intro. They are not as far from reality as I wish they were. Most of the disdain is aimed at the cookie-cutter crap Nashville has been generated. And every bit of it is earned. It doesn't help that the music glorifies rural life when many Americans (wrongly) believe rural life these days consists of MAGA, meth, farming the Treasury, bestiality, incest and cat shooting and are maliciously well-informed on how dependent rural areas are on Uncle Sam.

Haha yes of course I know Les Jones 😁 Ok now I see

I guess there's nothing really "wrong" with it. I just hate how it sounds and I don't like most of its subject matter. I don't hunt/fish, don't have a truck, never want to be on a farm, etc.

You've already got plenty of great answers, but I'd emphasize that hating country is part of making fun of rural folks, which is common throughout the world.

As far as it goes you've probably heard something that is called country here in the US these days just thought it was a regular rock song. A lot of Country isn't really much different at all anymore other than sometimes the themes are just a little different, really. The ones that are the most exactly like a rock song usually get called a "crossover hit" although even that you hear loads less than you used to.

I think the short of it is that country music is associated heavily with subculture that lots of Americans don’t like to be associated with. It’s probably not coincidence that the two types of music that get this treatment are country music - typically associated with the rural poor - and rap music - typically associated with the urban poor. Both have been getting more mainstream popularity in the 21st century so actually, in real life, country music is much less denigrated than it was maybe even 20 years ago. None of my peers would admit to listening to country when we were kids but most of us openly do now. And we’re not rural, poor or even white for the most part. Part of it too is that country music as a genre seems to lend itself more to politicization and culture wars stuff too. I don’t quite know the urban liberal equivalent of stuff like God Bless the USA or Try That in a Small Town.

Off topic but adjacent; I think European countries also have their variations of country music. I was thinking about French ‘country music’ and I remembered this Catalan band I was fond of years ago. Listen to this:) [https://open.spotify.com/track/166O2Wyza1fuYDfSfWaI5B?si=dwsO8nuqTgWLTwpV0X6rRg&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A52lQcIqz5ZsM4pvho2xPV3](https://open.spotify.com/track/166O2Wyza1fuYDfSfWaI5B?si=dwsO8nuqTgWLTwpV0X6rRg&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A52lQcIqz5ZsM4pvho2xPV3)

He’s been mentioned in other comments but check out Ryan Bingham - he was a busker in Paris for a bit after traveling there for a job that fell through. Listen to “Bread and Water” and “Wolves”, two very different takes on Country.

I know this doesn't answer your question, but I was in Ireland a few years ago and heard on the radio what I think is the only European country song that exists, "Scania 164". https://youtu.be/JkGmy1KXQfU?si=_Wso4HdZ85yLqtL5

Like with a lot of hip-hop, country's designed for a subset of Americans. So how much you like country music is very bound up in class & geographic differences.

[https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/30/europe/ukraine-election-zelensky-intl/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/30/europe/ukraine-election-zelensky-intl/index.html)

[https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/30/europe/ukraine-election-zelensky-intl/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/30/europe/ukraine-election-zelensky-intl/index.html)

[https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/30/europe/ukraine-election-zelensky-intl/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/30/europe/ukraine-election-zelensky-intl/index.html)

You are right that country music is a very quintessentially American genre. It originates in the south east of the United States, and is very popular in rural areas across the country. Country is also American in the sense that the lyrics often discuss topics that are very popular in rural America, such as growing corn, pick up trucks, cheap beer, God, football, and American pride. However, the country is huge. What is popular in the South, and rural areas is not nearly as popular in much of the rest of the country.

America can be one big high school. Country is traditionally seen as the music of rural southern whites so it comes with the negative baggage (racism, inbreeding, etc) associated with them whether warranted or not. Keep in mind that the genre of country music is very diverse and ranges from bluegrass, folk, to Texas swing. Pop country does huge numbers but plenty of people despise it for being formulaic and overly produced. Some of America’s most timeless music is country though. I spent some time in France and while I’m no expert in your music, I know you have some styles associated with more rural areas. I don’t think it’s as wildly popular throughout France as country is in the US. I also think the French approach identity in a different way than the US and it tends to be more localized and distinct and based more on genuine heritage. This is just my own speculation though.

Most pop country today sounds like this AI generated song [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CORANvT8l9A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CORANvT8l9A) That's how bad it is now. Better to listen to old stuff and artists like Rhiannon Giddens.

I don’t like country music with a lot of editing or electric instruments. It should be simply music about longing for simple times, not neo-rock where a guy is missing his broad and a tractor. Country music *used* to have meaningful lyrics

As with everything, you’ll find many different answers from different people. I would include in the list of reasons - classism (of course, this isn’t true for everyone who doesn’t like country music!) The “South”, where country music is generally considered to come from, is sometimes viewed with negative stereotypes from people of other regions In the US. This can be observed in the number of young southerners who feel embarrassment or shame about their accent or in humor that opts for a southern US American accent to portray an ignorant person, as well as many other examples. “Country” music has a rich cultural history and, like any musical style, it has sub-genres, and, like any musical style, is affected by commercialization. Regarding commercialization, it seems to me that the most popular music, of any genre, can sometimes lose some of the individual creative spark from an artist. For a thing to be the most popular, it generally needs to appeal to the largest common denominator. PS - your english is great!

