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180-567: Kenneth Arnold Chesney (born March 26, 1968) is an American country singer. With 30 million albums sold worldwide, he released his debut, In My Wildest Dreams , in 1994, and has since released 19 follow-ups. His albums spawned 27 singles that have peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 . Chesney has received twelve Country Music Association Awards , including the Country Music Association Award for Entertainer of

360-563: A New York accent than with other Southern accents, due to commercial ties and cultural migration between the two cities. Since at least the 1980s, this local New Orleans dialect has popularly been called " Yat ", from the common local greeting "Where you at?". Some features that the New York accent shares with the Yat accent include: Yat also lacks the typical vowel changes of the Southern Shift and

540-554: A Tim McGraw duet titled " Feel Like a Rock Star ", debuted at number 13 on the country charts, making it the second-highest debuting country song since the Billboard charts were first tabulated via Nielsen SoundScan , and the highest-debuting duet on that chart. The song peaked at number 11. BNA Records closed in June 2012. As a result, Chesney was transferred to Columbia Nashville , now Sony Music Nashville . His first release under Columbia

720-577: A Rainy Night " by Eddie Rabbitt (these two back-to-back at the top in early 1981); and " Islands in the Stream ", a duet by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers in 1983, a pop-country crossover hit written by Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees . Newton's "Queen of Hearts" almost reached No. 1, but was kept out of the spot by the pop ballad juggernaut " Endless Love " by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie . The move of country music toward neotraditional styles led to

900-520: A biographical film, The Color Orange , on his favorite football player growing up, Tennessee Volunteers football quarterback and Canadian Football League hall-of-fame Condredge Holloway . The film was produced for ESPN 's "Year of the Quarterback" series, and premiered on February 20, 2011. Chesney released his fourteenth studio album, Welcome to the Fishbowl , on June 19, 2012. Its lead-off single,

1080-452: A collection of musicians that came to be known as the outlaw movement revolutionized the genre of country music in the early 1970s. "After I left Nashville (the early 70s), I wanted to relax and play the music that I wanted to play, and just stay around Texas, maybe Oklahoma. Waylon and I had that outlaw image going, and when it caught on at colleges and we started selling records, we were O.K. The whole outlaw thing, it had nothing to do with

1260-526: A commercially fallow period. This subgenre was notable for borrowing from 1950s pop stylings: a prominent and smooth vocal, backed by a string section (violins and other orchestral strings) and vocal chorus. Instrumental soloing was de-emphasized in favor of trademark "licks". Leading artists in this genre included Jim Reeves , Skeeter Davis , Connie Smith , the Browns , Patsy Cline , and Eddy Arnold . The "slip note" piano style of session musician Floyd Cramer

1440-889: A contract with Capricorn Records , which had recently started a country division. Chesney's debut album, In My Wildest Dreams , was released on the independent Capricorn Records label in April 1994. The album's first two singles, "Whatever It Takes" and " The Tin Man ", both reached the lower regions of the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. The album sold approximately 10,000 copies before Capricorn Records closed its country music division in Nashville later that year and moved to Atlanta. In June 1995, Chesney signed with BNA Records , and released his second studio album All I Need to Know . The album produced three singles. " Fall in Love " and

1620-427: A cultural fad had died down after the late 1970s (with Jennings noting in 1978 that it had gotten out of hand and led to real-life legal scrutiny), many western and outlaw country music artists maintained their popularity during the 1980s by forming supergroups , such as The Highwaymen , Texas Tornados , and Bandido . Country pop or soft pop, with roots in the countrypolitan sound, folk music, and soft rock ,

1800-408: A departure from his original neotraditional country sound, to his more familiar country pop / trop rock / Gulf and Western sound he has since become known for. In September 2000, Chesney released his Greatest Hits compilation album. It included four new tracks, as well as updated versions of "Fall in Love", "The Tin Man", and "Back Where I Come From". The new version of "The Tin Man" was one of

1980-474: A distance between the speaker's claim and the hearer. It serves to soften obligations or suggestions, make criticisms less personal, and to overall express politeness, respect, or courtesy. Southerners also often use " evidential " predicates such as think, reckon, believe, guess, have the feeling, etc.: Evidential predicates indicate an uncertainty of the knowledge asserted in the sentence. According to Johnston (2003) , evidential predicates nearly always hedge

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2160-452: A duet with Uncle Kracker , also went to number one. The music video for the album's third single, " I Go Back ", was honored on April 11, 2005, with Country Music Television's Male Video of the Year Award. This song, along with the album's fourth single, " The Woman with You ", both peaked at number two. The fifth single, " Anything But Mine ", reached number one, and the final single, " Keg in

2340-426: A huge movement of non-Southerners into the area during the 1990s. Modern-day Charleston speakers have leveled in the direction of a more generalized Midland accent (and speakers in other Southern cities too like Greenville, Richmond, and Norfolk), away from the city's now-defunct, traditional Charleston accent , whose features were "diametrically opposed to the Southern Shift... and differ in many other respects from

2520-471: A laid-back, plain, or humble attitude. The accent is also associated nationwide with the military , NASCAR , and country music . Furthermore, non–Southern American country singers typically imitate a Southern accent in their music. The sum of negative associations nationwide, however, is the main presumable cause of a gradual decline of Southern accent features, since the middle of the 20th century onwards, particularly among younger and more urban residents of

2700-475: A little bit of that, a little bit of black and a little bit of white ... just loud enough to keep you from thinking too much and to go right on ordering the whiskey." East Texan Al Dexter had a hit with "Honky Tonk Blues", and seven years later " Pistol Packin' Mama ". These "honky tonk" songs were associated with barrooms, and was performed by the likes of Ernest Tubb , Kitty Wells (the first major female country solo singer), Ted Daffan , Floyd Tillman ,

2880-561: A marked decline in country/pop crossovers in the late 1980s, and only one song in that period— Roy Orbison 's " You Got It ", from 1989—made the top 10 of both the Billboard Hot Country Singles " and Hot 100 charts, due largely to a revival of interest in Orbison after his sudden death. The only song with substantial country airplay to reach number one on the pop charts in the late 1980s was " At This Moment " by Billy Vera and

3060-422: A number of "breezy, steel-drum island songs". It placed third in album sales that week, behind Graduation by Kanye West and Curtis by 50 Cent . The lead-off single from the album was " Never Wanted Nothing More ", written by Ronnie Bowman and Chris Stapleton . It reached number one Billboard country charts. On the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated for the week ending on September 15, 2007,

3240-511: A part of the Outlaw country movement. Originating in the bars, fiestas, and honky-tonks of Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas, their music supplemented outlaw country's singer-songwriter tradition as well as 21st-century rock -inspired alternative country and hip hop -inspired country rap artists. Outlaw country was derived from the traditional western, including Red Dirt , New Mexico , Texas country , Tejano , and honky-tonk musical styles of

3420-606: A police horse. McGraw came to Chesney's aid after police officers nearby believed the horse was being stolen. The two were arrested and charged, Chesney for disorderly conduct and McGraw for assault, but were acquitted in 2001. On May 9, 2005, Chesney married actress Renée Zellweger in a ceremony on the island of St. John . They had met in January at a relief event for the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami . On September 15, 2005, after only four months of marriage, they announced their plans for an annulment. Zellweger cited fraud as

3600-488: A range from obligated to forbidden and are mostly used as markers of politeness in requests whereas epistemic modals refer to probabilities from certain to impossible. Multiple modals combine these two modalities. People from the South often make use of conditional or evidential syntaxes as shown below (italicized in the examples): Conditional syntax in requests: Conditional syntax in suggestions: Conditional syntax creates

3780-595: A renewal among primarily male speakers born since the 1970s, who have been the most attracted by, and the biggest attractors of, a successful Cajun cultural renaissance. The accent includes: Cajun English is not subject to the Southern Vowel Shift. A separate historical English dialect from the above Cajun one, spoken only by those raised in the Greater New Orleans area, is traditionally non-rhotic and noticeably shares more pronunciation commonalities with

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3960-474: A result of traditionalist backlash within separate genres. In the aftermath of the British Invasion , many desired a return to the "old values" of rock n' roll. At the same time there was a lack of enthusiasm in the country sector for Nashville-produced music. What resulted was a crossbred genre known as country rock . Early innovators in this new style of music in the 1960s and 1970s included Bob Dylan , who

4140-516: A role in the larger country music, with western wear , cowboy boots , and cowboy hats continues to be in fashion for country artists. West of the Mississippi River , many of these western genres continue to flourish, including the Red Dirt of Oklahoma , New Mexico music of New Mexico , and both Texas country music and Tejano music of Texas . During the 1950s until the early 1970s,

