A phrase that arises repeatedly in relation to country music characterizes it as “quintessentially American.” In 2019 this characterization got a fresh boost from Ken Burns, who positioned it prominently in his Country Music documentary series. The words give voice to an established truism, but is there any truth to them? In what sense, if any, is country music quintessentially American music?
With this question in mind, I will explore the meanings of country music and quintessential Americanness in the light of country music's history, its long-standing reputation as a white genre, and recent work that is rewriting the story of country and other American music. Twentieth-century conventional wisdom held that commercial country, known as “hillbilly” music until after World War II, originated in old English ballads and Scots-Irish fiddle tunes. Throughout the century, however, there were people on the ground who knew a different, more complex story, some through...