Peter LaChapelle: When Country Music Went Right (Did It All Go Wrong?)

Jul 15, 2022

01:05:13

**This episode was recorded before the Supreme Court's final week of the 2022 term in which they overturned Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs opinion, hobbled the ability of states to regulate guns in Bruen and severely limited the EPA's ability to tackle climate change in WV v. EPA**

In this episode I talk to Dr. Peter La Chapelle, professor of political and social history at Nevada State College, and author of I'd Fight the World: A Political History of Old-Time, Hillbilly, and Country Music and Proud to be an Okie: Cultural Politics, Country Music, and Migration to Southern California, about the evolution of country music and how/why it went from music that championed the working class and the poor to a home for conservatives. We discuss some classic imagery from the early 20th century that created a lasting, and incorrect, image of American poverty and the working class, and talk about how that influenced the evolution of country music. We talk about the underrepresentation of women and folks of color, particulary Black folks, in country music and where liberal voices still live in that sphere. And, we discuss some of our favorite artists and whether I could be a country music performer.

Mentioned:
Her Country: How the Women of Country Music Became the Success They Were Never Supposed to Be - Marissa R. Moss