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In the 1990s, the term alternative country, paralleling alternative rock, began to be used to describe a diverse group of musicians and singers operating outside the traditions and industry of mainstream country music. [4]
- Uncle Tupelo – Anodyne (1993) The last entry in the band’s catalog before Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar parted ways saw the band at its most fully realized.
- Lucinda Williams – Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (1998) Up until this album Lucinda Williams was primarily known for her songwriting, earning a Grammy for Best Country Song with Mary Chapin Carpenter’s crossover hit “Passionate Kisses.”
- Gillian Welch – Revival (1996) Gillian Welch and her musical partner may have hailed from Los Angeles and Rhode Island, respectively, but they arrived on the alt-country scene in 1996 as if they’d just melted out of Depression-era Appalachian Mountain ice.
- Son Volt – Trace (1995) Long before there was Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, it looked like Jay Farrar was the genius behind Uncle Tupelo, as Trace was a near-perfect collection of laid-back alt-country ballads like the brilliant windows-rolled-down “Windfall” and guitar-charged college rockers like lead single “Drown.”
- Rank and File – “Amanda Ruth” (1982) One of the first bands to bear the descriptor “cowpunk,” Rank and File also had pedigrees in actual punk. Brothers Chip and Tony Kinman were in The Dils, a California band that had tight, Everly-like harmonies which were unusual in their genre.
- Meat Puppets – “Plateau” (1984) The resident cowpunks on the SST roster in the 1980s, Arizona’s Meat Puppet’s nonetheless translated their country and western influences through a hardcore filter on their debut album.
- Lone Justice – “Ways to Be Wicked” (1985) Maria McKee had a commanding stage presence, a ferocious energy, and a voice that bore a resemblance to one of her earliest supporters, Dolly Parton.
- Mekons – “Hard to Be Human Again” (1985) On paper it might not seem likely that a post-punk group from the same Leeds scene as Gang of Four and Au Pairs would end up recording one of the first great alt-country records.
The Sound of Alternative Country · Playlist · 396 songs · 1.7K likes.
As the name suggests, alt-country embraces the outsiders—Lucinda Williams’ haunted poetry, Neko Case’s lonesome howl, and Steve Earle’s lived-in tunes are all lodestars of the sound. 100 Songs, 6 hours, 12 minutes
You Don't Hate Country Music: Rising Alt Country · Playlist · 155 songs · 35.4K likes.
Jun 9, 2021 · Alternative country or alt-country, a subgenre of country music, has found resonance with fans of alternative and indie rock.