4320-431: A row ( might could, might should, might would, used to could, etc.--also called "modal stacking") and sometimes even triple modals that involve oughta (like might should oughta ) The origin of multiple modals is controversial; some say it is a development of Modern English , while others trace them back to Middle English and others to Scots-Irish settlers. There are different opinions on which class preferably uses

4500-461: A second song "License To Chill". Both songs are on Buffett's 2004 album License To Chill . In January 2005, Chesney released the album Be as You Are (Songs from an Old Blue Chair) , supporting it with his Somewhere in the Sun Tour. Be as You Are is composed mostly of ballads. The album qualified for RIAA Platinum and entered the top of both mainstream country and pop music. In May 2005, Chesney

4680-428: A series of hugely successful songs blending country and folk-rock musical styles. By the mid-1970s, Texas country and Tejano music gained popularity with performers like Freddie Fender . During the early 1980s country artists continued to see their records perform well on the pop charts. In 1980 a style of "neocountry disco music" was popularized. During the mid-1980s a group of new artists began to emerge who rejected

4860-479: A significant shift in sound from earlier country music. The song was written by actual truckers and contained numerous references to the trucker culture of the time like "ICC" for Interstate Commerce Commission and "little white pills" as a reference to amphetamines . Starday Records in Nashville followed up on Dudley's initial success with the release of Give Me 40 Acres by the Willis Brothers . Rockabilly

5040-487: A style of "neocountry disco music" was popularized by the film Urban Cowboy . It was during this time that a glut of pop-country crossover artists began appearing on the country charts: former pop stars Bill Medley (of the Righteous Brothers ), "England Dan" Seals (of England Dan and John Ford Coley ), Tom Jones , and Merrill Osmond (both alone and with some of his brothers ; his younger sister Marie Osmond

5220-515: Is a black flag with a white skull and crossbones. The name was accompanied by a live album called Live in No Shoes Nation , which topped the Billboard 200 after its release in late 2017. No Shoes Nation inspired the name of Chesney's Sirius XM channel, No Shoes Radio. In January 2018, Chesney ended his contract with Sony Music Nashville and signed to Warner Records Nashville . Chesney released his first album with Warner, entitled Songs for

5400-480: Is a geographic term, "Southern dialect" may also encompass dialects developed among other social or ethnic groups in the South. The most prominent of these dialects is African-American Vernacular English (AAVE), a fairly unified variety of English spoken by working and middle-class African-Americans throughout the United States. AAVE exhibits a relationship with both older and newer Southern dialects, though there

5580-491: Is a subgenre that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to adult contemporary music . It started with pop music singers like Glen Campbell , Bobbie Gentry , John Denver , Olivia Newton-John , Anne Murray , B. J. Thomas , the Bellamy Brothers , and Linda Ronstadt having hits on

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5760-452: Is known for some unique vocabulary: long sandwiches are often called poor boys or po' boys , woodlice/roly-polies called doodle bugs , the end of a bread loaf called a nose , pedestrian islands and median strips alike called neutral ground , and sidewalks called banquettes . Discussion of "Southern dialect" in the United States sometimes focuses on those English varieties spoken by white Southerners; However, because "Southern"

5940-492: Is not yet a broad consensus on the exact nature of this relationship. The historical context of race and slavery in the United States is a central factor in the development of AAVE. From the 16th to 19th centuries, many Africans speaking a diversity of West African languages were captured, brought to the United States, and sold into slavery. Over many generations, these Africans and their African-American descendants picked up English to communicate with their white enslavers and

6120-411: Is primarily rooted in various forms of American folk music , such as old-time music and Appalachian music , many other traditions, including Mexican , Irish , and Hawaiian music , have had a formative influence on the genre. Blues modes from blues music have been used extensively throughout its history as well. Once called " hillbilly music", the term country music gained popularity in

6300-402: Is spoken by many older Cajun ethnic group members and is said to be dying out. A related language, Louisiana Creole French , also exists. Since the early 1900s, Cajuns additionally began to develop their vernacular dialect of English , which retains some influences and words from French, such as "cher" (dear) or "nonc" (uncle). This dialect fell out of fashion after World War II but experienced

6480-527: Is still documented as widespread as of the 2006 Atlas of North American English . Specifically, the Atlas definitively documents a Southern accent throughout Virginia , North Carolina , South Carolina (except Charleston ), Georgia (though not particularly in Atlanta ), Alabama , Mississippi , Tennessee , Kentucky , Arkansas , Louisiana (alongside Cajun and New Orleans accents ), southern West Virginia ,

6660-590: Is that he co wrote Kid Rock 's single " Cold and Empty " from his self-titled 6th studio album Kid Rock . In February 2004, Chesney released When the Sun Goes Down . Its lead-off single, " There Goes My Life ", spent seven weeks at number one on the Billboard country charts. On April 21, 2004, the accompanying music video for that song was honored by CMT with the Male Video of the Year award. The album's title track ,

6840-524: Is used to say that something exists (rather than saying where it is located). The construction can be found in Middle English as in Marlowe 's Edward II : "Cousin, it is no dealing with him now". Standard English has a strict word order . In the case of modal auxiliaries , standard English is restricted to a single modal per verb phrase . However, some Southern speakers use double or more modals in

7020-628: The Billboard 200 and produced five singles. " Living in Fast Forward ", " Summertime ", and " Beer in Mexico " all reached number one, while " Who You'd Be Today " and " You Save Me " both broke the Top 5. Chesney promotes his beliefs of perfection, as getting songs right in the studio, ultimately leads to performing it right on the road and on the radio. In May 2006, Chesney was honored with his second Entertainer of

7200-641: The Bakersfield sound . It has the tempo of country rock and the emotion of honky-tonk, and its lyrics focus on a truck driver 's lifestyle. Truck-driving country songs often deal with the profession of trucking and love. Well-known artists who sing truck driving country include Dave Dudley , Red Sovine , Dick Curless , Red Simpson , Del Reeves , the Willis Brothers and Jerry Reed , with C. W. McCall and Cledus Maggard (pseudonyms of Bill Fries and Jay Huguely, respectively) being more humorous entries in

7380-725: The First National Band ), the Grateful Dead , Neil Young , Commander Cody , the Allman Brothers Band , Charlie Daniels , the Marshall Tucker Band , Poco , Buffalo Springfield , Stephen Stills ' band Manassas and Eagles , among many, even the former folk music duo Ian & Sylvia , who formed Great Speckled Bird in 1969. The Eagles would become the most successful of these country rock acts, and their compilation album Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) remains

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7560-769: The Great Depression . However, radio became a popular source of entertainment, and "barn dance" shows featuring country music were started by radio stations all over the South, as far north as Chicago, and as far west as California. The most important was the Grand Ole Opry , aired starting in 1925 by WSM in Nashville and continuing to the present day. Some of the early stars on the Opry were Uncle Dave Macon , Roy Acuff and African American harmonica player DeFord Bailey . WSM's 50,000-watt signal (in 1934) could often be heard across

7740-608: The Jacksonville area of northern Florida , the Springfield area of southern Missouri , and much of Texas . Other 21st-century scholarship further includes within the dialect region southern Maryland , eastern and southern Oklahoma , central West Virginia, the rest of northern Florida and southern Missouri, and southeastern New Mexico . The Atlas , furthermore, documents the South Midland accent as sharing key features with

7920-480: The Maddox Brothers and Rose , Lefty Frizzell and Hank Williams ; the music of these artists would later be called "traditional" country. Williams' influence in particular would prove to be enormous, inspiring many of the pioneers of rock and roll, such as Elvis Presley , Jerry Lee Lewis , Chuck Berry and Ike Turner , while providing a framework for emerging honky tonk talents like George Jones . Webb Pierce

8100-573: The Mountain City Fiddlers Convention , held in 1925, helped to inspire modern country music. Before these, pioneer settlers, in the Great Smoky Mountains region, had developed a rich musical heritage. The first generation emerged in the 1920s, with Atlanta's music scene playing a major role in launching country's earliest recording artists. James Gideon "Gid" Tanner (1885–1960) was an American old-time fiddler and one of

8280-512: The Ozarks . As Webb Pierce put it in 1956, "Once upon a time, it was almost impossible to sell country music in a place like New York City. Nowadays, television takes us everywhere, and country music records and sheet music sell as well in large cities as anywhere else." The Country Music Association was founded in 1958, in part because numerous country musicians were appalled by the increased influence of rock and roll on country music. Beginning in

