Americana is an amalgam of
roots musicRoots music can refer to several styles or trends in music:* Roots of hip hop, the conditions which led to creation of the hip hop genre* Roots revival, a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors...
formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from
folkThe term folk music originated in the 19th century as a term for musical folklore. It has been defined in several ways; as music transmitted by word of mouth, music of the lower classes, music with no known composer...
,
countryCountry music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains...
, rhythm & blues, rock & roll and other external influential styles. Americana is popularly referred to, especially in print, as
alternative countryAlternative country is a term used to describe a number of country music subgenres that tend to differ from mainstream or pop country music. The term is sometimes known as alt-country and has included country music bands and artists that have incorporated influences ranging from American roots...
,
alt-country or sometimes
alt.country.
Americana, as defined by the
Americana Music AssociationThe Americana Music Association is a trade organization developed to provide professional support and to promote awareness of Americana music. Toward these ends the organization works with artists, radio stations, record labels, publishers, and others to create networking opportunities and to...
(AMA), is "American roots music based on the traditions of country.
Americana is an amalgam of
roots musicRoots music can refer to several styles or trends in music:* Roots of hip hop, the conditions which led to creation of the hip hop genre* Roots revival, a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors...
formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from
folkThe term folk music originated in the 19th century as a term for musical folklore. It has been defined in several ways; as music transmitted by word of mouth, music of the lower classes, music with no known composer...
,
countryCountry music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains...
, rhythm & blues, rock & roll and other external influential styles. Americana is popularly referred to, especially in print, as
alternative countryAlternative country is a term used to describe a number of country music subgenres that tend to differ from mainstream or pop country music. The term is sometimes known as alt-country and has included country music bands and artists that have incorporated influences ranging from American roots...
,
alt-country or sometimes
alt.country.
Americana as a radio format
Americana, as defined by the
Americana Music AssociationThe Americana Music Association is a trade organization developed to provide professional support and to promote awareness of Americana music. Toward these ends the organization works with artists, radio stations, record labels, publishers, and others to create networking opportunities and to...
(AMA), is "American roots music based on the traditions of country. While the musical model can be traced back to the Elvis Presley marriage of 'hillbilly music' and R&B that birthed rock 'n roll, Americana as a
radioRadio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
format developed during the 1990s as a reaction to the highly polished sound that defined the mainstream music of that decade." Because of listener interest in the artists who do not fit as comfortably in the country or rock genres, a radio format called "Americana" was developed by the AMA and reported by
R&R (
Radio & Records, a radio trade publication). Born out of the
Triple AAdult album alternative is a radio format broadcast mostly on FM. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots may have been established sometime during the 1960s from what was called freeform and later progressive...
,
non-commercialCommunity radio is a type of radio service that caters to the interests of a certain area, broadcasting content that is popular to a local audience but which may often be overlooked by commercial or mass-media broadcasters....
,
countryCountry music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains...
and other formats, the Americana format is the sum of the parts that have showcased Americana music since its inception.
The AMA grew out of the format as an effort to bring all Americana music supporters, performers, and professionals together to expand the visibility and viability of the music. The radio format, including the term "Americana," began in early 1995 thru efforts of Rob Bleetstein of San Francisco, and Jon Grimson of Nashville. Bleetstein became the first Americana chart editor as
Gavin (a former radio trade publication) magazine created the first Americana radio chart which was published on January 20, 1995. This came about when KFAT radio in Gilroy, California went off the air, and Bleetstein went to the Gavin Report, asserting that they were missing a category of music. He described the KFAT format, which had the widest playlist of any station in the country, and most of whose artists whose music would come to be known as Americana. Bleetstein worked closely with KFAN "Texas Rebel Radio" in Texas and KPIG in California in developing the Americana format. Both stations had been on the air with their own versions of an independent format for several years and had been instrumental in the development of the the AAA format as well. The publisher agreed and gave Bleetstein the job of creating and running the chart. Grimson coined the term Americana and became the first Americana radio promoter after having promoted the music previously at Warner Brothers Records Nashville, and promoting those releases that WB worked to radio formats outside the mainstream country stations. The AMA was later established to expand the musical format outside of strictly radio, but still including the radio aspect as well. The non-profit AMA now runs the Americana radio chart published in
R&R.
Notable Americana artists
Some of the significant artists in the genre are:
External links