What exactly is country music? When the genre first came into existence in the 1920s, it was a lot easier to define. These days, country can be used to describe many different styles and genres. There's country, country pop, country rock, alt-country, rockabilly, country folk and so on and so on. Country isn't (or should that be ain't?) just a group of guys with acoustic guitars, a banjo and a harmonica pumping out songs for your local barn dance. It's a huge business which has spawned some of the biggest-selling artists in music history, while becoming one of, if not the, most popular music genre in the United Stare. Yup, Americans love their country, but country music is starting to become more and more successful in other parts of the world, including the United Kingdom. We might be a little late to the party, but at least we're there now. Country music is great, and is a genre that can and should be appreciated by people from any and all walks of life, not just beer-drinkin', bar-fightin', flag-wavin' red necks and super-patriots. The stereotypes have to go. It's time for everyone to finally realise the genius of country music, and respect the enormous impact its had on the industry. For newbies, getting into country can be a daunting task. After all, there's just so damn much of it out there, it's difficult to know where to start. Which is partly why I've compiled this list of 20 essential country music albums that every fan (however recent) should own.