8460-588: The US Department of Energy at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee offered a voluntary "Southern accent reduction" class so that employees could be "remembered for what they said rather than their accents". The course offered accent neutralization through code-switching . The class was canceled because of the resulting controversy and complaints from Southern employees, who were offended by

8640-533: The cot–caught merger is very close to completed. Some sub-regions of the South, and perhaps even a majority of the biggest cities, are showing a gradual shift away from the Southern accent (toward a more Midland or General American accent) since the second half of the 20th century to the present. Such well-studied cities include Houston, Texas , and Raleigh, North Carolina ; in Raleigh, for example, this retreat from

8820-584: The creoles and pidgins spoken by Black Caribbeans. There is also evidence of some influence of West African languages on the vocabulary and grammar of AAVE. It is uncertain to what extent current white Southern English borrowed elements from early AAVE, and vice versa. Like many white accents of English once spoken in Southern plantation areas—namely, the Lowcountry, the Virginia Piedmont, Tidewater, and

9000-541: The music of Hawaii . The U.S. Congress has formally recognized Bristol, Tennessee as the "Birthplace of Country Music", based on the historic Bristol recording sessions of 1927. Since 2014, the city has been home to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum . Historians have also noted the influence of the less-known Johnson City sessions of 1928 and 1929, and the Knoxville sessions of 1929 and 1930. In addition,

9180-536: The pin–pen merger that is commonly heard elsewhere throughout the South. Yat is associated with the working and lower-middle classes, and a spectrum of speech patterns with fewer notable Yat features is often heard among those of higher socioeconomic status; such New Orleans affluence is associated with the New Orleans Uptown and the Garden District , whose speech patterns are sometimes considered distinct from

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9360-434: The pin–pen merger , and the most defining sound of the current Southern accent (though rarely documented in older Southern accents): the glide weakening of /aɪ/ . However, while this glide weakening has triggered among white Southerners a complicated "Southern Vowel Shift", African-American speakers in the South and elsewhere are "not participating or barely participating" in much of this shift. AAVE speakers also do not front

9540-537: The title track both reached the Top 10, while " Grandpa Told Me So " peaked at number 23. That same year, Chesney co-wrote Confederate Railroad 's single "When He Was My Age" from their album When and Where . Chesney utilized musicians playing the fiddle and pedal steel guitar throughout this album, as he felt this would highlight the open-country, "down-home" feelings in his music; fiddle and pedal steel further helped to compliment his eastern- Tennessean accent and "twang" heard in his singing and inflections. One of

9720-526: The " I Can't Stop Loving You " single, and recording the landmark album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music . Another subgenre of country music grew out of hardcore honky tonk with elements of western swing and originated 112 miles (180 km) north-northwest of Los Angeles in Bakersfield, California , where many " Okies " and other Dust Bowl migrants had settled. Influenced by one-time West Coast residents Bob Wills and Lefty Frizzell , by 1966 it

9900-588: The "Best Female Country Vocal Performance" as well as the Country Music Association's most coveted award for females, "Female Vocalist of the Year". In response George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Jean Shepard and other traditional Nashville country artists dissatisfied with the new trend formed the short-lived "Association of Country Entertainers" in 1974; the ACE soon unraveled in the wake of Jones and Wynette's bitter divorce and Shepard's realization that most others in

10080-448: The "Inland South" as a large linguistic sub-region of the South located mostly in southern Appalachia (specifically naming the cities of Greenville, South Carolina, Asheville, North Carolina, Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Birmingham and Linden, Alabama), inland from both the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts, and the originating region of the Southern Vowel Shift. The Inland South, along with

10260-409: The "Texas South" (an urban core of central Texas: Dallas , Lubbock , Odessa , and San Antonio ) are considered the two major locations in which the Southern regional sound system is the most highly developed, and therefore the core areas of the current-day South as a dialect region. The accents of Texas are diverse, for example with important Spanish influences on its vocabulary; however, much of

10440-597: The 1920s, were popularized by films made in Hollywood. Some of the popular singing cowboys from the era were Gene Autry , the Sons of the Pioneers , and Roy Rogers . Country music and western music were frequently played together on the same radio stations, hence the term country and western music, despite country and western being two distinct genres. Cowgirls contributed to the sound in various family groups. Patsy Montana opened

10620-405: The 1940s. The genre came to encompass western music , which evolved parallel to hillbilly music from similar roots, in the mid-20th century. Contemporary styles of western music include Texas country , red dirt , and Hispano- and Mexican American -led Tejano and New Mexico music , which still exists alongside longstanding indigenous traditions . In 2009, in the United States, country music

10800-468: The 1950s to the mid-1960s, western singer-songwriters such as Marty Robbins rose in prominence as did others, throughout western music traditions, like New Mexico music 's Al Hurricane . The late 1960s in American music produced a unique blend as a result of traditionalist backlash within separate genres. In the aftermath of the British Invasion , many desired a return to the "old values" of rock n' roll. At

10980-444: The 1980s. Country music propelled Kenny Rogers’ career, making him a three-time Grammy Award winner and six-time Country Music Association Awards winner. Having sold more than 50 million albums in the US, one of his Song "The Gambler," inspired several TV films, with Rogers as the main character. Artists like Crystal Gayle , Ronnie Milsap and Barbara Mandrell would also find success on

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11160-666: The 19th century, this included distinct dialects in eastern Virginia, the greater Lowcountry area surrounding Charleston, the Appalachian upcountry region, the Black Belt plantation region, and secluded Atlantic coastal and island communities. Following the American Civil War , as the South's economy and migration patterns fundamentally transformed, so did Southern dialect trends. Over the next few decades, Southerners moved increasingly to Appalachian mill towns, to Texan farms, or out of

11340-608: The 44th Annual Country Music Awards. The second single from Hemingway's Whiskey , " Somewhere with You ", was released in November 2010. The song debuted at No. 35 on the country chart for the week of November 6, 2010. Both it and its followup, " Live a Little ", reached number 1 on the country charts. The next single was " You and Tequila ", co-written and originally recorded by Deana Carter . Chesney's rendition, which featured Grace Potter on backing vocals, reached number 3. " Reality " reached number 1. Chesney produced and narrated

11520-521: The American Civil War – and the subsequent national abolition of explicitly racial slavery in the 19th century – many newly freed African Americans and their families remained in the United States. Some stayed in the South, while others moved to join communities of African-American free people living outside of the South. Soon, racial segregation laws followed by decades of cultural, sociological, economic, and technological changes such as WWII and

11700-565: The Beaters, an R&B song with slide guitar embellishment that appeared at number 42 on the country charts from minor crossover airplay. The record-setting, multi-platinum group Alabama was named Artist of the Decade for the 1980s by the Academy of Country Music. Country rock is a genre that started in the 1960s but became prominent in the 1970s. The late 1960s in American music produced a unique blend as

11880-503: The Carters recorded some 300 old-time ballads, traditional tunes, country songs and gospel hymns, all representative of America's southeastern folklore and heritage. Maybelle Carter went on to continue the family tradition with her daughters as The Carter Sisters ; her daughter June would marry (in succession) Carl Smith , Rip Nix and Johnny Cash , having children with each who would also become country singers. Record sales declined during

12060-562: The Closet ", peaked to number six. When the Sun Goes Down was honored with the 2004 CMA award for Album of the Year while Chesney was honored as the Entertainer of the Year. He was also presented with AMA's 2004 Artist of the Year award. In 2004, Chesney collaborated with one of his personal heroes, Jimmy Buffett , on a remake of Hank Williams' single " Hey Good Lookin' (with Clint Black , Alan Jackson , Toby Keith , and George Strait ), and

12240-630: The Country Airplay chart the week of January 31, 2015. The third single " Wild Child ", which is a duet with Grace Potter , was released two days later. It reached number one on the Country Airplay chart the week of June 27, 2015. The album's fourth single, " Save It for a Rainy Day ", was released to country radio on June 29, 2015. It reached number one on the Country Airplay chart. On October 24, Chesney announced his 2015 tour The Big Revival Tour , which began on March 26, 2015 and included ten shows with Jason Aldean . The album Cosmic Hallelujah ,

12420-518: The Grand Ole Opry. That was the ordination of bluegrass music and how Bill Monroe came to be known as the "Father of Bluegrass." Gospel music , too, remained a popular component of bluegrass and other sorts of country music. Red Foley , the biggest country star following World War II, had one of the first million-selling gospel hits (" Peace in the Valley ") and also sang boogie, blues and rockabilly. In

