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Kentucky Country is a lively tour of the state's indigenous music, from the days of string bands through hillbilly, western swing, gospel, bluegrass, and honkey-tonk to through the Nashville Sound and beyond. Through personal interviews with many of the living legends of Kentucky music, Charles K. Wolfe illuminates a fascinating and important area of American culture. The list of country music stars who hail from Kentucky is a long and glittering one. Red Foley, Bill Monroe, Loretta Lynn, Tom T. Hall, the Judds, Dwight Yaokum, Billy Ray Cyrus, Ricky Skaggs, John Michael Montgomery, and Keith Whitely—all these and many others have called Kentucky home. Kentucky Country is the story of these stars and dozens more. It is also the story of many Kentucky musicians whose contributions have been little known or appreciated, and of those collectors, promoters, and entrepreneurs who have worked behind the scenes to bring Kentucky music to national attention.

A lively tour of the state's music, from the days of string bands through hillbilly, western swing, gospel, bluegrass, and honkey-tonk to through the Nashville Sound and beyond. Through personal interviews with many of the living legends of Kentucky music, Charles K. Wolfe illuminates a fascinating and important area of American culture. The list of country music stars who hail from Kentucky is a long and glittering one. Red Foley, Bill Monroe, Loretta Lynn, Tom T. Hall, the Judds, Dwight Yaokum, Billy Ray Cyrus, Ricky Skaggs, John Michael Montgomery, and Keith Whitely—all these and many others have called Kentucky home. Kentucky Country is the story of these stars and dozens more. It is also the story of many Kentucky musicians whose contributions have been little known or appreciated, and of those collectors, promoters, and entrepreneurs who have worked behind the scenes to bring Kentucky music to national attention.

The late Charles K. Wolfe (1943-2006) was professor of English at Middle Tennessee State University.

"What emerges is a much deeper understanding of how vital early commercial country music was in this area of Appalachia, serving both as a means of reinforcing local culture and tying it to the world outside the region, thanks to recordings and the broadcast media."—1998 Yearbook for Traditional Music

"This solid analysis and revealing anecdotes will be of great value to scholars, folklorists, and the general public."—Come-All-Ye

"That a book as well executed as Kentucky Country exists is reason enough for country music fans to walk with their heads a little higher."—Nashville Tennessean

Publication Date

1982

Publisher

The University Press of Kentucky

Place of Publication

Lexington, KY

ISBN

9780813114682

eISBN

9780813149608

Keywords

Kentucky, Folk music, Country music, Bluegrass music

Disciplines

Cultural History

Kentucky Country: Folk and Country Music of Kentucky
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