Distinct from Alternative Country, Progressive County, Cowpunk, Psychobilly, No Depression, and Outlaw Country, all of which represent countrified rock or rockified country, the basic genre "country-rock" refers to the first wave of artists who blurred the dividing line between traditional country and contemporary rock styles. From 1968 to about 1975, country-rock was one of the biggest selling genres in rock, with fully mainstream artists like The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, and Neil Young working in the idiom.
At its heart it was essentially country music, filtered through the rock experience; amplification, big backbeat, countercultural lyrical concerns, emphasis on hooks.
Rock 'n' roll, after all, was originally the marriage of blues and country; Muddy Waters plus Hank Williams, so to speak. By the time of the British Invasion, rock and country had gone their separate ways. Country audiences didn't dig the Beatles' long hair and British accents, and rock fans didn't dig country's corniness and redneck machismo.
The rift was a cultural one, more than a musical one. The styles remained more similar than dissimilar; even the British bands like the Beatles played some country music on their albums.
However, the true forefather of the genre is Gram Parsons, who died in 1973 at the age of 26, but managed in his short, tragic life to ignite what would turn into a multimillion dollar rock subgenre, and also bridge the gulf between the two styles, which were cousins after all.
Parsons, with his International Submarine Band, recorded what most consider to be the very first country-rock record ever, Safe At Home in 1967. The album went nowhere, but gained notice among musicians in particular, who were impressed by the convincing country music played by this rock group. In particular, 20-year old Floridian and Harvard theology major dropout Parsons seemed visionary beyond his years.
At about this time, the Byrds were undergoing a major lineup reshuffle. Up to this point identified as kings of the folk-rock movement, the Byrds invited Parsons to join. This shifted their sound dramatically from folk-rock to country, and their 1968 album with Parsons, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, was considered the first true country-rock album to receive mainstream attention. The country artists they drew from stylistically mainly were from the Bakersfield school; Merle Haggard, Buck Owens. The spirit was one of exploration.
Article comments
1 - SFC SKI
You show a picture of NRPS's album cover, but they don't make the playlist? For shame, especially after wasting a slot on the Eagles.
Other than that, great list and a great article, country-rock is a hard niche to explain, but I know it when I hear it,m and I know what I like.
2 - Eric Olsen
really great list, though I agree with Ski on the New Riders, although I certainly don't see the Eagles as a wasted spot. "Lonesome LA Cowboy" "Panama Red" - kind of hard to leave off the Dead and the Band also! Linda's "Long Long Time" is about as drenched in romantic despair as it gets.
3 - uao
I love NRPS as much as the next guy (and a lot more than the Eagles). But a top-10 without the biggest selling band of the genre would get the Eagles fans on my case. And there's millions of 'em.
I'd boost these lists to a dozen if there were just one more hour in a day.
4 - Eric Olsen
not a criticism, just tossing in thoughts and additions to lighten your load
5 - uao
I probably shoulda stuck a ;-) on my last comment. I encourage argument about who should or shouldn't qualify on these lists; it's 11-20 where the music gets interesting in any genre.
I also realize I found no space for the Ozark Mountain Daredevils.
6 - The Proprietor
One person who deserves a nod in the early days of country rock is none other than Mike Nesmith. There were some dandy country-inflected tunes penned or co-penned by Nesmith, not just "Different Drum", but some cool tracks on the first and second Monkees albums as well - "Papa Gene's Blues", "Sweet Young Thing", "The Kind Of Girl I Could Love". Nesmith's work with The First National Band was also seminal in the history of country rock.
And let's not forget Buffalo Springfield....
7 - Eric Olsen
TP, good point about Mike N, I don't think of Buffalo Springfield as overtly country as the others, more like rootsy psychedelia (or something)
8 - SFC SKI
Seems to me that these days anyone who sings with a southern accent gets hung with a "country" tag. You want some modern country rock, check out Mofro.
9 - Jon Sobel
Great piece. Janis Joplin's recording of "Me and Bobby McGee" (1971) might have been worth a mention - I'd consider it a real classic of country-rock (and proof that Janis could do pretty much anything.)
For another more recent (if short-lived) success, Maria McKee and Lone Justice come to mind.
10 - Hans
Good grief, the Eagles! And no mention of Canned Heat or CSN&Y. Tell me: do you prefer decaf or the real thing?
11 - uao
I drink a dozen cups of the real thing a day, hans; I'm wired. But I usually drink it tepid-- like my remarks about the Eagles ;-)
12 - SFC SKI
I wouldn't consider either of the above to be country rock.
13 - Antfreeze
There were a couple other little bands you might have heard of too. Skynard and Marshall Tucker. Allman Bros. etc. etc.
14 - Eric Olsen
I would be careful to distinguish primarily "Southern rock" from what is in reality "Western rock"
15 - Vern Halen
Love this genre. I don't know if the Byrds cover of Goin' Back is country rock at all, not to my ears anyways, but to each his own.
I'm always amazed at how Gram Parsons hijacked the Byrds & turned them into a country rock outfit overnight. He must've been very charismatic, or maybe Roger McGuinn was ready for the change. The Byrds later work, although it qualifies as country rock, I think pales in comparison to Sweetheart, but there are those who think it's great. Once again, to each his own.
16 - Taloran
Several folk artists of the day crossed into country rock as well - Gordon Lightfoot and Jonathan Edwards immediately come to mind.
