following its development through the twentieth century and up to today. Chapters trace the history of country chronologically, from early hillbilly music (Roy Acuff & The Carter Family), "singing cowboys" (Gene Autry & Roy Rogers), bluegrass (Bill Monroe & the Stanley Brothers), honky tonk (Hank Williams & Ernest Tubb), rockabilly (Carl Perkins & Jerry Lee Lewis), and Nashville (Johnny Cash & Patsy Cline), to country rock (the Byrds & the Eagles), outlaws (Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard), mainstream country and pop crossovers (Tammy Wynette & Dolly Parton), and the neo-traditionalists (Garth Brooks & Emmylou Harris), as well as the more recent "alternative country" (Lucinda Williams & Gillian Welch), and the bluegrass revival (Alison Krauss & Bela Fleck). From the earliest days of country to the latest artists, The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Music tells the story of a great American genre in words and pictures.

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