Another interesting African music genre: Desert Blues [1], which mostly comes out of the Western Sahara. I like this example (Title: Tinariwen (+IO:I) - Ténéré Tàqqàl (what has become of the Ténéré) ) [2]
The popularity of country music in rural sub Saharan Africa
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Re: The popularity of country music in rural sub Saharan Africa
#22I lived in Tanzania for a few years and while riding an absolutely packed daladala (minibus), I heard over the radio Lee Greenwood belt "...and I'm proud to be an American!" I was so confused, but smiling, but so confused.
Re: The popularity of country music in rural sub Saharan Africa
#23American country music has been heavily influenced by African Americans since the beginning (often without recognition, though that's starting to change.) The banjo is based on African instruments, and many musicians like Huddie Ledbetter, Elizabeth Cotten, Mississippi John Hurt, Arnold Shultz, and DeFord Bailey helped shape the genre. It's great to see this popularity in Africa--in a weird way, it's almost like comi…
Maybe there was some cross pollination but the progenitors of country were the hillbilly folk music now now as bluegrass that is rooted in English, Scottish and Irish folk music. Banjos were adopted later, the original form was fiddle based.
Re: The popularity of country music in rural sub Saharan Africa
#24I lived in Burma for a while. Up in the north, line dancing is super popular.
Re: The popularity of country music in rural sub Saharan Africa
#25A lot of people don't really know it, but American country music is the most commercially successful music genre worldwide and is popular in places such as southeast Asia, Mongolia, sub Saharan Africa, even India and Latin america. Europeans and city dwelling Americans love to shit on it but the world loves it, probably because it's easy to relate to lyrically and uses pleasant melodies and simple to follow rhythms.…
> American country music is the most commercially successful music genre worldwide
Sorry I'm very skeptical about this claim. According to the recording industry's annual report Pop music continues to dominate and Country is not in the top 10 https://www.ifpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/IFPI-Engagin... (page 15)
Also, as a city dweller, why do people like you constantly attack us about everything? That feeling of persecution is destroying us.
Re: The popularity of country music in rural sub Saharan Africa
#26Because country music is also black music. And there have been Black, country musicians as long as country music has existed. But you wouldn’t know them because of the racist history of Nashville music industry.
These are subsaharan Africans, not African Americans.
Re: The popularity of country music in rural sub Saharan Africa
#27American country music has been heavily influenced by African Americans since the beginning (often without recognition, though that's starting to change.) The banjo is based on African instruments, and many musicians like Huddie Ledbetter, Elizabeth Cotten, Mississippi John Hurt, Arnold Shultz, and DeFord Bailey helped shape the genre. It's great to see this popularity in Africa--in a weird way, it's almost like comi…
I wouldn't worry about it not being recognized. Much of artistic inspiration is not attributed, as cross pollination is the norm. Once an artist makes something, it ceases to be theirs and becomes its own creation. Most of the time artists don't even realize where their inspiration comes from.
Re: The popularity of country music in rural sub Saharan Africa
#28This is interesting, because country music is very popular in aboriginal Australia too. Further reading: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.abc.net.au/news/201...
The one that really threw me is that American country music is very popular in France. I have never been, so naturally I am sure my view of the place and the people is skewed.
It is my understanding that the American country music industry employs much more specialization of labor (e.g. performers / lyricists / composers are all different people) than other American genres, so I generally expect the quality to be higher.
My sister and I both love country music. My dad is very vocal about how much he hates it, but his reasons have nothing to do with the quality of the music - they are purely cultural. Country music is part of the South, and like any member of respectable Californian society he believes that the South is evil. This does not leave room to enjoy Southern music.
But I suspect that overseas they are more likely to view country music through the same lens as "America", having no specific concept of "despicable Southerners".
Re: The popularity of country music in rural sub Saharan Africa
#29A lot of people don't really know it, but American country music is the most commercially successful music genre worldwide and is popular in places such as southeast Asia, Mongolia, sub Saharan Africa, even India and Latin america. Europeans and city dwelling Americans love to shit on it but the world loves it, probably because it's easy to relate to lyrically and uses pleasant melodies and simple to follow rhythms.…
> American country music is the most commercially successful music genre worldwide Sorry I'm very skeptical about this claim. According to the recording industry's annual report Pop music continues to dominate and Country is not in the top 10 https://www.ifpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/IFPI-Engagin... (page 15) Also, as a city dweller, why do people like you constantly attack us about everything? That feeling of…
I upvoted you because I'm also skeptical about the object-level claim, but this is a little dramatic:
> Also, as a city dweller, why do people like you constantly attack us about everything? That feeling of persecution is destroying us.
Rural people can easily levy the same accusation in return.
Re: The popularity of country music in rural sub Saharan Africa
#30A lot of people don't really know it, but American country music is the most commercially successful music genre worldwide and is popular in places such as southeast Asia, Mongolia, sub Saharan Africa, even India and Latin america. Europeans and city dwelling Americans love to shit on it but the world loves it, probably because it's easy to relate to lyrically and uses pleasant melodies and simple to follow rhythms.…
Do they imitate it in their own music? When I go looking for American influence in foreign pop music, most of what I find is usually hip-hop. Almost never country.