Country And Western

An American music form which is another fusion of influences, including Traditional Folk, Irish and Scottish Music with a tinge of other things. It has not been around for long - probably the 1920s to 1940s. It would have been influenced by the Cakewalk, Ragtime and Jazz revolution which was happening at the time, but retained its roots in Folk.

It is a style which derived from the Old-time music of Appalachia and the songs of the Cowboys (hence Country and Western).

The genre has particular topics which recur and a number of mythical jokes. As many C & W songs are about disaster - wrecks, broken relationships etc, it is often said that you should play them backwards so your dog comes back to life, tour girlfriend returns etc.

It also spawns a whole series of (some genuine) comedic titles:

• How Can I Miss You If You Won't Go Away?
• I Still Miss You Baby, But My Aim's Gettin' Better
• I Wouldn't Take Her To A Dog Fight, Cause I'm Afraid She'd Win
• My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend, and I Sure Do Miss Him
• I Changed Her Oil, She Changed My Life
• Drop Kick Me, Jesus, Through The Goalposts Of Life
• I Flushed You From The Toilets Of My Heart