Country music

====Alternative country====
{{Main|Alt country|cowpunk}}

[[File:Steve_Earle_2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|right|[[Steve Earle]] performing in Ireland in 2007]]
Country influences combined with [[Punk rock]] and [[alternative rock]] to forge the "[[cowpunk]]" scene in Southern California during the 1980s, which included bands such as [[the Long Ryders]], [[Lone Justice]] and [[the Beat Farmers]], as well as the established punk group [[X (American band)|X]], whose music had begun to include country and rockabilly influences.<ref name="Malone2002">W. C. Malone, ''Country Music, U.S.A.'' (Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2nd edn., 2002), {{ISBN|0-292-75262-8}}, p. 451.</ref> Simultaneously, a generation of diverse country artists outside of California emerged that rejected the perceived cultural and musical conservatism associated with Nashville's mainstream country musicians in favor of more countercultural outlaw country and the folk singer-songwriter traditions of artists such as [[Woody Guthrie]], [[Gram Parsons]] and [[Bob Dylan]].

Artists from outside California who were associated with early alternative country included singer-songwriters such as [[Lucinda Williams]], [[Lyle Lovett]] and [[Steve Earle]], the Nashville country rock band [[Jason and the Scorchers]], the Providence "[[cowboy pop]]" band [[Rubber Rodeo]], and the British post-punk band [[the Mekons]]. Earle, in particular, was noted for his popularity with both country and [[college rock]] audiences: He promoted his 1986 debut album ''[[Guitar Town]]'' with a tour that saw him open for both country singer [[Dwight Yoakam]] and alternative rock band [[The Replacements (band)|the Replacements]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Deming|first1=Mark|title=Guitar Town – Steve Earle|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/guitar-town-mw0000189768|website=AllMusic|access-date=October 31, 2016}}</ref> Yoakam also cultivated a fanbase spanning multiple genres through his stripped-down [[Honky-tonk#Music|honky-tonk]] influenced sound, association with the cowpunk scene, and performances at Los Angeles punk rock clubs.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Erlewine |first1=Stephen Thomas |title=Dwight Yoakam {{!}} Biography & History |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dwight-yoakam-mn0000791483/biography |website=AllMusic |access-date=August 7, 2019}}</ref>

These early styles had coalesced into a genre by the time the Illinois group [[Uncle Tupelo]] released their influential debut album ''[[No Depression (album)|No Depression]]'' in 1990.<ref name=smith2009>C. Smith, ''101 Albums That Changed Popular Music'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), {{ISBN|0-19-537371-5}}, pp. 204–9.</ref><ref name="AllmusicNoDepression">M. Deming, [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r626894|pure_url=yes}} "No Depression Bonus Tracks"], ''Allmusic'', retrieved January 26, 2009.</ref> The album is widely credited as being the first "alternative country" album, and inspired the name of ''[[No Depression (magazine)|No Depression]]'' magazine, which exclusively covered the new genre.<ref name="smith2009"/><ref name="AllmusicNoDepression"/> Following Uncle Tupelo's disbanding in 1994, its members formed two significant bands in genre: [[Wilco]] and [[Son Volt]]. Although Wilco's sound had moved away from country and towards [[indie rock]] by the time they released their critically acclaimed album ''[[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]]'' in 2002, they have continued to be an influence on later alt-country artists.

Other acts who became prominent in the alt-country genre during the 1990s and 2000s included [[the Bottle Rockets]], [[the Handsome Family]], [[Blue Mountain (band)|Blue Mountain]], [[Robbie Fulks]], [[Blood Oranges (band)|Blood Oranges]], [[Bright Eyes (band)|Bright Eyes]], [[Drive-By Truckers]], [[Old 97's]], [[Old Crow Medicine Show]], [[Nickel Creek]], [[Neko Case]], and [[Whiskeytown]], whose lead singer [[Ryan Adams]] later had a successful solo-career.<ref name=WolfandDuanep549-92>K. Wolff and O. Duane, eds, ''Country Music: the Rough Guide'' (London: Rough Guides, 2000), {{ISBN|1-85828-534-8}}, pp. 549–92.</ref> Alt-country, in various iterations overlapped with other genres, including [[Red dirt (music)|Red Dirt country music]] ([[Cross Canadian Ragweed]]), [[jam band]]s ([[My Morning Jacket]] and [[the String Cheese Incident]]), and [[indie folk]] ([[the Avett Brothers]]).

Despite the genre's growing popularity in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, alternative country and neo-traditionalist artists saw minimal support from country radio in those decades, despite strong sales and critical acclaim for albums such as the soundtrack to the 2000 film ''[[O Brother, Where Art Thou? (soundtrack)|O Brother, Where Art Thou?]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Strauss |first1=Neil |title=MUSIC; The Country Music Country Radio Ignores |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/24/movies/music-the-country-music-country-radio-ignores.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=April 13, 2019 |date=March 24, 2002}}</ref> In 1987, the Beat Farmers gained airplay on country music stations with their song "Make It Last", but the single was pulled from the format when station programmers decreed the band's music was too rock-oriented for their audience.<ref>{{cite web |title=Beat Farmers {{!}} Biography & History |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/beat-farmers-mn0000038661/biography |website=AllMusic |access-date=April 13, 2019}}</ref> However, some alt-country songs have been [[Crossover music|crossover hits]] to mainstream country radio in cover versions by established artists on the format; Lucinda Williams' "[[Passionate Kisses]]" was a hit for [[Mary Chapin Carpenter]] in 1993, Ryan Adams' "[[When the Stars Go Blue]]" was a hit for [[Tim McGraw]] in 2007, and Old Crow Medicine Show's "[[Wagon Wheel (song)|Wagon Wheel]]" was a hit for [[Darius Rucker]] (member of [[Hootie & The Blowfish]]) in 2013.

In the 2010s, the alt-country genre saw an increase in its critical and commercial popularity, owing to the success of artists such as [[the Civil Wars]], [[Chris Stapleton]], [[Sturgill Simpson]], [[Jason Isbell]], [[Lydia Loveless]] and [[Margo Price]]. In 2019, [[Kacey Musgraves]] – a country artist who had gained a following with [[indie rock]] fans and music critics despite minimal airplay on country radio – won the [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year]] for her album ''[[Golden Hour (Kacey Musgraves album)|Golden Hour]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Moss |first1=Marissa R. |title=How Kacey Musgraves' Grammy Wins Give Country Radio a Choice to Make |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/kacey-musgraves-grammy-golden-hour-country-radio-793796/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=April 22, 2019 |date=February 12, 2019}}</ref>