At the time of its early popularity, country shared America's affection with swing music, a type of jazz and enterprising musicians such as Bob Wills fused the two to form [western swing]?.
During the 1960s, country music became a multi-million dollar industry centered on Nashville?, Tennessee. Under the direction of [Chet Atkins]?, the [Nashville sound]? brought country music to a diverse audience. Although country music has great stylistic diversity, this diversity is not usually well-reflected in radio airplay and the popular perception of country music is still dominated by maudlin ballads.
Early Innovators:
Popularisers
Present Performers:
Television and radio shows of note: