From Appalachian mountain music to bluegrass and gospel hymns, Dolly Parton was no ordinary country singer.
Articles on Country music
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Whether ad-libbing her way through a duet or joking about her glamorous image, Parton turned sexist assumptions into a source of power.
The legendary singer took on a saint-like aura for some fans.
Dolly Parton’s chart history tells a pointed story of an artist who built her independence one song at a time.
When Parton first signed to Monument records in 1965 at the age of 19, her high-pitched voice was considered incompatible with country.
The biggest legacy Dolly Parton leaves is her songwriting, and three songs define her more than any others.
Dolly Parton’s first hit was titled ‘Dumb Blonde’. The country music legend, who has died at 80, was anything but that.
‘The Folk Box’ sought to trace the roots and branches of American music, and document the forging – and constant reinvention – of the national identity.
Although she initially borrowed his name and cultural capital, these days when people think of Tim McGraw, they almost certainly think of Taylor Swift.
Ever since country music spread from the US, Māori have related to its themes of longing, land, love and community. A Matariki mashup played all the right notes.
LGBTQ+ musicians have always played a part in country music, but even today they are being kept just outside the spotlight.
Beyoncé winning the best country album Grammy with Cowboy Carter forces us to face our fixation with ‘genre’ – and rightly so.
Thought-provoking reads for the critical thinker on your gift list. Each book connects with a past Don’t Call Me Resilient episode. Listen alongside reading to bring the scholar & their ideas to life.
These albums are often about American music as much as they are about America.
A musicologist explains how an oft-forgotten opera, pop and jazz singer from New York City launched the country music industry a century ago.
Beyoncé playfully mixes aural identifiers of both ‘blackness’ and ‘whiteness’ to create something new
A young white southern belle asks a woman not to cheat with her man while an older Black southern queen warns a woman against cheating with her husband.
Beyoncé’s country-inspired album has caused a stir because the country music scene has a history of racial segregation that has erased its Black roots and gatekept it from Black artists.
To truly appreciate the track, it’s important to go beyond the long shadow of the Beatles’ version.
Confinement was the essence of Linda Martell’s brief career as a country star in the 1970s – and it’s the exact sort of fate that Beyoncé has sought to avoid.
Top contributors
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Professor of Appalachian Studies and Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Music Studies, East Tennessee State University
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Professor of American Studies and English, Middlebury College
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Adjunct Lecturer of American Studies, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
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Associate Professor of Music, University at Buffalo
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Associate Professor of Digital Humanities, School of Information Studies (Faculty of Arts), L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
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Assistant Professor of Writing Studies, University of British Columbia
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Director of the Center for Texas Music History, Texas State University
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Director, Institute for Popular Music, University of Rochester
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Professor of English, Texas State University
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Professeur en sociologie politique, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
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PhD Candidate/Teaching Fellow in Systematic Theology, Boston College
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Étudiant à la maîtrise en sociologie, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
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Assistant Professor in Irish Traditional Music, University of Limerick
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Lecturer in Sociology and Black Studies, Birmingham City University
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Reader in the Department of Music, University of Liverpool