Country Music

The Appalachian Mountains run all along the east coast of the United States. Immigrants from Europe first began settling in these mountains in the seventeenth century. A rich culture grew up in their rural homesteads. Often families lived deep in the woods and far from any towns. Music was a big part of their lives, and that tradition continues today.

The musical traditions from Appalachia came to be known as old-time music. It is the deepest root of today’s country music. It is Appalachian fiddlers and banjo pickers playing knee-slapping dance tunes. It also is nasal voices singing sad songs with a Southern drawl. Country music has changed a lot over the past hundred years. But it wouldn’t exist without these basic sounds.