settin' the woods on fire

What is it about a steel guitar that makes me feel so good? Am I that inherently American? It seems that the sweet sound of that pitch-shifting twang has been bred into me; I’m predisposed to it. Country music, I think, is one of the uniquely American musical styles. It’s earned this distinction, along with hip-hop, rock and roll (which came from country) and the blues, by being forged in an environment uniquely American. Like America itself, country music is a melting pot borne of different cultures and influences. When immigrants came to the Southern Appalachian Mountains, they brought the music and instruments of their native homelands along with them. The Irish fiddle, the German dulcimer, the Italian mandolin and the Spanish guitar were some of the most common musical instruments of 19th century America and the interactions among the musicians from different ethnic groups produced a previously unheard musical style. This early Appalachian music along with early recorded country music is often referred to as old-time music or, perhaps more aptly, as hillbilly music. Country though, is a more fitting descriptor because it's kind of a national thing. Over time, the music spread and evolved into bluegrass, western music and eventually, genre-crossing country-pop. That’s all fine I guess, but I like Hank Williams better. He played a big role in bringing it to the masses in the late 1940s and setting the standard. He died at 29 after dealing with the demons that pester many a man: alcohol, drugs and women.

LISTEN TO HIM DO "RAMBLIN' MAN" FOR THE STEEL GUITAR AND SOME SERIOUSLY TORMENTED SINGING.