Alternative country music is referred to as “alt-country” music. Alt-country music has roots in the country music style of artists such as Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, but it is also influenced by the rock and punk movements, and it has a rough edge, as opposed to the overproduced sound of Nashville country stars such as Garth Brooks and Shania Twain. Alt-country music is also known as Americana music or No Depression, after an album by early alt-country band Uncle Tupelo with the same name.
The alt-country movement began in the 1960s, with artists such as the Byrds and Gram Parsons, who were equally at home in the rock and country music scenes. Artists like Neil Young and Steve Earle have successfully combined rock and country music in the years since. However, it wasn’t until Uncle Tupelo’s No Depression album, which featured folk covers and punk/folk originals, that the musical style was given an official name. Before disbanding, the band released four albums. Both of Uncle Tupelo’s singers are now members of successful bands: Jay Farrar of Son Volt and Jeff Tweedy of Wilco.
Other successful alt-country bands include Whiskeytown from North Carolina and its lead singer, Ryan Adams, who has since established a successful solo career; and the Old 97s from Texas, who combine country twang with rock music. Son Volt and Wilco, two of Uncle Tupelo’s offshoots, have also done exceptionally well in the alt-country world; Son Volt had a hit with Drowning in the early 1990s, and Wilco has been lauded in the music world for their brilliant album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which blends alt-country with experimental music.
There’s also a magazine dedicated to alt-country music called No Depression, which is named after the Uncle Tupelo album. Since its inception in 1995, the publication has featured hundreds of notable alt-country artists, including Alejandro Escovedo and bluegrass musician Ralph Stanley.