12600-624: The Judds . Southern American accent A diversity of earlier Southern dialects once existed: a consequence of the mix of English speakers from the British Isles (including largely English and Scots-Irish immigrants ) who migrated to the American South in the 17th and 18th centuries, with particular 19th-century elements also borrowed from the London upper class and enslaved African-Americans. By

12780-598: The Lane " for Okeh Records on June 14, 1923. Vernon Dalhart was the first country singer to have a nationwide hit in May 1924 with " Wreck of the Old 97 ". The flip side of the record was "Lonesome Road Blues", which also became very popular. In April 1924, "Aunt" Samantha Bumgarner and Eva Davis became the first female musicians to record and release country songs. The record 129-D produced by Columbia features Samantha playing fiddle and singing Big-Eyed Rabbit while Eva Davis plays banjo. The other side features Eva Davis playing banjo while singing Wild Bill Jones. Many of

12960-567: The Road ) peaked at number 2. Me and You was Chesney's first album to be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). A cover of Mac McAnally 's 1990 single " Back Where I Come From " was also included on this album. Even though Chesney's version was never released as a single, it has been regularly performed during his concerts. Chesney was honored with the 1997 Academy of Country Music's New Male Vocalist of

13140-596: The Saints , in July 2018. In May 2020, Chesney released Here and Now , which features the title track and "Tip of My Tongue" , a leadoff single that was released in mid-2019. The album debuted at number one and became Chesney's 16th top 10 album on the U.S. Billboard 200, with 233,000 units. In 2000, Chesney and Tim McGraw were involved in a scuffle with police in Saratoga Springs, New York , after Chesney attempted to ride

13320-503: The South entirely. The main result, further intensified by later upheavals such as the Great Depression , the Dust Bowl and perhaps World War II , is that a newer and more unified form of Southern American English consolidated, beginning around the last quarter of the 19th century, radiating outward from Texas and Appalachia through all the traditional Southern States until around World War II. This newer Southern dialect largely superseded

13500-450: The South, as far north as Chicago, and as far west as California. The most important was the Grand Ole Opry , aired starting in 1925 by WSM in Nashville and continuing to the present day. During the 1930s and 1940s, cowboy songs, or western music, which had been recorded since the 1920s, were popularized by films made in Hollywood, many featuring Gene Autry , who was known as king of the "singing cowboys," and Hank Williams . Bob Wills

13680-710: The South, best documented before the Civil War , on the decline during the early 1900s, and non-existent in speakers born since the civil rights movement . Little unified these older Southern dialects since they never formed a single homogeneous dialect region to begin with. Some older Southern accents were rhotic (most strongly in Appalachia and west of the Mississippi ), while the majority were non-rhotic (most strongly in plantation areas); however, wide variation existed. Some older Southern accents showed (or approximated) Stage 1 of

13860-544: The South. In a study of children's attitudes about accents published in 2012, Tennessee children from five to six were indifferent about the qualities of persons with different accents, but children from Chicago were not. Chicago children from five to six (speakers of Northern American English ) were much more likely to attach positive traits to Northern speakers than Southern ones. The study's results suggest that social perceptions of Southern English are taught by parents to children and exist for no biological reason. In 2014,

14040-488: The South. Most of the Southern United States underwent several major sound changes from the beginning to the middle of the 20th century, during which a more unified, region-wide sound system developed, markedly different from the sound systems of the 19th-century Southern dialects. The South as a present-day dialect region generally includes all of the pronunciation features below, which are popularly recognized in

14220-503: The Southeastern fronting of /oʊ/ and the status of the pin–pen merger is highly variable. Non-rhoticity ( r -dropping) is now rare in these cities, yet still documented in some speakers. Most of southern Louisiana constitutes Acadiana , a cultural region dominated for hundreds of years by monolingual speakers of Cajun French , which combines elements of Acadian French with other French and Spanish words. Today, this French dialect

14400-811: The Southern Vowel Shift—;namely, the glide weakening of /aɪ/ —however, it is virtually unreported before the very late 1800s. In general, the older Southern dialects lacked the Mary–marry–merry , cot–caught , horse–hoarse , wine–whine , full–fool , fill–feel , and do–dew mergers , all of which are now common to, or encroaching on, all varieties of present-day Southern American English. Older Southern sound systems included those local to the: These grammatical features are characteristic of both older and newer Southern American English. Standard English would prefer "existential there ", as in "There's one lady who lives in town". This construction

14580-405: The Southern accent but to a weaker extent; these features extend across all of Texas, Oklahoma, and West Virginia as well as eastern and central Kansas , southern Missouri, southern Indiana , southern Ohio , and possibly southern Illinois . African-American accents across the United States have many common points with Southern accents due to the strong historical ties of African Americans to

14760-479: The Southern highlands and Piney Woods , as in yesterday they riz up, come outside, drawed, and drownded , as well as participle forms like they have took it, rode it, blowed it up, and swimmed away . Drug is traditionally both the past tense and participle form of the verb drag . Y'all is a second-person singular pronoun that used to refer to a single group . It is originally a contraction  – you all. Southern Louisiana English especially

14940-531: The Southwest . First produced in the 1920s, country music is primarily focused on singing stories about working-class and blue-collar American life. Country music is known for its ballads and dance tunes (i.e., " honky-tonk music ") with simple form, folk lyrics, and harmonies generally accompanied by instruments such as banjos , fiddles , harmonicas , and many types of guitar (including acoustic , electric , steel , and resonator guitars). Though it

15120-664: The Southwestern United States, it was the Rocky Mountains , American frontier , and Rio Grande that acted as a similar backdrop for Native American , Mexican , and cowboy ballads, which resulted in New Mexico music and the development of western music , and it is directly related to Red Dirt, Texas country, and Tejano music styles. In the Asia-Pacific , the steel guitar sound of country music has its provenance in

15300-476: The Straw " by fiddlers Henry Gilliland & A.C. (Eck) Robertson on June 30, 1922, for Victor Records and released in April 1923. Columbia Records began issuing records with "hillbilly" music (series 15000D "Old Familiar Tunes") as early as 1924. The first commercial recording of what is widely considered to be the first country song featuring vocals and lyrics was Fiddlin' John Carson with " Little Log Cabin in

15480-486: The United States as making up a "Southern accent". The following phonological phenomena focus on the developing sound system of the 20th-century Southern dialects of the United States that altogether largely (though certainly not entirely) superseded the older Southern regional patterns. However, there is still variation in Southern speech regarding potential differences based on factors like a speaker's exact sub-region, age, ethnicity, etc. William Labov et al. identify

15660-579: The West Coast. Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family are widely considered to be important early country musicians. From Scott County, Virginia , the Carters had learned sight reading of hymnals and sheet music using solfege . Their songs were first captured at a historic recording session in Bristol, Tennessee , on August 1, 1927, where Ralph Peer was the talent scout and sound recordist. A scene in

15840-472: The Year honor four times, and eleven Academy of Country Music Awards , including four consecutive Academy of Country Music Award for Entertainer of the Year from 2005 to 2008, as well as six Grammy Award nominations. He has remained one of the most popular touring acts in United States country music. Chesney was born on March 26, 1968, in Knoxville, Tennessee , United States, at St. Mary's Medical Center and

16020-536: The Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards. Live: Live Those Songs Again , Chesney's first live album was released in September 2006, via BNA Records . This album includes live renditions of 15 songs, 11 of which were singles. "Live Those Songs", "Never Gonna Feel Like That Again", "On the Coast of Somewhere Beautiful", and "Back Where I Come From" were never released by Chesney as singles, although "Back Where I Come From"

16200-473: The Year award. I Will Stand , Chesney's fourth album and his third from BNA Records, followed in July 1997. The album's first single, " She's Got It All ", became Chesney's first number one hit on the Billboard country charts and spent three weeks at that position. The album's second single, " A Chance ", peaked just shy of the Top 10. The third single, " That's Why I'm Here ", peaked at number 2 in 1998. Everywhere We Go , Chesney's fourth album from BNA,

16380-519: The Year, while "The Good Stuff" received the award for Single Record of the Year. In April 2004, title track won the Hottest Video of the Year at the CMT awards, given to the fan-voted "sexiest" clip. In October 2003, Chesney recorded All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Good Tan . The album's title track peaked at No. 30 on the country charts from holiday airplay. Other notable work Chesney did in 2003

