Progressive country

Progressive country is a subgenre of country music developed in the early 1970s.^[1] In the late 1960s and early 1970s, mainstream country music was dominated by the slick Nashville sound and the rock-influenced Bakersfield sound of artists like Merle Haggard.^[2] A new generation of country artists emerged, influenced by contemporary rock music, singer-songwriters such as Bob Dylan, and the liberal politics of the 1960s counterculture.^[1][2]

Progressive country was a songwriter-based movement and many key artists had previously seen success writing for other artists in Nashville; writing for themselves, they were more concerned with expanding country music than creating hits.^[2] Foremost among these artists was Willie Nelson, who returned to Texas after deciding to focus on performing his own songs. Nelson soon attained a wide following and inspired other artists in Texas and Nashville.^[3]

By the mid-1970s, progressive country artists entered the mainstream, usually in the form of cover versions by other artists.^[2] Progressive country also provided the basis for outlaw country, a harder-edged, more rock-oriented variant that achieved wide success in the late 1970s, as well as cowpunk and alternative country artists in the 1980s through today.

See also

• Outlaw country
• Progressive bluegrass
• Country rock
• Southern rock
• Texas Country

References

• AllMusicGuide: Progressive country

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