ABSTRACT
Rock and country have long had a complicated relationship. In the late 1950s the Nashville music industry portrayed rock ’n’ roll as a threat to the country audience, but by a decade later Nashville had emerged as an important influence on rock, as musicians such as Bob Dylan and the Byrds traveled to record with the city’s top session musicians, and a country rock hybrid soon emerged popularized by west coast groups such as the Eagles. Country stars such as Brad Paisley, Keith Urban and Gretchen Wilson regularly feature classic rock riffs and covers as part of their live sets, and the television show CMT Crossroads routinely pairs classic rock bands such as Journey with contemporary country acts such as Rascal Flatts. CMT has further capitalized on the hybrid trend by bringing rock and country artists together on its CMT Crossroads show.
