9 Country Guitarists That Have Made Country Music What It Is | Blog
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Although the origins of country music extend far over into the United States, with influences all the way from Celtic ballads and fiddle songs to the introduction of the banjo from West Africa, the distinct sound of the genre has been shaped by several American musicians and many are some of the most influential guitarists across the globe.
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- Dolly Parton
- Johnny Cash
- Willie Nelson
- Glen Campbell
- Emmylou Harris
- Jerry Reed
- Charley Pride
- Chet Atkins
- Maybelle Carter
World-renowned Country Guitarists
There are plenty of instruments with a notable sound that gives country music its distinct sound--such as banjos and lap steel, the guitar has always been the focal point. In general, the country music is performed in the major key by using the technique known as "double stop." This involves playing two notes together, creating an overall full-chord sound.
The question is, who is the most talented country musician of all time? This is always subjective. Certain musicians are famous for their loud and creative music, while other have developed soft and complicated acoustic sounds. Since each musician added their own unique stamp to contemporary guitar styles, let's take a an overview of the 9 well-known country musicians that have mastered the loudest chords.
1. Dolly Parton
A multi-hyphenate icon who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999. Dolly Parton has written around 3000 songs, played similar to 20 instruments, has sold over 100 million records worldwide, won several Grammy Awards, and starred in films.
It's hard to overstate the stature Parton is in the bigger history of country music, and in pop culture generally. But it's especially important to note her ability as a guitarist player. Part of her expertise lies in her ability to accompany her intricate fingerpicking style and hammer-ons with the perfect vocal performances she is most well-known for.
Parton was born in East Tennessee in 1946's Great Smoky Mountains. Her parents were poor, and she grew up in a tiny house alongside 11 other siblings. When she was seven years old, Parton started learning to play the guitar with a homemade guitar until her father gave her her the first Martin guitar. By age 13, she was being welcomed on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry by Johnny Cash. Eventually, she moved to Nashville and was hired by Porter Wagoner his duet partner for his show of variety.
In her professional life, Parton has drawn from various sources of inspiration including her upbringing in Appalachia as well as her mother who performed English, Irish, and Welsh folk songs. Besides being a talented multi-instrumentalist, Parton still to this day doesn't read sheet music. Parton is also well-known for her use of long fingers to play an instrument. They're the source of the iconic clacking rhythm in the intro of the hit song "9 to 5."
2. Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash is one musician who doesn't require to be introduced. Known for songs chronicling themes of sorrow and redemption His steady and deep baritone register, and his ability to toe the fine line between different genres, from rockabilly to blues to gospel--Cash became one of the best-selling musicians of all time. If you don't consider yourself well-versed in country music, that you're able to identify (and know) at least one or two of "The man in black's" songs.
Though now a common style of strumming Cash introduced the "boom the chuck" rhythm. "The "boom" is the striking of a bass chord, then a downward stroke on the other note (the "chuck"). While a relatively simple method the rhythm is a component of Cash's signature sounds. He was also known for his unique ways of playing such as using the guitar's neck in order to make certain sound he enjoyed.
Cash was born in 1932 into a family of poor cotton farmers from Arkansas, where he lived until joining the Air Force in 1950. After his honorable discharge in 1954, he moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he began his musical career performing along with Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant. The year was 1968 when he gave the first of his free prison performances, singing his hit song "Folsom Prison Blues.""Folsom Prison Blues" in the Folsom State Prison. He got married to June Carter, the sister of pioneering guitarist Maybelle Carter--in 1968. Cash's numerous influences include gospel music that he grew listening to as a child, as well as Irish music.
3. Willie Nelson
A little more individualist among the country guitar musicians, Willie Nelson carved his unique path and became a living legend.
In the 50s and 60s, Nelson has been producing some of the most recognizable country music, accompanied by the distinctive rhythmic strumming of his guitar. A large part of his distinctive sound is caused by the Martin N-20 guitar, which Nelson dubbed "Trigger" after Roy Rogers' horse. After his Baldwin guitar broke in 1969, Nelson attached components of his previous guitar to his new Martin which allowed the instrument to imitate the sound of jazz artist Django Reinhardt. In actual fact, Nelson himself attests the unique flavor of his voice with this guitar.
Born at the age of six in Texas in 1933, Nelson started playing the guitar at the age of 6. Since rising to musical fame after getting his start in Washington during the 1950s this country legend has become famous for more than the musical awe of his peers. The legend is regarded as a key persona of the outlaw genre as a type of country music born out of the counterculture of the 1960s. It has been frequently linked to the activism he pursued in relation to environmental issues and legalization of marijuana.
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4. Glen Campbell
Part actor in a band, TV host, part acclaimed solo artist Glen Campbell carved a clear identity for himself among the country guitar legends. The Arkansas-born musician rose to recognition as a studio musician in Los Angeles, where he spent many formative years playing in The Wrecking Crew, a band of session players who came to back several hundred Top 40 hits. During his career as solo artist, Campbell went on to chart 80 hits and win 4 Grammy Awards, among other prestigious recognitions.
