Editing Country rock (section)

==History==
===Origins===
[[File:Gram Parsons.jpg|thumb|right|[[Gram Parsons]] in 1972]]
Country influences can be heard on rock records through the 1960s, including [[the Beatles]]' 1964 recordings "[[I'll Cry Instead]]", "[[Baby's in Black]]", "[[I Don't Want to Spoil the Party]]", and their 1965 recording "[[I've Just Seen A Face]]", the Byrds' 1965 cover version of [[Porter Wagoner]]'s "[[A Satisfied Mind|Satisfied Mind]]", or [[the Rolling Stones]] "High and Dry" (1966), as well as [[Buffalo Springfield]]'s "Go and Say Goodbye" (1966) and "Kind Woman" (1968).<ref name=Bogdanov2002C-Rock/> According to ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music'', the Beatles' "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party", their cover of the [[Buck Owens]] country hit "[[Act Naturally]]" and their 1965 album ''[[Rubber Soul]]'' can all be seen "with hindsight" as examples of country rock.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Kingsbury|editor-first1=Paul|title=The Encyclopedia of Country Music|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York, NY|year=2012|isbn=978-0-19-539563-1|page=106}}</ref>

Former TV [[teen idol]] and [[rockabilly]] recording artist [[Ricky Nelson]] pioneered the Country Rock sound as the frontman for his Stone Canyon Band and recorded the 1966 album ''[[Bright Lights and Country Music (Rick Nelson album)|Bright Lights & Country Music]]'' and the 1967 album ''[[Country Fever]]''. Bassist [[Randy Meisner]] joined briefly in 1970 after leaving [[Poco (band)|Poco]] and before joining [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]].

In 1966, as many rock artists moved increasingly towards expansive and experimental [[psychedelia]], Bob Dylan spearheaded the back-to-basics [[roots revival]] when he went to Nashville to record the album ''[[Blonde on Blonde]]'', playing with notable local musicians like [[Charlie McCoy]].<ref name=Wolff2000/> This, and the subsequent more clearly country-influenced albums, ''[[John Wesley Harding]]'' (1967) and ''[[Nashville Skyline]]'' (1969), have been seen as creating the genre of [[country folk]], a route pursued by a number of, largely acoustic, folk musicians.<ref name=Wolff2000>K. Wolff, O. Duane, ''Country Music: The Rough Guide'' (Rough Guides, 2000), p. 392.</ref>

Dylan's lead was also followed by the Byrds, who were joined by [[Gram Parsons]] in 1968. Parsons had mixed [[country music|country]] with [[Rock music|rock]], [[blues]] and [[Folk music|folk]] to create what he called "Cosmic American Music".<ref>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1217687|pure_url=yes}}|title=Gram Parsons Archive, Vol. 1: Live at the Avalon Ballroom 1969 review|last=Leggett |first=Steve |work=AllMusic |access-date=March 21, 2010}}</ref> Earlier in the year Parsons had released ''[[Safe at Home]]'' (although the principal recording for the album had taken place in mid-1967) with the International Submarine Band, which made extensive use of [[pedal steel]] and is seen by some as the first true country-rock album.<ref name=Bogdanov2002C-Rock/> The result of Parsons' brief tenure in the Byrds was ''Sweetheart of the Rodeo'' (1968), generally considered one of the finest and most influential recordings in the genre.<ref name=Bogdanov2002C-Rock/> The Byrds continued in the same vein, but Parsons left before the album was released to join another ex-Byrds member [[Chris Hillman]] in forming [[the Flying Burrito Brothers]]. The Byrds hired guitarist [[Clarence White]] and drummer [[Gene Parsons]], both from the  country band [[Nashville West]]. The Flying Burrito Brothers recorded the albums ''[[The Gilded Palace of Sin]]'' (1969) and ''[[Burrito Deluxe]]'' (1970), which helped establish the respectability and parameters of the genre, before Parsons departed to pursue a solo career.<ref name=Bogdanov2002C-Rock/>