16560-683: The accent appears to have begun around 1950. Other sub-regions are unique in that their inhabitants have never spoken with the Southern regional accent, instead having their distinct accents. The Atlas of North American English identified Atlanta, Georgia , as a dialectal "island of non-Southern speech", Charleston, South Carolina , likewise as "not markedly Southern in character", and the traditional local accent of Savannah, Georgia , as "giving way to regional [Midland] patterns", despite these being three prominent Southern cities. The dialect features of Atlanta are best described today as sporadic from speaker to speaker, with such variation increased due to

16740-403: The album's second single " Don't Blink " debuted at No. 16, setting a new record for the highest debut on that chart since the inception of SoundScan electronic tabulation in 1990, although the record was broken the following week by " More Than a Memory " by Garth Brooks . The third single, " Shiftwork " (a duet with George Strait ) peaked at No. 2 on the country charts. In June 2008,

16920-487: The album's second single. In July 2010, Chesney released " The Boys of Fall " as the lead-off single from his album Hemingway's Whiskey , which was released in September 2010. The song reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart for the week of October 9, 2010. That year, Chesney produced a documentary for ESPN titled The Boys of Fall based on his song of the same name. In November 2010, Chesney performed at

17100-548: The album, " Pirate Flag ", was released to iTunes on February 5, 2013, and peaked at number 3 on the Country Airplay chart in May 2013. Pirate Flag peaked at number 7 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, May 25, 2013. The album's second single, " When I See This Bar ", was released to country radio on June 10, 2013. When I see This Bar peaked at number 25 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, September 14, 2013. This specific album

17280-423: The appeal of the Nashville sound, many traditional country artists emerged during this period and dominated the genre: Loretta Lynn , Merle Haggard , Buck Owens , Porter Wagoner , George Jones , and Sonny James among them. In 1962, Ray Charles surprised the pop world by turning his attention to country and western music, topping the charts and rating number three for the year on Billboard's pop chart with

17460-517: The assertions and allow the respondents to hedge theirs. They protect speakers from the social embarrassment that appears, in case the assertion turns out to be wrong. As is the case with conditional syntax, evidential predicates can also be used to soften criticisms and to afford courtesy or respect. In the United States, the following vocabulary is mostly unique to, or best associated with, Southern U.S. English: Unique words can occur as Southern nonstandard past-tense forms of verbs, particularly in

17640-572: The basic ensemble consisted of classical guitar , bass guitar , dobro or steel guitar, though some larger ensembles featured electric guitars , trumpets , keyboards (especially the honky-tonk piano, a type of tack piano ), banjos , and drums . By the early 1950s it blended with rock and roll , becoming the rockabilly sound produced by Sam Phillips , Norman Petty , and Bob Keane . Musicians like Elvis Presley , Buddy Holly , Jerry Lee Lewis , Ritchie Valens , Carl Perkins , Roy Orbison , and Johnny Cash emerged as enduring representatives of

17820-464: The country charts. Between 1972 and 1975, singer/guitarist John Denver released a series of hugely successful songs blending country and folk-rock musical styles (" Rocky Mountain High ", " Sunshine on My Shoulders ", " Annie's Song ", " Thank God I'm a Country Boy ", and " I'm Sorry "), and was named Country Music Entertainer of the Year in 1975. The year before, Olivia Newton-John, an Australian pop singer, won

18000-465: The country. Many musicians performed and recorded songs in any number of styles. Moon Mullican , for example, played western swing but also recorded songs that can be called rockabilly . Between 1947 and 1949, country crooner Eddy Arnold placed eight songs in the top 10. From 1945 to 1955 Jenny Lou Carson was one of the most prolific songwriters in country music. In the 1930s and 1940s, cowboy songs, or western music, which had been recorded since

18180-760: The cowboy ballads, New Mexico , Texas country and Tejano music rhythms of the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico , reached its peak in popularity in the late 1950s, most notably with the song " El Paso ", first recorded by Marty Robbins in September 1959. Western music's influence would continue to grow within the country music sphere, western musicians like Michael Martin Murphey , New Mexico music artists Al Hurricane and Antonia Apodaca , Tejano music performer Little Joe , and even folk revivalist John Denver , all first rose to prominence during this time. This western music influence largely kept

18360-401: The damage was centering within his toes. It took about 30 seconds for Chesney to pry his foot loose as he squatted down on the stage while the band continued to play an extended introduction of the song. When Chesney finally freed himself, he stood up and held his hand on his knee as he began singing. Chesney did not acknowledge the injury during the early part of his performance. However, he

18540-477: The disc's three singles, along with two of the new tracks, " I Lost It " and " Don't Happen Twice ". In 2001, he performed with Kid Rock at a Waylon Jennings tribute concert covering Waylon's song " Luckenbach Texas ". The album No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems was released in April 2002. Its lead-off single, " Young ", peaked at number 2, while the follower " The Good Stuff " spent seven weeks at number 1 and became Billboard ' s number one country song of

18720-826: The door for female artists with her history-making song "I Want To Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart". This would begin a movement toward opportunities for women to have successful solo careers. Bob Wills was another country musician from the Lower Great Plains who had become very popular as the leader of a " hot string band ," and who also appeared in Hollywood westerns . His mix of country and jazz , which started out as dance hall music, would become known as western swing . Cliff Bruner , Moon Mullican , Milton Brown and Adolph Hofner were other early western swing pioneers. Spade Cooley and Tex Williams also had very popular bands and appeared in films. At its height, western swing rivaled

18900-664: The earliest stars of what would come to be known as country music. His band, the Skillet Lickers , was one of the most innovative and influential string bands of the 1920s and 1930s. Its most notable members were Clayton McMichen (fiddle and vocal), Dan Hornsby (vocals), Riley Puckett (guitar and vocal) and Robert Lee Sweat (guitar). New York City record label Okeh Records began issuing hillbilly music records by Fiddlin' John Carson as early as 1923, followed by Columbia Records (series 15000D "Old Familiar Tunes") ( Samantha Bumgarner ) in 1924, and RCA Victor Records in 1927 with

19080-408: The early 1960s, however, it was rare for a country band not to have a drummer. Bob Wills was one of the first country musicians known to have added an electric guitar to his band, in 1938. A decade later (1948) Arthur Smith achieved top 10 US country chart success with his MGM Records recording of " Guitar Boogie ", which crossed over to the US pop chart, introducing many people to the potential of

19260-613: The early country musicians, such as the yodeler Cliff Carlisle , recorded blues songs into the 1930s. Other important early recording artists were Riley Puckett , Don Richardson , Fiddlin' John Carson , Uncle Dave Macon , Al Hopkins , Ernest V. Stoneman , Blind Alfred Reed , Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers and the Skillet Lickers . The steel guitar entered country music as early as 1922, when Jimmie Tarlton met famed Hawaiian guitarist Frank Ferera on

19440-569: The early eighties: Nelson charted " Always on My Mind " (#5, 1982) and " To All the Girls I've Loved Before " (#5, 1984, a duet with Julio Iglesias ), and Newton achieved success with " Queen of Hearts " (#2, 1981) and " Angel of the Morning " (#4, 1981). Four country songs topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the 1980s: " Lady " by Kenny Rogers , from the late fall of 1980; " 9 to 5 " by Dolly Parton , " I Love

19620-524: The electric guitar. For several decades Nashville session players preferred the warm tones of the Gibson and Gretsch archtop electrics, but a "hot" Fender style, using guitars which became available beginning in the early 1950s, eventually prevailed as the signature guitar sound of country. Country musicians began recording boogie in 1939, shortly after it had been played at Carnegie Hall , when Johnny Barfield recorded "Boogie Woogie". The trickle of what

19800-481: The end of World War II with "mountaineer" string band music known as bluegrass , which emerged when Bill Monroe , along with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs , were introduced by Roy Acuff at the Grand Ole Opry. Gospel music remained a popular component of country music. The Native American , Hispano, and American frontier music of the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico , became popular among poor communities in New Mexico , Oklahoma , and Texas ;

19980-473: The first all-country radio station was established in Lubbock, Texas . The music of the 1960s and 1970s targeted the American working class, and truckers in particular. As country radio became more popular, trucking songs like the 1963 hit song Six Days on the Road by Dave Dudley began to make up their own subgenre of country. These revamped songs sought to portray American truckers as a "new folk hero", marking

20160-406: The first famous pioneers of the genre Jimmie Rodgers , who is widely considered the "Father of Country Music", and the first family of country music the Carter Family . Many "hillbilly" musicians recorded blues songs throughout the 1920s. During the second generation (1930s–1940s), radio became a popular source of entertainment, and "barn dance" shows featuring country music were started all over

