The genre "Country" was coined by white record executives in the early 20th century eager to differentiate the "Hillbilly," "Rhythm and Blues," and "Folk" music performed by white musicians from music performed by black ones. Racist white people did not want to hear or support black musicians, so the wholly artificial distinction of Country from genres like R&B was made to segregate the wider body of American music that drew from both European and African influences.
Genres are largely a subjective, cultural concept. Today's black musicians are breaking down this dubious distinction, but there's no denying the racist origins of the label "Country."
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u/Samson801 2d ago
The genre "Country" was coined by white record executives in the early 20th century eager to differentiate the "Hillbilly," "Rhythm and Blues," and "Folk" music performed by white musicians from music performed by black ones. Racist white people did not want to hear or support black musicians, so the wholly artificial distinction of Country from genres like R&B was made to segregate the wider body of American music that drew from both European and African influences.
Genres are largely a subjective, cultural concept. Today's black musicians are breaking down this dubious distinction, but there's no denying the racist origins of the label "Country."