Western Region

The Western Region

For a basic definition, we will assume that the following states are included for the west: Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado Arizona, New Mexico, Alaska, and Hawaii.

History of Music in the West

            Music of the west was not influenced by certain individuals like the south, but influenced by European countries including England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. The origins of the western cultural music also were influenced by cowboy songs, which were passed on through generations via campfire songs.

            Parts of the western United States are stereotyped as being very rural and low on technology. With this being said, the music that originated in this landscape (all western music in this case) was composed of primarily string instruments and occasionally embellished with the harmonica.  The reason that the harmonica plays such a significance in this region is because it came from Europe. The harmonica had come to the United States before the Civil War. That being said, western music predates the Civil War, just like southern music. Seeing as the United States was expanding towards the west during the Civil War, the harmonica was small and portable, not straining any individual who wanted to travel with it.

            An early cowboy leader who is credited in playing a major role in western music claimed that western music only had three rhythms. Each of the three rhythms were associated with some part of a horse influenced culture: cow pony-walk, trot, and lope. Something that was emphasized in the western states was the freedom of expression, especially through music.

Musical Literature of the West

The first confirmed descriptions of western music came in 1908 with the publication of Songs of the Cowboys. This book written by N. Howard Thorp contained only lyrics, with no musical notation, which leaves a lot for interpretation. Many of the songs in the book contain no author, except for Thorp’s publications.

A second publication just following Songs of the Cowboys launched in 1910, entitled Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads written by John Lomax. This book gained national attention for its detailed western music. However, many of the songs in Lomax’s book were the same as the ones in Thorpe’s, published two years earlier. The major difference between these two books was that Lomax’s publication contained musical scores, which left less to be interpreted. Lomax then published a second collection of cowboy songs in 1919, titled Songs of the Cattle Trail and Cow Camp. 
                                     Songs of the Cowboys- Norman Luboff Choir

From Rural to Mainstream

            Hollywood films in the 1930s and 1940s are credited with making western music mainstream. There was a fascination in America of the romantic nature of the cowboys and the ideal lives these cowboys lived, which made others want a slice of the pie, thus listening to the western music. Individuals such as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry sang cowboy songs in their films, which went crazy in American once the films had come out. With the popularity of western music increasing in America, film producers centered their future films around the music, by adding orchestra pieces to their films. The biggest western musical number came out in 1936, called Rhythm on the Range, where Bing Crosby had recorded numerous cowboy and western songs for the film.

                                                Bing Crosby in Rhythm on the Range

What Happened to Western Music?

            Western music at one time was the biggest thing in America, everyone wanted a new song, and they wanted it now. However, by the 1960s, western music was on the decline. The artists attracted smaller audiences, and Hollywood films had moved onto the new hype in America using rock n’ roll in their films. The true western music was almost non-existent when big cities, like Nashville, were playing “country” music, not based on western music, but based on folk music and pop ballads. The backlash that the mainstreamed country music had received then created more country music with true western origins.

Don’t Be Fooled, Western Music is Still Around Today!

            While it may be hard to acquire, many of the original western songs are still available for purchase via mail-order, or the internet. More updated western music is still being written and performed in parts of the western United States and in Canada.  In 1989 an association called the Western Music Association was created in order to preserve the authentic western music and promote it.

Western Music Today

            Music in the western United States is very diverse. While there are still some parts of the west that prefer the authentic old western music, many genres are present today in many of the big cities. Country music is very popular in states such as Colorado, Utah, Washington, and Idaho, while pop and rap music have taken over places like California. There is a great diversity of music all across the west, the major differences can be seen whether one is in the rural country sides, or big cities.