{"id":3395,"date":"2015-02-19T11:49:20","date_gmt":"2015-02-19T17:49:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/?page_id=3395"},"modified":"2015-02-25T12:33:34","modified_gmt":"2015-02-25T18:33:34","slug":"new-country","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/the-history\/new-country\/","title":{"rendered":"New Country"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by Shannon Smith, Justin Cole, and Gaby Hernandez<\/em><\/p>\n

Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Clint Black<\/p><\/div>\n

The previous Neo-traditional movement from the 1980s helped bring country music back to its roots and showed everyone that it could compete with commercialized genres. In 1989 labels began to see how profitable country music could be and started searching for newer and younger artists to help complement the neo-traditional sound. In 1989 artists like GarthBrooks, Clint Black, Alan Jackson, and Travis Tritt began to emerge with a more dynamic country sound and became forever known as the \u201cClass of \u201989.\u201d These artists produced 44 platinum albums, 58 number one singles, and helped pave the way for country music in 1990s.<\/p>\n

The \u201890s entertained two different country music genres, New Country and Country Pop. The Class of \u201989 was known for developing New Country, which included a simple song structure and either the smooth male baritone voices, or the powerful female ballads. The New Country sound also featured Cajun two-beat rhythms, sharper drum sounds, and electric guitars. These instruments weren\u2019t typically associated with country music until then and Country Pop began to take it a step further by introducing song effects and a full harmony backup. New Country songs stayed true to many of the classic country themes of the working class values and societal problems, but artists like Trisha Yearwood and Martina McBride helped introduce songs expressing feminist concerns.<\/p>\n

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Trisha Yearwood<\/p><\/div>\n

New Country artists of the \u201890s loved their fans and dedicated a majority of their time trying to develop a lasting career rather than just recording hit songs. This\u00a0was the first time that country artists started to entertain thousands by putting on incredible stadium concerts and gave new life to country radio. New technology such as the Nielsen Broadcast Data System (BDS) and SoundScan were also introduced in the \u201890s. These technologies gave the music industry a more accurate display of what was being played on the radio and began to track music sales electronically. This is when the country music industry finally started to get the recognition it deserved.<\/p>\n

Political and social changes also began to play a huge role in New Country\u2019s popularity. President Clinton was running for reelection and centered his campaign on family values that were being reflected in many country music songs. Many parents also turned to country music because the emerging Hip Hop genre saw a rise in the theme of objectification. These younger, more attractive artists not only changed the country music sound, but also changed the way the industry would perform for their fans. The \u201cClass of 1980\u201d have slowly began to taper out of the media while the newer and younger artists of the 21st<\/sup> century take the stage.<\/p>\n

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Key Figures<\/strong><\/p>\n