20340-454: The former crossing over to the US pop charts. Other country boogie artists included Moon Mullican , Merrill Moore and Tennessee Ernie Ford . The hillbilly boogie period lasted into the 1950s and remains one of many subgenres of country into the 21st century. By the end of World War II , "mountaineer" string band music known as bluegrass had emerged when Bill Monroe joined with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs , introduced by Roy Acuff at

20520-459: The fourth and final single, " Better as a Memory ", became Chesney's fourteenth number one hit. Chesney started his Poets and Pirates Tour on April 26, 2008, at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina . During the introduction of his set, his boot got caught between a hydraulic lift and the lip of the stage surface, which crushed his foot causing a severe hematoma in the ankle; most of

20700-414: The increasing prevalence of mass media further complicated the relationship between AAVE and all other English dialects. Modern AAVE retains similarities to older speech patterns spoken among white Southerners. Many features suggest that it largely developed from nonstandard dialects of colonial English as spoken by white Southern planters and British indentured servants, plus a more minor influence from

20880-411: The industry lacked her passion for the movement. During the mid-1970s, Dolly Parton , a successful mainstream country artist since the late 1960s, mounted a high-profile campaign to cross over to pop music, culminating in her 1977 hit " Here You Come Again ", which topped the U.S. country singles chart, and also reached No. 3 on the pop singles charts. Parton's male counterpart, Kenny Rogers , came from

21060-549: The initial blending of the two polar opposite genres, other offspring soon resulted, including Southern rock , heartland rock and in more recent years, alternative country . In the decades that followed, artists such as Juice Newton , Alabama , Hank Williams, Jr. (and, to an even greater extent, Hank Williams III ), Gary Allan , Shania Twain , Brooks & Dunn , Faith Hill , Garth Brooks , Dwight Yoakam , Steve Earle , Dolly Parton , Rosanne Cash and Linda Ronstadt moved country further towards rock influence. In 1980,

21240-525: The injury. On May 19, 2008, just a day after being honored as the ACM Entertainer of the Year at the 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, Chesney criticized the change in the awards process to awarding the honor based on fan votes and not determined by music industry professionals. In August 2008, Chesney released a song titled " Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven ", which reached number one Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The album Lucky Old Sun

21420-558: The intentions behind the record was to capture the "traditional" spirit that had made early country music so popular. Chesney's third studio album and his second major-label one, titled Me and You , was released in June 1996. Its first single, "Back In My Arms Again", peaked just outside the Top 40 on the country charts, while both the title track (which Chesney had recorded on his previous album) and " When I Close My Eyes " (previously recorded by Keith Palmer on his 1991 debut album and then by Larry Stewart on his 1993 debut album Down

21600-406: The late 1950s and 1960s. Songs such as the 1963 Johnny Cash popularized " Ring of Fire " show clear influences from the likes of Al Hurricane and Little Joe , this influence just happened to culminate with artists such as Ray Price (whose band, the "Cherokee Cowboys", included Willie Nelson and Roger Miller ) and mixed with the anger of an alienated subculture of the nation during the period,

21780-407: The late 2000s and early 2010s. Most of the best-selling country songs of this era were those by Lady A , Florida Georgia Line , Carrie Underwood , and Taylor Swift . Hip hop also made its mark on country music with the emergence of country rap . The first commercial recordings of what was considered instrumental music in the traditional country style were " Arkansas Traveler " and " Turkey in

21960-600: The latter part of the western heyday in country music, many of these genres featured popular artists that continue to influence both their distinctive genres and larger country music. Red Dirt featured Bob Childers and Steve Ripley ; for New Mexico music Al Hurricane , Al Hurricane Jr. , and Antonia Apodaca ; and within the Texas scenes Willie Nelson , Freddie Fender , Johnny Rodriguez , and Little Joe . As Outlaw country music emerged as subgenre in its own right, Red Dirt, New Mexico, Texas country, and Tejano grew in popularity as

22140-518: The lead single. On February 9, 2010, this album was re-released with two new tracks "This Is Our Moment" and " Ain't Back Yet ", with the latter becoming the album's third single in February 2010. Also included on this album is one that Willie Nelson recorded before Chesney did, " I'm Alive ". Chesney later recorded a version of the song as a duet with Dave Matthews . This version was released in August 2009 as

22320-635: The lead-off single to their album Still Feels Good . In 2007, Chesney also recorded a duet with Reba McEntire on her album Reba: Duets . " Every Other Weekend " peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and No. 104 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. The album has sold 2.1 million copies world-wide and is certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of over 1 million. "Every Other Weekend"

22500-520: The lower Mississippi Valley—the modern-day AAVE accent is mostly non-rhotic (or " r -dropping"). The presence of non-rhoticity in both AAVE and old Southern English is not merely coincidence, though, again, which dialect influenced which is unknown. It is better documented, however, that white Southerners borrowed some morphological processes from Black Southerners. Many grammatical features were used alike by white speakers of old Southern English and early AAVE, more so than by contemporary speakers of

22680-482: The lower-class Yat dialect. Before becoming a phonologically unified dialect region, the South was once home to an array of much more diverse accents at the local level. Features of the deeper interior Appalachian South largely became the basis for the newer Southern regional dialect; thus, older Southern American English primarily refers to the English spoken outside of Appalachia: the coastal and former plantation areas of

22860-656: The main body of Southern dialects". The Savannah accent is also becoming more Midland-like. The following vowel sounds of Atlanta, Charleston, and Savannah have been unaffected by typical Southern phenomena like the Southern drawl and Southern Vowel Shift: Today, the accents of Atlanta, Charleston, and Savannah are most similar to Midland regional accents or at least Southeastern super-regional accents . In all three cities, some speakers (though most consistently documented in Charleston and least consistently in Savannah) demonstrate

23040-417: The mid-1950s, and reaching its peak during the early 1960s, the Nashville sound turned country music into a multimillion-dollar industry centered in Nashville, Tennessee . Under the direction of producers such as Chet Atkins , Bill Porter , Paul Cohen , Owen Bradley , Bob Ferguson , and later Billy Sherrill , the sound brought country music to a diverse audience and helped revive country as it emerged from

23220-585: The more polished country-pop sound that had been prominent on radio and the charts in favor of more traditional "back-to-basics" production. During the fifth generation (the 1990s), neotraditionalists and stadium country acts prospered. The sixth generation (2000s–present) has seen a certain amount of diversification in regard to country music styles. It has also, however, seen a shift into patriotism and conservative politics since 9/11 , though such themes are less prevalent in more modern trends. The influence of rock music in country has become more overt during

23400-400: The movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? depicts a similar occurrence in the same timeframe. Rodgers fused hillbilly country, gospel, jazz, blues, pop, cowboy, and folk, and many of his best songs were his compositions, including " Blue Yodel ", which sold over a million records and established Rodgers as the premier singer of early country music. Beginning in 1927, and for the next 17 years,

23580-545: The music of the folk revival and folk rock from influencing the country music genre much, despite the similarity in instrumentation and origins (see, for instance, the Byrds ' negative reception during their appearance on the Grand Ole Opry ). The main concern was largely political: most folk revival was largely driven by progressive activists, a stark contrast to the culturally conservative audiences of country music. John Denver

23760-419: The music, it was something that got written in an article, and the young people said, 'Well, that's pretty cool.' And started listening." (Willie Nelson) The term outlaw country is traditionally associated with Willie Nelson , Jerry Jeff Walker , Hank Williams, Jr. , Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings and Joe Ely . It was encapsulated in the 1976 album Wanted! The Outlaws . Though the outlaw movement as

23940-410: The older and more diverse local Southern dialects, though it became quickly stigmatized in American popular culture. As a result, since around the 1950s and 1960s, the notable features of this newer Southern accent have been in a gradual decline, particularly among younger and more urban Southerners, though less so among rural white Southerners. Despite the slow decline of the modern Southern accent, it

24120-553: The opposite direction, aiming his music at the country charts, after a successful career in pop, rock and folk music with the First Edition , achieving success the same year with " Lucille ", which topped the country charts and reached No. 5 on the U.S. pop singles charts, as well as reaching Number 1 on the British all-genre chart. Parton and Rogers would both continue to have success on both country and pop charts simultaneously, well into

24300-584: The pop charts with their records. In 1975, author Paul Hemphill stated in the Saturday Evening Post , "Country music isn't really country anymore; it is a hybrid of nearly every form of popular music in America." During the early 1980s, country artists continued to see their records perform well on the pop charts. Willie Nelson and Juice Newton each had two songs in the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 in

