3 Country Songs From the 1920s That Blazed the Trail for Future Country Music

As you might imagine, the mainstream country of the 2020s and the mainstream country songs of the 1920s are musically incomparable. Frankly, the metamorphosis that has transpired in the last 100 years or so is completely jarring. However, every metamorphosis has a beginning. And if it weren’t for the 20s, then Nashville and the country music scene as a whole might not be the cultural giant it is currently.

Videos by American Songwriter

The true origins of the genre extend far beyond a single time period, person, or group, especially at a time when so many songs were shared and re-recorded among contemporary artists. Here are three such songs from the 1920s that blazed the trail for the future of country music.

“The Prisoner’s Song” by Vernon Dalhart

Vernon Dalhart was a pivotal figure in the early country music recording industry. He was a traveller, singer of hillbilly songs, and ultimately, a stepping stone for the generations to come. The songs that helped garner him such a desired status include “Wreck Of Old 97”, “Death Of Floyd Collins”, and “Puttin’ On The Style”. However, his most notable single is “The Prisoner’s Song”.

Released in 1924, the song was one of the earliest hits in country music. Lyrically, the song blended country music and outlaw culture. As we know, a plethora of country musicians have since built careers on that thematic relationship.

“Wildwood Flower” by The Carter Family

The Carter Family is arguably the most important group in terms of the commercialization and industry growth of the genre. Musically, they were taking sounds of the South and introducing them to the entire country. One of the many songs they did just that on was the cover of the 19th-century folk song, “Wildwood Flower”.

Released in 1928, “Wildwood Flower” reportedly sold 100,000 copies between 1928 and 1929, an exceptional feat for its time. The single’s astounding success in the final years of the 1920s proved that there was, in fact, a market for country songs and a business to be created from it.

“Waiting For A Train” by Jimmie Rodgers

Closing out our list of influential country songs from the 1920s is a bona fide icon. During his brief career, Jimmie Rodgers impressively earned the title of “The Father of Country Music.” During the Great Depression, Jimmie Rodgers was the biggest-selling recording artist in the United States, and that fact is attributed to his hit songs, “English Country Gardens”, “Blue Yodel”, “Yodeling Cowboy”, and “Waiting For A Train”.

Rodger’s 1929 single “Waiting For A Train” was a staple hit during the Great Depression. Consequently, the legacy of Rodgers still exists in country music to this day, as hobo culture and country music have walked hand-in-hand ever since Rodgers took over the scene in the late 20s.

Photo by Donaldson Collection/Getty Images