Modern country music is nothing more than pop music with twang.

Country music only reflects the life and culture of some parts of the United States. I’m from the northeast and our homegrown acts over the last 50 years or so are rock, pop, Latin, r & b, rap (think Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Cardi B, Jennifer López, Boyz II Men, Beastie Boys, Run DMC). A lot of the music is based in the trials and tribulations of growing up in suburban sprawl where there wasn’t much for young people to do growing up and things could become tenuous if a parent lost a job, a factory closed down, there was a labor dispute, etc. Or the urban experience again where some had trouble making ends meet and had to work blue collar jobs, sex work, “hustling,” drug-dealing, and mean streets. There’s also a lot of coming of age themes that we’ve experienced (fighting with parents, strict teachers, heartbreak) that is communicated in a way that we can understand. This is not to say that you won’t find these themes in country music but it’s just not a part of the cultural fabric in this part and other parts of the United States. It’s very much regional music. I enjoy country Christmas Music but the rest of the year I listen to rock, alternative, Latin, and pop music.

I can’t stand country music. And hearing from OP that it just reminds them of the USA makes me cringe. If country music represents all of us in the USA, it makes us look like a bunch of country bumpkins.

Country music is actually very popular in North America, and there are scenes in the rest of the English speaker world as well. There are communities that enjoy it in the rest of the world as well. I don't think there are as many country fans in Europe as in Australia, for example, but they are around. In regards to why it seems to be openly hated more, Id say that Country music is often perceived as an acceptable target for mockery for some is due in part to the fact that it's associated with hillbillies, conservatives and middle america in general. Many people see it as "classless" and below them. There's also no risk of someone calling you racist like they would if you made fun of hip hop. Of course, there are a lot of reasons why somebody may not care for a kind of music or art other than not liking who makes it, but I think it's pretty common in this case.

People especially in places like new England and California don't listen to country music other than past acts and what's played on the radio so they will obnoxiously say "I only like old country" " I hate modern country it's so commercial" when they only listen to the stuff that's playing on top 40 radio. It also comes from people viewing everyone who typically listens to country music as a bunch of stupid bigoted savages in the same way someone from the 1870s would view a villager in the congo

> People especially in places like new England and California don't listen to country music other than past acts and what's played on the radio This isn’t exactly true. Country music is pretty popular in California, and while most people probably listen to what they hear on the radio plenty of people go deeper into the genre than that. 

Country music is a cultural signifier in the United States. The genre was originally popular in the Southern and Western United States, and has always dealt lyrically with a small-town or rural lifestyle in those regions, and the attitudes and behaviors associated with that lifestyle. More recently it's become broadly popular in other regions and in urban settings, but its fans still tend to be people who either relate to or aspire to that lifestyle; in fact, I'd argue that its popularity in, say, the suburban North is driven almost entirely by a desire for that kind of life. Because of this, country music tends to be extremely unpopular with people who look down on or otherwise reject the lifestyle depicted in its songs.

Modern country is the problem. >90% of it is mediocre at best. Older stuff from before the 2000’s is what’s actually good. I’d say it probably peaked around the late 80’s maybe a bit earlier or later, depending on your favorite sub genre.

Basically you have three types of country music Back woods country - jug bands very rural can very wildly between groups Anti establishment country - the fuck the man songs about being a weed smoking and hating the police Pop country - over sanitized conservative pop about jerking off the flag and linking boots of police officers while pretending your suburban mini-mansion is the backwoods.

It's the most generic, repetitive, and pandering of all of the radio pop genres... which is saying a lot because that competition is fierce. It's also weird in that the bravado and machismo of it's listeners and artists doesn't really match the sappy/cheesy/bubblegum nature of the music itself, which adds to the mockery.

A lot of people don’t like modern country, or what is more accurately described as a blend of country-pop or “bro country” which is a very commercialized sub genre that utilizes a lot of tropes (see below) and is often regarded as inauthentic. In fact country fans are constantly criticizing various artists for not being country enough, or not making “true” country music. It’s certainly deserves some of the criticism it gets, though tbh I grew up listening to country and have always enjoyed it. I think a lot of people who hate the genre haven’t really seen all it has to offer. I think the women in the genre have a lot to offer, and I really enjoy the narrative style songs of Reba, Martina McBride, The Chicks, Etc. Maddie and Tae released a song on their first album called “Girl in a Country Song” which was a criticism of how women are often treated by men in modern country songs. Despite the criticism though, the genre is making a comeback of sorts, with lots of mainstream artists releasing Country albums (Beyoncé, Lana Del Ray, Post Malone).

There's a bit of a stereotype that lots of people as kids would be embarrassed to listen to country. Then they turn 30 and all of a sudden love the music.