Campbell started playing guitar when he was only 4 years old. when he reached six years old, he was playing on the local stations of radio. Although he did not receive any formal instruction, he attributed much of his learning experiences through listening to recordings and radio. He also cited Django Reinhardt as being one of his greatest inspirations. After his death related to Alzheimer's disease in 2017 There was a flood of tributes from legendary country stars, such as Dolly Parton, exalting Campbell for his unrivaled talent as a country guitarist.
5. Emmylou Harris
A lot of times, it is associated often with Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris is a powerful musician independent of her fellow artists. She effortlessly flits between pop, folk and country music She is known for her unique vocal talents and refined style of country music. When she was discovered singing folk songs in a nightclub, Harris went on to create musical collaborations with top country music stars, most notably Gram Parsons. Her hit song "From Boulder to Birmingham" was an ode to her long-time collaborator.
Her virtuosity as a guitarist and vocalist lead to a fruitful career, she has won fourteen Grammy Awards and appearances on the soundtrack of the Coen brothers film Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? A versatile musician, Harris is known for her extensive solo work as well as her capacity to interpret compositions of musicians with great subtlety.
6. Jerry Reed
Although some might identify Jerry Reed as an actor particularly for his part in the movie Smokey and the Bandit, Reed is considered as one of the top guitar players in the world of country music. Born in Georgia in 1937, Reed launched his career as a musician in the rockabilly genre when he was just 18 after he got signed by Capitol Records and dubbed a "teenage superstar" after his composition of "When I Found You." In 1967, Reed wrote the song "Guitar Man" that earned him even more notoriety as Elvis Presley covered it.
A guitarist, Reed was known for his distinctive syncopation style and complex picking techniques that have become the pinnacle of the technical skills for pickers to this day. Together with his mentor and predecessor Chet Atkins, Reed developed his signature guitar style known by the name of "claw style" as a reference to the form his left hand made. While most fingerpickers use their thumbs to play the bass line, Reed utilized his whole hand as well as fingers.
7. Charley Pride
On this listing, Charley Pride holds a variety of distinct awards and has a track record of breaking down racial as well as cultural boundaries. Charley Pride was born in the divided South in 1934. He was 50 miles away from Memphis. When he was 14, the first time he purchased a guitar using the cash he made through the process of picking cotton. But being a musician wasn't the only goal for him. In the year he turned 16, he left home to go out and play baseball. After playing for several teams professionally over 10 years (while simultaneously performing in clubhouses), Pride caught his break in the world of music when Chet Atkins heard his tape and got the contract for him at RCA Records.
The year was 1967 when Pride played on the Grand Ole Opry, making the only Black musicians to appear on that stage. His peak performance as a musician was in the 1970s when Pride became the highest-selling artist for the label since Elvis Presley and had 52 Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The year 2000 saw him received his induction into the Country Music Hall Of Fame. He died in 2020 because of complications relating to COVID-19.
8. Chet Atkins
Within the ranks of Rolling Stone magazine's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" list, Chet Atkins is a undisputed leader among the country music artists. Being a disciple of the legendary country singer Merle Travis, Atkins expanded on Travis' fingerpicking style with three fingers, to create the melody, and his thumb for the base. This method allowed him to create complicated arrangements that inspired musicians beyond the realm of country music such as Eric Clapton and George Harrison.
Born at the age of 19 in Tennessee at the age of 1924. Atkins rose to fame after getting the attention of RCA Victor and eventually going into the world of being a member of the famous Carter Family, an act with a pioneering guitarist as well as an autoharpist Maybelle Carter. Atkins has been credited as pioneering the Nashville Sound, a movement which re-energized the country music genre. In addition to his fame as a solo artist, Atkins spent much of his career producing records for other significant country musicians such as Dolly Parton, Jerry Reed, Elvis Presley, and many more.
9. Maybelle Carter
An entire list would not be incomplete without the addition of "Mother" Maybelle Carter, who was perhaps the matriarch of country music and arguably the most admired guitar player ever.
Born to Virginia around 1909 at the age of she reached the age of 12, Carter--born Addington before she got married to E.J. Carter when she was 17--was also a talented guitarist and autoharpist who was honed before the hill-country songs of the region. In 1927 in 1927, the Carter Family was born as a band composed of musicians, including A.P. Carter, her brother-in-law, and Sara Carter, her cousin as well as A.P. Carter's wife. The first group commercially to popularize traditional country music in the rural areas The group was widely respected in the Grand Ole Opry community.
However, what made the group stand out in the first place, and that would cement the legacy of Carter was her style of playing called"Carter Scratch. "Carter Scratch." Up up to this point, the guitar had been utilized as a rhythm instrument. Carter's method consisted of using her thumb to play a melody on the bass string while simultaneously using her index finger to play the rhythm on the three strings of the treble. This technique--using the instrument to play melody, rhythm as well as bass -- shifted the guitar into the center of the of the stage to function as a leading instrument in country music and genres other than.
Who Inspires You?
If you are you are learning new skills particularly one that has a rich legacy and documented history, it may be beneficial to learn about the masters whose unique talents helped to propel the art. It's impossible to envision the path of picking without Maybelle Carter, or Jerry Reed, rock 'n roll without Johnny Cash, and songwriting using Dolly Parton. Studying the techniques of the greatest players not only helps you improve your playing, but also inspire you to discover your individual groove.
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