Country music

===== Contemporary country and western revival =====
[[File:Kacey Musgraves 2019 by Glenn Francis.jpg|thumb|260x260px|[[Kacey Musgraves]] became one of the most controversial figures in contemporary country music.<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 20, 2019|title=Kacey Musgraves: from liberal misfit to country's biggest star|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/20/kacey-musgraves-liberal-misfit-country-star-nashville-horse-microdosing-lsd|access-date=April 21, 2021|website=The Guardian}}</ref>]]

During the mid-1980s, a group of new artists began to emerge who rejected the more polished country-pop sound that had been prominent on radio and the charts, in favor of more, traditional, "back-to-basics" production. Many of the artists during the latter half of the 1980s drew on traditional honky-tonk, bluegrass, folk and western swing. Artists who typified this sound included [[Travis Tritt]], [[Reba McEntire]], [[George Strait]], [[Keith Whitley]], [[Alan Jackson]], [[John Anderson (musician)|John Anderson]], [[Patty Loveless]], [[Kathy Mattea]], [[Randy Travis]], [[Dwight Yoakam]], [[Clint Black]], [[Ricky Skaggs]], and [[the Judds]].

Beginning in 1989, a confluence of events brought an unprecedented commercial boom to country music. New marketing strategies were used to engage fans, powered by technology that more accurately tracked the popularity of country music, and boosted by a political and economic climate that focused attention on the genre. [[Garth Brooks]] ("Friends in Low Places") in particular attracted fans with his fusion of neotraditionalist country and [[arena rock|stadium rock]]. Other artists such as [[Brooks and Dunn]] ("Boot Scootin' Boogie") also combined conventional country with slick, rock elements, while [[Lorrie Morgan]], [[Mary Chapin Carpenter]], and [[Kathy Mattea]] updated neotraditionalist styles.<ref name="Country Music">{{cite web|last1=Neal|first1=Jocelyn R.|title=Country Music|url=http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/A2224075|website=Oxford music online}}</ref>

Roots of conservative country was Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA".<ref name="Mendez 2020">{{cite web | last=Mendez | first=Katy | title=Lee Greenwood, 'God Bless the USA' singer, to perform at Trump rally in Central Texas | website=www.kwtx.com | date=October 15, 2020 | url=https://www.kwtx.com/2020/10/15/lee-greenwood-god-bless-the-usa-singer-to-perform-at-trump-rally-in-central-texas/ | access-date=October 13, 2022}}</ref> The [[September 11 attacks]] of 2001 and the economic recession helped move country music back into the spotlight. Many country artists, such as Alan Jackson with his ballad on terrorist attacks, "[[Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)]]", wrote songs that celebrated the military, highlighted the gospel, and emphasized home and family values over wealth. Alt-Country singer Ryan Adams song "[[New York, New York (Ryan Adams song)|New York, New York]]" pays tribute to New York City, and its popular music video (which was shot 4 days before the attacks) shows Adams playing in front of the Manhattan skyline, Along with several shots of the city. In contrast, more rock-oriented country singers took more direct aim at the attacks' perpetrators; Toby Keith's "[[Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)]]" threatened to "a boot in" the posterior of the enemy, while Charlie Daniels's "[[This Ain't No Rag, It's a Flag]]" promised to "hunt" the perpetrators "down like a mad dog hound." These songs gained such recognition that it put country music back into popular culture.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Neal|first1=Jocelyn|title=Country Music|url=http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/A2224075|website=Oxford Music Online|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=February 21, 2015}}</ref> Darryl Worley recorded "Have You Forgotten" also. There have been numerous patriotic country songs throughout the years.<ref name="Country Thang Daily 2021">{{cite web | title=10 America Songs You Should Be Listening Right Now | website=Country Thang Daily | date=January 28, 2021 | url=https://www.countrythangdaily.com/top-10-america-songs/ | access-date=October 13, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Moore 2022">{{cite web | last=Moore | first=Bobby | title=20 Most Patriotic Country Songs | website=Wide Open Country | date=July 4, 2022 | url=https://www.wideopencountry.com/patriotic-country-songs/ | access-date=October 13, 2022}}</ref>

Some modern artists that primarily or entirely produce [[country pop]] music include [[Kacey Musgraves]], [[Maren Morris]], [[Kelsea Ballerini]], [[Sam Hunt]], [[Kane Brown]], [[Chris Lane]], and [[Dan + Shay]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=How The Sound Of Country Music Changed|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2018/03/20/594037569/how-the-sound-of-country-music-changed|access-date=April 21, 2021|newspaper=NPR|date=March 20, 2021|last=Hight|first=Jewly}}</ref> The singers who are part of this country movement are also defined as "Nashville's new generation of country".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hight|first=Jewly|date=August 9, 2018|title=In the Write: The Evolution of Country Music in Nashville|url=https://www.vulture.com/2018/08/the-evolution-of-country-music-in-nashville.html|access-date=April 21, 2021|website=Vulture}}</ref>

Although the changes made by the new generation, it has been recognized by major music awards associations and successes in [[Billboard charts|Billboard]] and international charts. [[Golden Hour (Kacey Musgraves album)|''Golden Hour'']] by Kacey Musgraves won album of the year at [[61st Annual Grammy Awards]], [[Academy of Country Music Awards]], [[Country Music Association Awards]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mercuri|first=Monica|title=Kacey Musgraves Reclaims Top Country Albums No. 1 Following Grammy Success|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/monicamercuri/2019/02/20/kacey-musgraves-reclaims-top-country-albums-no-1-following-grammy-success/|access-date=April 21, 2021|website=Forbes}}</ref> although it has received criticism from some traditional country music fans.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Kacey Musgraves' Golden Year: After dominating the year with her own brand of cosmic country, the singer looks ahead to 2019 and the Grammys|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/kacey-musgraves-golden-hour-album-grammy-771594/|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=December 21, 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Midland in concert - NYS Fair.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Midland (band)|Midland]], one of the most popular neotraditional honky-tonk bands]]