The Nashville sound is a type of American country music that began in the 1950s in Nashville, Tennessee. It replaced the rough honky tonk music with "smooth strings and choruses," "sophisticated background vocals," and "smooth tempos" from traditional pop. This was an effort to "revive country sales, which had been devastated by the rise of rock 'n' roll."

Characteristics

According to Dave Lifton of Ultimate Classic Rock, the Nashville sound "was more similar to popular 50s vocal pop than to Western swing or rockabilly." When asked to explain the Nashville sound, Chet Atkins took some loose change from his pocket and shook it, saying, "That's what it is. It's the sound of money."

Origins

The Nashville sound was developed by workers at RCA Victor, Columbia Records, and Decca Records in Nashville, Tennessee. Chet Atkins, who worked as a manager, producer, and musician at RCA Victor, along with producers Steve Sholes, Owen Bradley, Bob Ferguson, and recording engineer Bill Porter, created the style. They changed parts of the honky tonk music style, such as fiddles, steel guitar, and rough-sounding lead vocals, by adding smoother elements from 1950s pop music, like string sections, background vocals, and smooth lead singing. They also used polished production methods and pop music structures. These producers worked with a small group of studio musicians called the Nashville A-Team. Their ability to adapt quickly and contribute creatively was important for making successful songs. The Anita Kerr Quartet was the main vocal group supporting recordings in the early 1960s.

The term "Nashville sound" was first used in an article about Jim Reeves in 1958 in the Music Reporter and again in a 1960 Time article about Reeves. Other people have pointed to several recordings that helped shape the early Nashville sound. Rich Kienzle, a country music historian, said the song "Gone," recorded by Ferlin Husky in November 1956, might have been an early example. Colin Escott, a writer, argued that Reeves' song "Four Walls," recorded in February 1957, was the first Nashville sound recording. Chet Atkins, the RCA Victor producer and guitarist often credited with creating the sound, said his production of Don Gibson's "Oh Lonesome Me," recorded later in 1957, was important. In an essay, David Cantwell claimed that Elvis Presley's rock and roll version of "Don't Be Cruel," recorded in July 1956, started the Nashville sound era.

Owen Bradley, a record producer, said that Bradley Studios, RCA Studio B, and later RCA Studio A, located in the center of Music Row, were important for developing the Nashville sound. RCA Studio A was specifically built to support the musical techniques of the Nashville sound. It was designed by RCA's sound engineer, John E. Volkmann. In 1960, Time magazine reported that Nashville had become the nation's second-largest record-producing center, after New York.

Countrypolitan

In the early 1960s, the Nashville sound faced challenges from the Bakersfield sound in country music and the British Invasion in pop music. At the same time, the sudden deaths of Patsy Cline and Jim Reeves, two popular Nashville stars, added to these difficulties. Nashville’s pop song structure became more noticeable, and it changed into a style called countrypolitan. This style used rich string arrangements, real orchestras, and often background vocals from choirs. Countrypolitan music was designed for mainstream audiences and sold well from the later 1960s into the mid-1970s. Key figures in creating this sound included producers Billy Sherrill, who helped shape Tammy Wynette’s early career, and Glenn Sutton. Artists who represented the countrypolitan style included Wynette, Charlie Rich, Charley Pride, and Los Angeles-based singers Lynn Anderson and Glen Campbell. George Jones combined the countrypolitan sound with the honky-tonk style that made him famous.

The Bakersfield sound, followed later by outlaw country, became popular among country music fans, while countrypolitan remained successful on pop music charts.

Country pop

By the late 1970s and 1980s, many pop music singers began using the countrypolitan style to develop a new type of music called country pop. This style combines elements of country music and pop music.