How did early country musicians get started in an industry that did not yet exist? Students will examine the personal and broader historical circumstances in which select country artists of the period 1920-1945 got their starts. 

The story of DeFord Bailey’s tumultuous tenure with the Grand Ole Opry offers an opportunity to examine race relations in the era through the lens of the music industry. Students will understand how the genre’s first stars, the Carter Family, produced their 1927 landmark recordings and became famous, despite facing poverty and personal struggle and despite there being no precedent for making a living by selling records. Finally, Students will be introduced to the Maddox Family, whose trek from the rural south to California during the Dust Bowl offers a framework to further explore the workings of the industry in the context of 1930s mass migration, economic hardship, and marginalization. 

An historical overview of this era, included in the support materials, provides additional historical context about the period to offer a broader perspective about these artists’ circumstances. These artists’ stories can be explored individually or as a gallery. The discussion questions and historical context included support either approach.