My roommate is from Nashville, and I’m from Dallas, so when we moved in together, I thought we would be listening to the same country artists. But after a few days of her not knowing some of my favorite artists, such as Josh Abbott Band or Turnpike Troubadours, I discovered that there is a huge difference between Nashville and Texas country music.
Nashville artist Tim McGraw
Through asking her a couple questions about what she thinks the difference between the two is, I found a couple key differences. Nashville country is going more pop and mainstream, probably because artists that aren’t country also live and record there. Consequently, Nashville country is more electric than Texas’s, and my roommate also identified that there is a different beat to the songs, possibly because of more of the electronic feel of the artists. Nashville also has a lot of very well known artists, ones that everyone, even people who aren’t into country, know, such as Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, and Luke Bryan. Here is an example of a Nashville song that is definitely more appealing to the masses.
Texas country, on the other hand, is much more instrumental. Most songs or bands have a fiddle, and it’s more traditional and has stayed instrumental, not really conforming to the changing to pop that Nashville country has evolved to. Texas songs have more conservative elements and motifs, and I think this is because artists in Nashville are celebrities, and celebrities are traditionally Democratic, while in Texas the majority of the population is Republican, so the song elements are more conservative to appeal to the masses. Some artists are nationally known, such as George Strait, but others, like Pat Green or Casey Donahue, are very famous in Texas, but most people from Nashville, like my roommate, had never heard of before.
Texas artist Pat Green
Both have similarities, such as the instance of themes such as beer, God, and trucks, but in Texas it feels more authentic, because these artists are not national celebrities and are known to be down-home country people that drink beer, go to church, and drive old trucks. Texas country is simpler than Nashville country, because the Nashville artists are trying to appeal to the whole country, while Texas country is trying to appeal to a smaller group. Texas country also sings about Texas a lot, as evidenced by this Josh Abbott Band song.
I personally like both styles of country music, because I am the type of person that really enjoys variety when I listen to music, but I know that some people prefer the traditional country of Texas, and others prefer the more mainstream, pop-radio friendly country that some artists in Nashville are producing. Some people find Nashville music not country anymore because it is so pop, and this is why many people turn to Texas music for the well known, stereotypical country sound.
