What define country music?
 

Was just wondering what peoples take on what the exact definition of country music was?
From other forums and twitter etc. I've had artists I'd class as country described as basically anything else other than that.
Is it defined by origin or by where artist is from or instruments used?

Re: What define country music?
 

I don't really like trying to force music into genres. I think Little Richard put country best 'White mans blues music'.

Somes it up for me.
Songs about life

Re: What define country music?
 

A story.
It tells a story.
It sometimes still tells a story.
Today's Country genre is really Top 40/Pop/etc/

It is hard to label it just one things. Fans have crossed over and country music has and the entertainers, many of them are of a different age-27-37(Carrie, Jason B. LukeB, and others) and they were influenced by 1980s/1990's everything in music.

Some country music in Today's Country charts are more of that traditional CM sound. Some artists do both.

Is it an age, residence of the artists, birthplace of the artists, sound that unique, ethnicity?

Well, then how can you explain, Darius Rucker(newer but traditional), Charley Pride (older and traditional)?
There are a quite a few Black Amer. in CM but are not that well known.
Carrie Underwood -female, WA, young in age and from OK?
Taylor Swift-was she ever really in a true CM genre?
Keith Urban from New Zealand?

Re: What define country music?
 

I would say so to a certain extent. Song structure, subject matter & instruments play an important role. Some, if not all are derived from southern folk music.

Re: What define country music?
 

Not a big country music fan, but the cool thing is country music has songs to talk about what country music is