Today’s country strongly rooted in past music

Despite growing up in the middle of Pennsylvania, I was opposed to country music from an early… Despite growing up in the middle of Pennsylvania, I was opposed to country music from an early age.

Although Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood and Toby Keith were musical turn-ons to many, I just didn’t understand what was actually “country” about their angular inflections, cowboy hats and extensive use of rock ‘n’ roll guitar. Sure it was catchy pop, but what was behind it?

As I’ve learned over the past few years, it turns out there’s a lot behind country music — more than 80 years of direct history. Stretching back into America’s past, it’s one of the major roots-music genres. Country is still controversial to music fans who might feel ostracized from the deliberately rural style or the decidedly un-country influences it’s had over the past 35 years or so.

But I implore you, whether you identify with rap, classical, country or the closely related folk genre, to give a few of these classics from country’s spectacular musical history a try.

Though not the first country crooner to set the world on fire, Hank Williams Sr. is without a doubt honky-tonk’s most legendary performer and songwriter. Dying at the age of 29, he was notorious in his own time for creating songs so personal you’d believe he could see your soul and for having a lost-artist persona that was formed by the very experiences he chronicled in his work.

Though there might be some crack with the age of the recordings, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” still makes any listener’s heart heavy with sadness. On the other side of the emotional spectrum, “Hey Good Lookin’” could put Williams’ own broad goofy smile on any fool in love. If you get a chance, it’s worth looking up a TV performance of the latter song on YouTube as it shows not only his performance chops, but also the sheer likeability of the man and his music.

More refined than Williams’ honky-tonk bar style, Patsy Cline’s work represented not just master vocal artistry, but also a shift in the country music industry. Hoping to shed the hillbilly image of the genre, country moved toward a jazz- and pop-influenced style that was appealing to adult markets and often featured orchestral strings.

That’s not to say Cline didn’t have a wide appeal, as her voice is simply spectacular. The rich alto on “Walking After Midnight” is justifiably legendary, as her bends and vibrato seem almost superhuman compared to the song’s other musical elements.

Fans of Kid Cudi might notice a sample of Cline’s powerful voice from her song “Strange” in the Sharam song “She Came Along,” which features the hip-hop artist. The original Cline song is strong because her voice penetrates the air like a bullet. What is impressive about Cline is that her voice can carry through the drum beats of the hip-hop adaptation.

Though she died at the age of 30, Cline’s legacy as a strong woman playing country became a staple. Artists like the still-performing Loretta Lynn took a direct cue from her.

Even before cutting the album Van Lear Rose with Jack White in 2004, Lynn was always on the cutting edge. Beyond her humble composure and captivating voice, she addressed various controversial issues in her songs. From “The Pill” — which positively portrays birth control — to “Wings Upon Your Horns” — about the pre-marital loss of teenage virginity — she wrote songs about issues facing women. This was during a time when the Nashville establishment — and much of the country— was still dominated by men.

Flash-forward to Van Lear Rose and Lynn once again used her captivating voice to communicate the issues she saw affecting the world, and women in particular. Though “Portland, Oregon” was the album’s lead single, this ballad of a one-night stand — which features a duet with White — was only a taste of what Lynn is capable of today.

The retro background sound of “God Makes No Mistakes” is particularly notable. Lynn delivers her signature words in a haunting sing-speak that’s frank and confessional in a way that makes the lyrics sound like laws of nature.

These three artists — and countless others like Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson — make definitively country music. Though I’m not too hot on Taylor Swift or Garth Brooks myself, I can definitely see where they’re coming from and what monumental figures inspired them to pick up their guitars. I hope you can too.