5 MYTHS ABOUT COUNTRY MUSIC.

Love it or leave it, country music — with its trains, trucks and lost loves — holds myths that infuse many people’s understanding of it. Here are five.

1 COUNTRY IS WHITE MUSIC FOR WHITE PEOPLE

In fact, the genre’s signature sound has diverse roots. African-american string bands were common 100 years ago. In the 1940s and ’50s, Mexican performers in the Southwest U.S. mixed their musical styles with country; mariachi-style trumpets are heard on Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire. A Country

Music Association survey shows the genre’s fastest-growing audience is non-white.

2 COUNTRY MUSIC LISTENERS ARE MOSTLY WORKING-CLASS

Country music is certainly rooted in the working class, but mid-century prosperity spurred an audience change. Demographic surveys now reveal that the fan base is better-educated and more affluent than even record executives typically assume. Its fans have slightly higher-than-average household income and rates of home ownership than the general population, and are more likely to be executives

and professionals.

3 COUNTRY IS CONSERVATIVE

A 2016 Nielsen survey revealed that just as many liberal voters listen to country as conservatives do. The genre’s strongly populist leaning has always left room for a range of political perspectives. Today, many

country musicians quietly allow fans of all allegiances to assume they agree with them,

while others have declared staunch loyalties, including on

the left.

4 THERE ARE MORE WOMEN IN COUNTRY MUSIC

Some commentators claim the on-air gender-parity problem is worse today than in the 1960s and ’70s. It’s easy to understand why the myth persists: Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn rocketed to stardom in that classic era. Today, the number of women on country radio is approximately at the same dismal level as it

was 50 years ago.

5 COUNTRY SINGERS WRITE SONGS ABOUT THEIR REAL LIVES

Artists often craft the presentation of their songs to suggest an autobiographical connection, but many are written by professional songwriters. Traditionally, the country music industry has treated composition and performance as separate jobs. Fans are often surprised to learn that superstars such as George Strait and Reba Mcentire have written few to none of

their own hits.