24480-614: The popularity of big band swing music. Drums were scorned by early country musicians as being "too loud" and "not pure", but by 1935 western swing big band leader Bob Wills had added drums to the Texas Playboys . In the mid-1940s, the Grand Ole Opry did not want the Playboys' drummer to appear on stage. Although drums were commonly used by rockabilly groups by 1955, the less-conservative-than-the-Grand-Ole-Opry Louisiana Hayride kept its infrequently used drummer backstage as late as 1956. By

24660-438: The post-war period, country music was called "folk" in the trades, and "hillbilly" within the industry. In 1944, Billboard replaced the term "hillbilly" with "folk songs and blues," and switched to "country and western" in 1949. Another type of stripped-down and raw music with a variety of moods and a basic ensemble of guitar, bass, dobro or steel guitar (and later) drums became popular, especially among rural residents in

24840-436: The pseudonym "Thumper Jones", wanting to capitalize on the popularity of rockabilly without alienating his traditional country base. Cash and Presley placed songs in the top 5 in 1958 with No. 3 "Guess Things Happen That Way/Come In, Stranger" by Cash, and No. 5 by Presley "Don't/I Beg of You." Presley acknowledged the influence of rhythm and blues artists and his style, saying "The colored folk been singin' and playin' it just

25020-422: The reason in the related papers, and after media scrutiny of her use of the word "fraud," she qualified the use of the term, stating that it was "simply legal language and not a reflection of Kenny's character". Chesney later suggested the failure of his marriage was due to "the fact that I panicked". In an interview by 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper , Chesney commented on the failed marriage, "The only fraud that

25200-411: The resident performer at The Turf, a honky tonk bar in the city's historic district. In 1992, the head of writer relations at BMI , Clay Bradley, recommended Chesney to his friend, Troy Tomlinson , at Opryland Music Group. Chesney performed five songs during his audition for Tomlinson. Chesney left the audition with a songwriter's contract. A year later, an appearance at a songwriter's showcase led to

25380-408: The same time there was a lack of enthusiasm in the country sector for Nashville-produced music. What resulted was a crossbred genre known as country rock . Fourth generation (1970s–1980s) music included outlaw country with roots in the Bakersfield sound , and country pop with roots in the countrypolitan , folk music and soft rock . Between 1972 and 1975 singer/guitarist John Denver released

25560-474: The same two varieties. Even so, contemporary speakers of both continue to share these unique grammatical features: "existential it ", the word y'all , double negatives , was to mean were , deletion of had and have , them to mean those , the term fixin' to , stressing the first syllable of words like hotel or guitar , and many others. Both dialects also continue to share these same pronunciation features: /ɪ/ tensing , /ʌ/ raising, upgliding /ɔ/ ,

25740-410: The second-best-selling album in the US with 29 million copies sold. The Rolling Stones also got into the act with songs like " Dead Flowers "; the original recording of " Honky Tonk Women " was performed in a country style, but it was subsequently re-recorded in a hard rock style for the single version, and the band's preferred country version was later released on the album Let It Bleed , under

25920-437: The state is still an unambiguous region of modern rhotic Southern speech, strongest in the cities of Dallas, Lubbock, Odessa, and San Antonio, which all firmly demonstrate the first stage of the Southern Shift, if not also further stages of the shift. Texan cities that are noticeably "non-Southern" dialectally are Abilene and Austin; only marginally Southern are Houston, El Paso, and Corpus Christi. In western and northern Texas,

26100-404: The style. Beginning in the mid-1950s, and reaching its peak during the early 1960s, the Nashville sound turned country music into a multimillion-dollar industry centered in Nashville, Tennessee ; Patsy Cline and Jim Reeves were two of the most broadly popular Nashville sound artists, and their deaths in separate plane crashes in the early 1960s were a factor in the genre's decline. Starting in

26280-659: The subgenre. Dudley is known as the father of truck driving country. During the mid-1980s, a group of new artists began to emerge who rejected the more polished country-pop sound that had been prominent on radio and the charts, in favor of more, traditional, "back-to-basics" production. Many of the artists during the latter half of the 1980s drew on traditional honky-tonk, bluegrass, folk and western swing. Artists who typified this sound included Travis Tritt , Reba McEntire , George Strait , Keith Whitley , Alan Jackson , John Anderson , Patty Loveless , Kathy Mattea , Randy Travis , Dwight Yoakam , Clint Black , Ricky Skaggs , and

26460-463: The term. Atwood (1953) for example, finds that educated people try to avoid multiple modals, whereas Montgomery (1998) suggests the opposite. In some Southern regions, multiple modals are quite widespread and not particularly stigmatized. Possible multiple modals are: As the table shows, there are only possible combinations of an epistemic modal followed by deontic modals in multiple modal constructions. Deontic modals express permissibility with

26640-410: The three states of Texhomex , those being Tex as , Okla ho ma , and New Mex ico . It became known as honky tonk and had its roots in western swing and the ranchera music of Mexico and the border states, particularly New Mexico and Texas, together with the blues of the American South. Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys personified this music which has been described as "a little bit of this, and

26820-481: The title "Country Honk". Described by AllMusic as the "father of country-rock", Gram Parsons' work in the early 1970s was acclaimed for its purity and for his appreciation for aspects of traditional country music. Though his career was cut tragically short by his 1973 death, his legacy was carried on by his protégé and duet partner Emmylou Harris ; Harris would release her debut solo in 1975, an amalgamation of country, rock and roll, folk, blues and pop. Subsequent to

27000-437: The trucking song subgenre following the success of Six Days on the Road and asked Red Simpson to record an album of trucking songs. Haggard's White Line Fever was also part of the trucking subgenre. The country music scene of the 1940s until the 1970s was largely dominated by western music influences, so much so that the genre began to be called "country and western". Even today, cowboy and frontier values continue to play

27180-783: The two racial groups "to stigmatize linguistic variables associated with the other group". This may explain some of the differences outlined above, including why most traditionally non-rhotic white Southern accents have shifted to become intensely rhotic. In the United States, there is a general negative stigma surrounding the Southern dialect. Non–Southern Americans tend to associate a Southern accent with lower social and economic status, cognitive and verbal slowness, lack of education, ignorance, bigotry, or religious or political conservatism, using common labels like " hick ", " hillbilly ", or " redneck accent". Meanwhile, Southerners themselves tend to have mixed judgments of their accent, some similarly negative but others positively associating it with

27360-413: The vowel starting positions of /oʊ/ and /u/ , thus aligning these characteristics more with the speech of 19th-century white Southerners than 20th-century white Southerners. Another possible influence on the divergence of AAVE and white Southern American English (i.e., the disappearance of older Southern American English ) is that historical and contemporary civil rights struggles have over time caused

27540-405: The way I'm doin' it now, man for more years than I know." Within a few years, many rockabilly musicians returned to a more mainstream style or had defined their own unique style. Country music gained national television exposure through Ozark Jubilee on ABC-TV and radio from 1955 to 1960 from Springfield, Missouri . The program showcased top stars including several rockabilly artists, some from

27720-455: The white servants that they sometimes worked alongside, and they also used English as a bridge language to communicate with each other in the absence of another common language. There were also some African Americans living as free people in the United States, though the majority lived outside of the South due to Southern state laws which enabled white enslavers to "recapture" anyone not perceived as white and force them into slavery. Following

27900-488: The year for 2002. In June 2002, the video for "Young" was honored by CMT with the Video of the Year and Male Video of the Year awards. A Lot of Things Different originally written by Bill Anderson, was the third single from the album and peaked at number 6. Big Star , released January 2003, was the fourth single released from the album and peaked at number 2 seven weeks later. In May 2003, ACM honored Chesney as Top Male Vocalist of

28080-473: The year of rockabilly in country music. Rockabilly was an early form of rock and roll , an upbeat combination of blues and country music. The number two, three and four songs on Billboard's charts for that year were Elvis Presley , " Heartbreak Hotel "; Johnny Cash , " I Walk the Line "; and Carl Perkins , " Blue Suede Shoes ". Reflecting this success, George Jones released a rockabilly record that year under

28260-584: Was "introduced to the world as a Southern phenomenon." Migration into the southern Appalachian Mountains , of the Southeastern United States , brought the folk music and instruments of Europe and the Mediterranean Basin along with it for nearly 300 years, which developed into Appalachian music . As the country expanded westward, the Mississippi River and Louisiana became a crossroads for country music, giving rise to Cajun music . In

28440-446: Was a drastic change from his regular country feel, to an all beach and island touch. In June 2014, Chesney released the song " American Kids ", written by Rodney Clawson , Luke Laird , and Shane McAnally . This song served as the lead-off single from his sixteenth studio album The Big Revival , which was released on September 23, 2014. The album's second single, " Til It's Gone ", was released in mid-October. It reached number one on

