Country, folk, and bluegrass music are a direct product of southern culture. That being said, the majority of bands and artists that fall under the umbrella of these genres are mainly from the southern United States. That fact is not surprising, as the musicians who play this type of music grew up listening to it, learning it, and leaning into it as a profession. However, there are a handful of artists and musicians who sound like they are from the South, but aren’t.
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Of course, country, folk, and bluegrass music do not solely belong to the South. Though, that is the notion that the stereotype typically entails. Surprisingly, there have been some remarkably incredible country artists to subvert this stereotype and make a name for themselves in the industry despite their geographical background, and here are three of the best.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s sound makes it seem like the band comes from a mountain town in North Carolina. However, that is not the case in the slightest. Rather, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is made up of country artists from the non-bluegrass hotbed of Long Beach, California.
Despite this fact, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band still went on to become one of the most successful bluegrass bands of all time. During their heyday, the band scored three no. 1 hits, three Grammy Awards, and created arguably the most infamous bluegrass album of all time, Will The Circle Be Unbroken.
The Band
The Band is not strictly a country folk band, and the outfit’s artists have diverse musical backgrounds. However, they certainly leaned into country music themes and musical arrangements. That is fairly surprising when you realize that Robbie Robertson’s band isn’t even from the United States. As a matter of fact, they are from our Northern neighbor, Canada. Specifically, The Band hails from the city of Toronto.
In addition to being the backing band for Bob Dylan, The Band had an incredibly successful career on their own, and they did so by adopting a sound not native to them. During their careers, The Band never scored any major accolades or major chart runs. Regardless, they are arguably one of the more diverse rock bands of all time.
Jerry Jeff Walker
You might not know Jerry Jeff Walker by name, but if you are a staunch country folk music fan, you’ve surely heard his songs “Mr. Bojangles” and “Pissin’ In The Wind”. Walker was an integral part of the Texas 70s country music scene and shared the stage with the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and even Willie Nelson.
Even though Walker adopted Texas as his home, he was not originally from there. Rather, he was from the polar opposite state of New York. Walker never garnered enormous commercial success, but he is a prime example of how influential, independent, and lesser-known good country artists can be.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band via Getty Images
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