Sonic City

Genre

Classic Country

The original American art form. Classic country spans the raw honky-tonk of Hank Williams through the outlaw movement of Waylon and Willie, the Bakersfield Sound of Merle Haggard, and the Nashville Sound that Chet Atkins built. Defined by storytelling, steel guitar, Telecasters, and voices that sound like they've lived something.

Chet Atkins
classic-country·1950s-1960s-1970s-1980s·United States

Chet Atkins — architect of the Nashville Sound, fingerpicking pioneer, and the producer who shaped country music for three decades.

Emmylou Harris
classic-country·1970s-1980s-1990s·United States

Emmylou Harris — one of the most influential figures in American roots music, from Gram Parsons collaborator to Wrecking Ball pioneer.

Glen Campbell
classic-country·1960s-1970s-1980s·United States

Glen Campbell — Wrecking Crew session ace turned country pop star, whose guitar skills were extraordinary even among elite professionals.

Hank Williams
classic-country·1940s-1950s·United States

Hank Williams — the foundation of modern country music, whose songs of grief, longing, and hard living remain among the most recorded in American history.

Johnny Cash
classic-country·1950s-1960s-1970s-1980s-1990s·United States

Johnny Cash — the Man in Black, whose songwriting, bass-baritone voice, and moral conviction made him one of the most important figures in American music.

Kris Kristofferson
classic-country·1970s-1980s-1990s·United States

Kris Kristofferson — Rhodes Scholar turned outlaw country songwriter who wrote Me and Bobby McGee, Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down, and Help Me Make It Through the Night.

Merle Haggard
classic-country·1960s-1970s-1980s·United States

Merle Haggard — voice of the Bakersfield Sound, ex-San Quentin inmate turned country legend who spoke for working-class America.

The Charlie Daniels Band
classic-country·1970s-1980s-1990s·United States

The Charlie Daniels Band — country-rock act that blended fiddle, blues, and southern rock into one of the great American live shows.

Waylon Jennings
classic-country·1960s-1970s-1980s·United States

Waylon Jennings — the architect of outlaw country who wrestled creative control from Nashville and changed how country music was made.

Willie Nelson
classic-country·1960s-1970s-1980s-1990s·United States

Willie Nelson — outlaw country legend, songwriter of Crazy and Hello Walls, and the man who has played the same Martin N-20 named Trigger since 1969.

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