History and Tradition of Country Music
Edition: 1
Copyright: 2024
Pages: 320
Edition: 1
Copyright: 2024
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In the long history of American musical genres, few resonate as deeply and authentically as country music. The songs of country music tell stories of hardship, joy, love, and the timeless struggles of human experience. Alongside its rich history, country music is experiencing growth. It was one of 2023's fastest growing streaming genres in the U.S. (a 23.7% increase over the prior year) - Luminate.
The History and Tradition of Country Music delves into the roots of this deeply ingrained American art form and traces its evolution to the present day. From the humble origins of Appalachian folk tunes to the emergence of the many stylistic changes that followed, readers witness country’s evolution; influenced by the social, political, and cultural currents flowing around it. Country music has weathered the storms of change, adapting and embracing new sounds, while never losing sight of its foundational principles.
The History and Tradition of Country Music:
- is more than a chronological account, it’s a celebration of the artists (The Carter Family, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, among others) who have shaped and defined country music.
- explores country music’s various eras and subgenres, including the heartbreak of honky tonk, the joyful spirit of bluegrass, the cosmic twang of outlaw country, the polished sheen of countrypolitan, and the modern and new millennium sounds of country music.
- is interactive! All copies include access to author-cultivated playlists that match the textual chapter content.
Tom Larson is Assistant Professor of Composition (Emerging Media and Digital Arts) at the Glenn Korff School of Music at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In addition to authoring The History of Rock and Roll, he is also the author of Modern Sounds: The Artistry of Contemporary Jazz, and The History and Tradition of Jazz, both published by Kendall Hunt Publishing. His first CD of original jazz compositions, Flashback, was released in 2003. He has studied jazz piano with Dean Earle, Fred Hersch, Bruce Barth, and Kenny Werner, jazz arranging with Herb Pomeroy and music composition with Robert Beadell and Randall Snyder. In addition to performing with jazz ensembles throughout the Midwest and East Coast, he has performed with Paul Shaffer, Victor Lewis, Dave Stryker, Bobby Shew, Claude Williams, Bo Diddley, Jackie Allen, the Omaha Symphony, the Nebraska Chamber Orchestra, the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra, and the University of Nebraska Faculty Jazz Ensemble.
Tom also writes and produces music for documentary films; among his credits are the scores for three documentaries for the PBS American Experience series (a production of WGBH-TV, Boston): In the White Man’s Image, Around the World in 72 Days, and Monkey Trial. He also scored the documentaries Willa Cather: The Road Is All for WNET-TV (New York), Ashes from the Dust for the PBS series NOVA, and the PBS specials Most Honorable Son and In Search of the Oregon Trail. Tom has written extensively for the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, and the University of Illinois Asian Studies Department. His music has also been used on the CBS-TV series The District. His commercial credits include music written for Phoenix-based Music Oasis, L.A.-based Music Animals, Chicago-based Pfeifer Music Partners and General Learning Communications, and advertising agencies in Nebraska.
A Lincoln native, Tom received a Bachelor of Music in Composition in 1977 from Berklee College of Music in Boston and a Master of Music in Composition
in 1985 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is also an avid runner, and completed the Boston Marathon in 2005, 2006, and 2007. More information on Tom Larson can be found at tomlarsonmusic.net.
New Publication Now Available!
In the long history of American musical genres, few resonate as deeply and authentically as country music. The songs of country music tell stories of hardship, joy, love, and the timeless struggles of human experience. Alongside its rich history, country music is experiencing growth. It was one of 2023's fastest growing streaming genres in the U.S. (a 23.7% increase over the prior year) - Luminate.
The History and Tradition of Country Music delves into the roots of this deeply ingrained American art form and traces its evolution to the present day. From the humble origins of Appalachian folk tunes to the emergence of the many stylistic changes that followed, readers witness country’s evolution; influenced by the social, political, and cultural currents flowing around it. Country music has weathered the storms of change, adapting and embracing new sounds, while never losing sight of its foundational principles.
The History and Tradition of Country Music:
- is more than a chronological account, it’s a celebration of the artists (The Carter Family, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, among others) who have shaped and defined country music.
- explores country music’s various eras and subgenres, including the heartbreak of honky tonk, the joyful spirit of bluegrass, the cosmic twang of outlaw country, the polished sheen of countrypolitan, and the modern and new millennium sounds of country music.
- is interactive! All copies include access to author-cultivated playlists that match the textual chapter content.
Tom Larson is Assistant Professor of Composition (Emerging Media and Digital Arts) at the Glenn Korff School of Music at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In addition to authoring The History of Rock and Roll, he is also the author of Modern Sounds: The Artistry of Contemporary Jazz, and The History and Tradition of Jazz, both published by Kendall Hunt Publishing. His first CD of original jazz compositions, Flashback, was released in 2003. He has studied jazz piano with Dean Earle, Fred Hersch, Bruce Barth, and Kenny Werner, jazz arranging with Herb Pomeroy and music composition with Robert Beadell and Randall Snyder. In addition to performing with jazz ensembles throughout the Midwest and East Coast, he has performed with Paul Shaffer, Victor Lewis, Dave Stryker, Bobby Shew, Claude Williams, Bo Diddley, Jackie Allen, the Omaha Symphony, the Nebraska Chamber Orchestra, the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra, and the University of Nebraska Faculty Jazz Ensemble.
Tom also writes and produces music for documentary films; among his credits are the scores for three documentaries for the PBS American Experience series (a production of WGBH-TV, Boston): In the White Man’s Image, Around the World in 72 Days, and Monkey Trial. He also scored the documentaries Willa Cather: The Road Is All for WNET-TV (New York), Ashes from the Dust for the PBS series NOVA, and the PBS specials Most Honorable Son and In Search of the Oregon Trail. Tom has written extensively for the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, and the University of Illinois Asian Studies Department. His music has also been used on the CBS-TV series The District. His commercial credits include music written for Phoenix-based Music Oasis, L.A.-based Music Animals, Chicago-based Pfeifer Music Partners and General Learning Communications, and advertising agencies in Nebraska.
A Lincoln native, Tom received a Bachelor of Music in Composition in 1977 from Berklee College of Music in Boston and a Master of Music in Composition
in 1985 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is also an avid runner, and completed the Boston Marathon in 2005, 2006, and 2007. More information on Tom Larson can be found at tomlarsonmusic.net.