Both "folk" and "country rock" are used loosely here.
I do not think of Canned Heat as a country-rock outfit, but rather blues-rock, leaning towards blues. While CSN(&Y) have certainly recorded their share of countrified music, I think it's a bit of a stretch to label them country-rock. Hot Tuna did some country-influenced stuff too, but I don't think they fit in the category either.
17 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
country music has quietly, without much fuss, became my favourite music over the last few years, much to the disdain of my ex-fiancee, but the hell does she care, since the jock sonnabitch on the arm now most likely only listens to stuff about fuck you, ho, in detuned E.
Anyhow, i don't make any distinction really between alt. country, country-rock etc. the only distinction i make is between country and glossy nashville pish.
great stuff here, although i do think Lay Lady Lay is a really overrated number from a really underrated album. There are much better songs on there, i think.
As for Burrito Brothers, it's have to be Hot Burrito #2 for me, and i'd need Parsons' solo Return Of The Grevious Angel, one of the most infectiously hauntingly beautiful things he ever wrote. I dig the importance of Sweetheart Of The Rodeo, but i think it's a fairly patchy record, sadly.
18 - Vern Halen
I recently saw Festival Express, and was amazed at how the Dead, the Band, etc. so easily moved between rock & country/folk. In fact, after a while, it seemed to be all of a seamless piece. Even blues artist Buddy uy fit right in there. I guess sticking music into different genres wasn't a priority in those days. We should all be so lucky.
19 - crooked spine
I thought Festival Express was a fascinating movie. I actually drove two hours just to see that movie, back before it was released on DVD. (Had I known that it was soon gonna be at my local video rental shop, I wouldn't have bothered!) The scene on the train where Rick Danko & Janis Joplin are singing along with the Dead's guitarists was especially memorable.
20 - Bryan McKay
As far as more current music goes, I would say that the Silver Jews are probably the best contender for the top "country rock" band around. They combine a very country/folk sound with a sort of slacker rock a la Pavement (coincidentally, two of the original members of the band were in Pavement and Stephen Malkmus has appeared on a couple albums, including their upcoming release). They're not only the best of the current "country rock" scene, but one of my personal favorite bands as well. American Water and Bright Flight are their two best albums, in my opinion, with AW leaning a bit more towards the rock side (and featuring Malkmus on several tracks, including singing lead vocals) and BF being more straightforward country/alt-country (and no Malkmus to be seen).
21 - SFC SKI
I am so glad I got to see most of the Band (-Robbie Robertson) perform live, they were truly more than 5 guys playing together, and they had their own sound, but they could back anyone and sound just right. While "The Last Waltz" is a great live recording, fans of Dylan or the Band should definitely give a listen to "Before the Flood".
22 - HW Saxton
How odd that no one has mentioned C.C.R
yet. So many of their hit tunes were or
are C&W/Rockabilly influenced."Bad Moon
Rising" is a straight cop from Elvis's
"Sun Sessions","Looking Out My Back Door
is as country as it is pop,it even name
checks Buck Owens, "Lodi" is straight up
C&W. The "Willie & The Poor Boys" LP has
a great version of "Cotton Fields" and
to call "Down On The Corner" C&W tinged
wouldn't be much of a stretch.
Then, there is also the great "Wrote A
Song For Everyone" a country/folk tune
on "Green River",straight up Rockabilly
covers of Roy Orbison's "Ooby Dooby' and
the Elvis version of Arthur Crudup's "My
Baby Left Me" on the "Cosmo's Factory
album. And that's just to mention a few
tunes off the top of my head. There is
also a CD of CCR's country influenced
material"Creedence Country" that bears
witness to this and rocks about 10 times
harder than such aural swill listed here
like "The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band","Pure
Prairie League" et al to say the least.
Both of which groups were only one-shot
wonders at best.Country "influenced",OK
if you insist but,rocking? NO Way.
John Fogerty's "Blue Ridge Rangers" LP
is even more directly C&W and a lot more
rocking with hi energy covers of tunes
by Webb Pierce,George Jones,Dickie Lee,
Red Foley & Hank Williams Sr.Of course,
theres the great and somewhat bluegrass
influenced title track.Yet,there's not
even a mention to either CCR or of John
Fogerty here.This seems like something
of an oversight to me.Or just a matter
of personal taste I guess.
Most of the aforementioned acts were not
even really "C&W" influenced and surely
did not "Rock" in any sense of the word
but were more like remnants of the Folk
scenes of the early/mid 1960's with such
acts like Commander Cody,The Flying BB's
and later Byrds being the most obvious
exceptions here.I'd also give mention to
"Asleep At The Wheel" who came out about
the same time as did Commander Cody and
who were mining a similar vein of C&W,
Western Swing and Rockabilly.Just my two
cents worth,that's all.
23 - riva
i think this website SUCKS!!!!!!!!
24 - ashley
fudge u
25 - MRF Usher
Bob Dylan is mentioned many times, but what about The Band. Their "Up on Cripple Creek", "Ophelia", "The Weight" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" epitomized the rock band experimentation into country music in the late 60's and early 70's. Their music brought in so many types of music including rock, blues, jazz, bluegrass, R & B and good old fashioned country music. They were giants of the era, although their rep was they were Dylan's backup group. They were a highlight of the era. It is really too bad they will never get Robbie Robertson and Levan Helm on the same stage again.
We will also miss Rick Danko and Richard Manuel, may they rest in peace.