Country music is a huge part of the daily lives of millions of Floridians. The experiences found in the Sunshine State have created musicians and fans that are drawn to the genre.
Combining elements from the British Isles, African American, and Latin cultures, country music is a truly American mixture of styles, techniques, and instruments heard through its music. In the early 20th century, the advent of the recording industry produced popular artists such as the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers, whose music, labeled “Hillbilly Records,” featured musical styles derived from European folk music like ballads and yodeling. Early country music features instruments including the fiddle, banjo, and guitar, all which work to underscore lyrics about the realities of working-class American life.
In the 1930s, “Western” aesthetics such as singing cowboys were blended into country, along with elements from jazz and the blues. Dance rhythms, amplified guitar, and steel guitars joined the fray to create a sound which changed the “Hillbilly” title to “Country and Western” which later gets simplified into “Country.” During and after WWII, topics such as love, loss, and the struggle to make a living hit home for many Americans and this connection created a listening base that has stuck around for nearly a century.
The late 1950s produced a phenomenon in country music known as the “Nashville Sound,” where the backing music of banjo and fiddle was replaced with lush harmonies found in pop music. While some listeners preferred the “rougher” honky tonk sound, this new phenomenon helped to spread country even further and was labeled as “Countrypolitan.” Riding against this wave was a movement known as “Outlaw Country” which stuck towards the origins of country music and preferred a rougher sound. This back and forth between country’s mixing of popular music and traditional styles is a constant for the genre. To this day, there are debates between “Bro Country,” which formed in the early 2010s versus neo traditional styles in the mid-2010s pulling from the Appalachians.
Numerous country artists come from Florida each year to pursue their dreams and create memorable music for fans. These fans contribute to the genre by listening to music on their way to and from work, at festivals, at weddings, and at any event that features music. Millions of Floridians listen to their favorite genre on the nearly fifty country radio stations around the state that promote and spread its influence and legacy.
Country music is appealing to everyday Americans. It can speak to lived experiences in a way that provides the stage for anyone from the Panhandle to the Everglades to become a poet using their voice or with a fiddle. Whether it’s a solo performer with a guitar or an ensemble on stage with a huge band and lights, country music connects to each listener in profoundly unique and heartfelt ways that keep them engaged and listening for their entire lives.
Florida's Backroad Country will guide you in learning about country music history and culture in Florida. Visit the Musicians page to learn about and listen to notable rock performers from the Sunshine State, and then use the Things to Do page to visit music festivals, significant venues and historical sites to experience Florida’s country history firsthand.