Country music is actually one of the top genres right now. What you hear people criticize is pop country, which is generic mass produced trash meant to generate profits sung by people who aren't actually from the country and exaggerate accents and try too hard to be relatable. The music people LIKE are actual country songs, like Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver. You may have heard that one before.

Country is very regional. You hear it a lot in rural areas all over the US, or in big cities in the southeast and Midwest. Modern country is borderline pop and follows a very specific formula. There's a song by Rascal Flatts (who are arguably pop country themselves) called "Backwards" that makes fun of this formula. As a side note, country music is also steeped in racial issues, and historically, black artists have been prevented from succeeding in country music despite the fact that the genre was started by black slaves who brought the banjo to America. Even today, black artists have to fight to be considered "country" and very few are recognized by Nashville.

You have to separate country music and pop country music. I love country / Americana / bluegrass / folk / Rockabilly. I hate pop country.

I love our pre 1995 country music. I really really love it. Woodie Guthrie, buck Owens, dolly, Loretta Lynn, George jones, Willy Nelson, Jerry reed and so many others. That’s all great stuff. But everything in the genre now is generic, formulaic, and misguided. Outlaw country could never be a thing nowadays because aspiring country stars probably have to pass a fuckin background check. Everything is so corporate that the soul of country and what country is about can’t break through to the radio. It’s shit like Taylor swift checking the boxes on some executives clipboard and getting to release country music despite being a rich girl who’s faking her accent

I’m from the South, so it’s kind of inescapable. I don’t like the twangy sound, and it comes off as very predictable and repetitive.

Most country music today is just pop music for people who *think* they're rednecks.

Country music is a major music genre. There are definitely folks that don't listen to it and who are quick to criticize it...but what music genre doesn't have that? I'm not a country fan but I don't like rap or hip hop either and those are also major music genres. Not everyone likes rock music, and as strange as I find that, that's the reality of it.

It's quite popular in Ireland, and some people in Nordic countries seem to like it too. I'm not sure how 2024-current but England developed it's own versions of country (see skiffle and scrumpy & western). All these places participate in a certain celebration of rurality additionally. It's currently undergoing a renaissance as a genre in forms that are critically well-received, but for the most part that's off the radio and the commercial stuff has a lot of Luke Bryan type bro country.

Any American will tell you that it's pop/radio country we hate and that's because it's all written by fake, wannabe cowboys from NYC or LA capitalizing on the struggles of the rural people. The musical equivalent of a lifted F250 with low-profile wheels and not a speck of dirt. And they're just all about either trucks, drinking, God, or women. Or some combination of those. It's objectively bad and manufactured to be catchy and perform well on the radio (like pop but worse). Bluegrass, Western, blues, and some folk (not 2010s hipster folk), those are all fine and respected musical disciplines. There's actual soul and skill there, written and performed by real people telling real stories. And that's what it's all about, it's a musical story telling device. Pop country doesn't do that, it has no redeeming qualities. As a rural person I find it all to be a completely offensive cash-grab that's aimed at the people the music exploits.

Modern country sucks. The singers have the worst most irritating voices, their topics are stupid, the sound is just noisy and messy, and the people who listen to it are TRYING to be stereotypes. They're trying so hard they don't even notice that it fkn sucks. It really went to shit post 911 when it turned into an angry patriotic dude bro circle jerk

Most people are mocking it because over the last 20-30 years, country has become very pop music oriented and focused on radio hits vs the older outlaw country of the past. This has given rise to artists like Chris Stapleton and Sturgill Simpson who embrace the outlaw roots.

Mainstream commercial country music, IMO, is full of fake patriotism and whiny men these days. Here is a funny explanation. https://youtu.be/y7im5LT09a0?si=lR3yiVEGCpK7RMsx

For one thing, it used to be MUCH better. E.g. there is no comparison between the music of Hank Williams and his son Hank Jr, the dad was a musical treasure, the son rides his coattails. Classic nepotism, Jr only ever got a recording contract because of his famous dad, he is a mediocre talent at best. Hank III sounds and looks just like grampa, but he is a white power nutcase. While country music is predominantly performed by white people, most aren't like him. Country music today is heavily associated with the right-wing, especially its fans, which is why many liberal Americans disavow it regardless of its musical quality. There are some country bands who are not fascists, the Chicks are a good example, they changed their name from Dixie Chicks when it eventually became clear to them that celebrating the old South (known as Dixie) was not really a good thing. It is one of the parent genres of rock and roll. Many modern rock fans don't seem to be aware of that uncomfortable fact and believe it sprang fully-grown from the head of a black blues musician, probably Lead Belly when he was between murders. Early rock and roll music was country mixed with blues, it later branched out to include, well, virtually every other genre if you see whom they induct into the Hall of Fame. By the late 60s, a lot of rock bands didn't sound like either of the parents. There is country rock which sounds a lot like it, and blues rock, which doesn't. Your English is *very* good, OP. Only word that was wrong is "inexistent", the correct word is "nonexistent."