28620-832: Was a member of the ETSU Bluegrass Program and the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and graduated in 1990. In 1989, he recorded a self-released demo album, Good Old Boy At Heart at the Classic Recording Studio in Bristol, Virginia . He sold 1,000 copies while performing at the local clubs in Johnson City and used the money from album sales to help himself buy a new guitar. After graduation from East Tennessee State in 1990, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee , where he performed at several local clubs. In March 1991, he passed an audition to sing at The Bluebird Cafe . He became

28800-438: Was already an established country star) all recorded significant country hits in the early 1980s. Sales in record stores rocketed to $ 250 million in 1981; by 1984, 900 radio stations began programming country or neocountry pop full-time. As with most sudden trends, however, by 1984 sales had dropped below 1979 figures. Truck-driving country music is a genre of country music and is a fusion of honky-tonk , country rock and

28980-563: Was an important component of this style. The Nashville Sound collapsed in mainstream popularity in 1964, a victim of both the British Invasion and the deaths of Reeves and Cline in separate airplane crashes. By the mid-1960s, the genre had developed into countrypolitan . Countrypolitan was aimed straight at mainstream markets, and it sold well throughout the later 1960s into the early 1970s. Top artists included Tammy Wynette , Lynn Anderson and Charlie Rich , as well as such former "hard country" artists as Ray Price and Marty Robbins . Despite

29160-593: Was another country musician from the Lower Great Plains who had become very popular as the leader of a " hot string band ," and who also appeared in Hollywood westerns . His mix of country and jazz , which started out as dance hall music, would become known as western swing . Wills was one of the first country musicians known to have added an electric guitar to his band, in 1938. Country musicians began recording boogie in 1939, shortly after it had been played at Carnegie Hall , when Johnny Barfield recorded "Boogie Woogie". The third generation (1950s–1960s) started at

29340-474: Was committed was me thinking that I knew what it was like… that I really understood what it was like to be married, and I really didn't." The annulment was finalized in late December 2005. Since 2012, Chesney has been dating Mary Nolan. Country music Country (also called country and western ) is a music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and

29520-455: Was honored with the prestigious Triple-Crown Award presented by the Academy of Country Music. This award was presented after Chesney's 2004 Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year award was combined with 1997's New Male Vocalist of the Year award and 2003's Top Male Vocalist of the Year award. Chesney's next album, The Road and the Radio , released in November 2005, debuted at number one

29700-584: Was initially called hillbilly boogie, or okie boogie (later to be renamed country boogie), became a flood beginning in late 1945. One notable release from this period was the Delmore Brothers ' "Freight Train Boogie", considered to be part of the combined evolution of country music and blues towards rockabilly . In 1948, Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith achieved top ten US country chart success with his MGM Records recordings of " Guitar Boogie " and "Banjo Boogie", with

29880-634: Was known as the Bakersfield sound . It relied on electric instruments and amplification, in particular the Telecaster electric guitar, more than other subgenres of the country music of the era, and it can be described as having a sharp, hard, driving, no-frills, edgy flavor—hard guitars and honky-tonk harmonies. Leading practitioners of this style were Buck Owens , Merle Haggard , Tommy Collins , Dwight Yoakam , Gary Allan , and Wynn Stewart , each of whom had his own style. Ken Nelson , who had produced Owens and Haggard and Rose Maddox became interested in

30060-536: Was most popular with country fans in the 1950s; one of the first rock and roll superstars was former western yodeler Bill Haley , who repurposed his Four Aces of Western Swing into a rock and roll band in the early 1950s and renamed it the Comets . Bill Haley & His Comets are credited with two of the first successful rock and roll records, " Crazy Man, Crazy " of 1953 and " Rock Around the Clock " in 1954. 1956 could be called

30240-413: Was perhaps the only musician to have major success in both the country and folk revival genres throughout his career, later only a handful of artists like Burl Ives and Canadian musician Gordon Lightfoot successfully made the crossover to country after folk revival fell out of fashion. During the mid-1950s a new style of country music became popular, eventually to be referred to as rockabilly. In 1953,

30420-631: Was raised in Luttrell . He is of English and Irish descent. He is the son of David Chesney, a former elementary school teacher, and Karen Chandler, a hair stylist in the Knoxville area. Chesney has one sibling, a younger sister named Jennifer Chandler. In 1986, Chesney graduated from Gibbs High School , where he played baseball and football. He received his first guitar for Christmas and began teaching himself how to play it. Chesney studied advertising at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City , where he

30600-434: Was released as a single from Mac McAnally 's 1990 album Simple Life . In 2006, Chesney, along with Tim McGraw , contributed to a version of Tracy Lawrence 's single " Find Out Who Your Friends Are ", which can be found on his album For the Love . The official single version, only featuring Lawrence's vocals, was released in August 2006 but did not reach the Top 40 on the country charts until January 2007, when 'the album

30780-512: Was released in March 1999. That album produced two consecutive number one hits with " How Forever Feels " and " You Had Me from Hello " (the latter inspired by a line in the movie Jerry Maguire ). The album also produced two more singles with " She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy " and " What I Need to Do ", which peaked at numbers 11 and 8 on the country charts, respectively. Everywhere We Go was Chesney's first album to be certified platinum. The album marked

30960-511: Was released on October 14, 2008. It was followed by a cover of Mac McAnally 's 1990 single " Down the Road ". Chesney's 2009 tour was titled the Sun City Carnival Tour and featured both small and large venues in order to keep his ticket prices down. In May 2009, Chesney released his second compilation album, Greatest Hits II . This album included the No. 1 hit, " Out Last Night ", as

31140-547: Was released on October 28, 2016. It included the single " Noise ", released in March 2016, and " Setting the World on Fire ", featuring singer P!NK , released in July 2016. On August 25, 2012, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts , Kenny Chesney announced "No Shoes Nation" as the name of his fan club . The term No Shoes Nation originated from Chesney's hit song "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem". The symbol of No Shoes Nation

31320-483: Was released. After the album's release, the version with him, Chesney, and McGraw began receiving significant airplay, boosting the single to No. 1 on the country charts. The song became Lawrence's first No. 1 single in 11 years, as well as the second-slowest climbing No. 1 single in the history of the Billboard music charts. In 2007, with Neil Thrasher and Wendell Mobley , Chesney also co-wrote Rascal Flatts ' 2007 single " Take Me There ", which served as

31500-429: Was the album's second single, " Come Over ", which went to number 1. The album's third and final single was " El Cerrito Place ", which was written by Keith Gattis and originally recorded by Charlie Robison . Chesney's rendition, which featured Grace Potter on backing vocals, reached number 10 on the country charts. Chesney released his fifteenth studio album, Life on a Rock , on April 30, 2013. The first single from

31680-472: Was the final single from the album. In November 2007, Chesney was named the CMA Entertainer of the Year for the third time in four years. Also in November 2007, the compilation Super Hits album was released as part of Sony BMG 's Super Hits series. In September 2007, Chesney released the album Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates . This album represented a move to a more Gulf and Western sound with

31860-574: Was the first to revert to country music with his 1967 album John Wesley Harding (and even more so with that album's follow-up, Nashville Skyline ), followed by Gene Clark , Clark's former band the Byrds (with Gram Parsons on Sweetheart of the Rodeo ) and its spin-off the Flying Burrito Brothers (also featuring Gram Parsons), guitarist Clarence White , Michael Nesmith ( the Monkees and

32040-576: Was the most-listened-to rush-hour radio genre during the evening commute, and second-most popular in the morning commute. The main components of the modern country music style date back to music traditions throughout the Southern United States and Southwestern United States , while its place in American popular music was established in the 1920s during the early days of music recording. According to country historian Bill C. Malone , country music

32220-452: Was the top-charting country artist of the 1950s, with 13 of his singles spending 113 weeks at number one. He charted 48 singles during the decade; 31 reached the top ten and 26 reached the top four. By the early 1950s, a blend of western swing, country boogie, and honky tonk was played by most country bands, a mixture which followed in the footsteps of Gene Autry , Lydia Mendoza , Roy Rogers , and Patsy Montana . Western music, influenced by

32400-465: Was visibly limping and seemed to rest near a drum riser while leaning over and holding his knee during the instrumental breaks of his songs. As he came offstage, a doctor from the University of South Carolina cut off Chesney's cowboy boot and immediately began treating the foot injury. X-rays that were taken afterwards revealed several crushed bones in his right foot. Chesney did not cancel any shows due to

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