===Expansion===
[[Image:Emmylou Harris 2006 2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Emmylou Harris]] playing in [[Rotterdam]], [[Netherlands]] (2006)]]
Country rock was a particularly popular style in the California music scene of the late 1960s, and was adopted by bands including Hearts and Flowers, [[Poco (band)|Poco]] (formed by [[Richie Furay]] and [[Jim Messina (musician)|Jim Messina]], formerly of the Buffalo Springfield) and [[New Riders of the Purple Sage]].<ref name=Bogdanov2002C-Rock/> Some folk-rockers followed the Byrds into the genre, among them the [[The Beau Brummels|Beau Brummels]]<ref name=Bogdanov2002C-Rock/> and the [[Nitty Gritty Dirt Band]].<ref>P. Buckley, ''The Rough Guide to Rock'' (Rough Guides, 3rd edn., 2003), p. 730.</ref> A number of performers also enjoyed a renaissance by adopting country sounds, including: the Beatles, who re-explored elements of country in songs such as "Rocky Raccoon" and "Don't Pass Me By" from their 1968 [[The Beatles (album)|self-titled double album]] (often referred to as the "White Album"),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-beatles-white-album-mw0000418113|title=The Beatles [White Album] - The Beatles - Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=December 23, 2017}}</ref> and "Octopus's Garden" from ''[[Abbey Road]]'' (1969);<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/octopuss-garden-mt0010100295|title=Octopus's Garden - The Beatles - Song Info|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=December 23, 2017}}</ref> [[The Everly Brothers]], whose ''Roots'' album (1968) is usually considered some of their finest work; [[John Fogerty]], who left [[Creedence Clearwater Revival]] behind for the country sounds of [[the Blue Ridge Rangers]] (1972);<ref>J. Dougan, [http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-blue-ridge-rangers-p24126/biography "Blue Ridge Rangers: Biography"], ''AllMusic'', retrieved April 9, 2011.</ref> [[Mike Nesmith]], who had experimented with country sounds while with [[the Monkees]], formed the [[First National Band]];<ref name=TMT>Andrew Sandoval, ''The Monkees: The Day by Day Story of the '60s Pop Sensation'' (Thunder Bay Press, 2005), p. 118.</ref> and [[Neil Young]] who moved in and out of the genre throughout his career.<ref name=Bogdanov2002C-Rock/> One of the few acts to successfully move from the country side towards rock were the [[Bluegrass music|bluegrass]] band [[the Dillards]].<ref name=Bogdanov2002C-Rock/> [[Doug Dillard]] left the band to form the group [[Dillard & Clark]] with ex-[[Byrds]] member [[Gene Clark]] and [[Bernie Leadon]].<ref>Einarson, ''Desperados'', p. 103</ref>

===Peak===
[[File:Dickey Betts Pistoia Blues Festival 2008.jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Dickey Betts]] of the [[Allman Brothers Band]], brought elements of country rock into the band during the 1970s]]

The greatest commercial success for country rock came in the 1970s, with [[the Doobie Brothers]] mixing in elements of R&B, [[Emmylou Harris]] (the former singer with Parsons) becoming a star on country radio,  and [[Linda Ronstadt]], the "queen of country-rock", creating a highly successful pop-oriented brand of the genre.<ref name=Tawa2005/> [[Pure Prairie League]], formed in Ohio in 1970 by [[Craig Fuller]], had both critical and commercial success with five straight Top 40 LP releases,<ref>W. Ruhlmann, [http://www.allmusic.com/artist/pure-prairie-league-p5198/biography "Pure Prairie League: Biography"], ''AllMusic'', retrieved April 8, 2011.</ref> including ''[[Bustin' Out]]'' (1972), acclaimed by AllMusic critic Richard Foss as "an album that is unequaled in country-rock",<ref>{{Citation|last=R. Foss |title=Bustin' Out Pure Prairie League: Review |journal=AllMusic |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/bustin-out-r15920/review |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110508085945/http://www.allmusic.com/album/bustin-out-r15920/review |archive-date=May 8, 2011 |url-status=dead }}.</ref> and ''[[Two Lane Highway]]'', described by ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' as "a worthy companion to the likes of the Byrds' ''Sweetheart of the Rodeo'' and other gems of the genre".<ref>Rolling Stone #194 August 28, 1975.</ref> Former Poco and Buffalo Springfield member Jim Messina joined Kenny Loggins in a very successful duo, while former members of Ronstadt's backing band went on to form the [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]] (two members of which were from the Flying Burrito Brothers and Poco), who emerged as one of the most successful rock acts of all time, producing albums that included ''[[Desperado (Eagles album)|Desperado]]'' (1973) and ''[[Hotel California (Eagles album)|Hotel California]]'' (1976).<ref name=Tawa2005>N. E. Tawa, ''Supremely American: popular song in the 20th century: styles and singers and what they said about America'' (Scarecrow Press, 2005), pp. 227-8.</ref> However, the principal country rock influence in the Eagles came from [[Bernie Leadon]], formerly of the Flying Burrito Brothers, and the Eagles are perceived as shifting towards hard rock after he left the band in late 1975. [[The Ozark Mountain Daredevils]] had hit singles "If You Wanna Get To Heaven" (1974) and "Jackie Blue" (1975), the latter of which peaked at #3 on the [[Billboard Hot 100]] in 1975. [[The Bellamy Brothers]] had the hit "Let Your Love Flow"(1976). In 1979, the Southern rock [[Charlie Daniels Band]] moved to a more country direction, released a song with strong bluegrass influence, "[[The Devil Went Down to Georgia]]", and the song crossed over and became a hit on the pop chart.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cmt.com/artists/charlie-daniels/biography/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114110941/http://www.cmt.com/artists/charlie-daniels/biography/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 14, 2014|title=Charlie Daniels - News, New Music, Songs, and Videos - CMT|website=Cmt.com|access-date=December 23, 2017}}</ref>