Editing Cowpunk (section)

===Precursors===
The first cowpunk bands in the late 1970s "...were inspired not by mainstream country but classic country, a more authentic-sounding music but also historically distant enough to be non-mainstream by default..."<ref name="Loudermilk"/> There were precedents for blending country and related genres with rock or other styles. For example, all through the 1970s, [[country rock]] and [[southern rock]] were popular. However, by the early 1980s, the [[outlaw country]] trend had "worn out its welcome".<ref>McLeese, Don. ''Dwight Yoakam: A Thousand Miles from Nowhere''. University of Texas Press, 7 March 2012. p. 63</ref> Another factor that made country music unappealing to many youth in the early 1980s was that it was perceived as being on the "wrong side" in the "[[culture war]]", as country music was associated with [[conservative]] political values and highly-produced [[pop music|commercial music]].<ref name="McLeese, Don 2012. p. 63-64">McLeese, Don. ''Dwight Yoakam: A Thousand Miles from Nowhere''. University of Texas Press, 7 March 2012. p. 63-64</ref>

Don McLeese said the ways that youth associated country music made them not realize that it had youthful, exuberant "[[hillbilly music]]" roots in earlier eras.<ref name="McLeese, Don 2012. p. 63-64"/> Joey Camp says he was turned off country as a teen in the early 1980s because he mistakenly thought that the "...[[countrypolitan]] fare" then popular on commercial radio, such as "[[Islands in the Stream (song)|Islands in the Stream]]" by [[Kenny Rogers]] and [[Dolly Parton]], "[[Queen of Hearts (Hank DeVito song)|Queen of Hearts]]" by [[Juice Newton]], and "[[Always on My Mind]]" by [[Willie Nelson]]" was the extent of country music.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.50thirdand3rd.com/bolo-ties-beatle-boots-the-rise-and-legacy-of-cowpunk/ |title=Bolo Ties & Beatle Boots: The Rise and Legacy Of Cowpunk |last= Camp|first= Joey|date=7 February 2017 |website=www.50thirdand3rd.com |publisher=50 third and 3rd |access-date=20 April 2020 }}</ref>

Music writer [[Peter Doggett]] has stated that there has been a "difficult relationship between punk and country" since musicians from the two genres first encountered each other, but they did manage to meet and blend their styles.<ref name="ReferenceA">King, Ian. ''Appetite for Definition: An A-Z Guide to Rock Genres''. HarperCollins, 2018</ref> As well, some [[New wave music|new wave]] bands "displayed blatant country influences".<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Early cowpunk bands were more appealing to alternative, non-mainstream youth from the 1980s, as some cowpunk bands explored "[[queer]]" themes in their lyrics, or identified or appeared in an androgynous manner.<ref name="Loudermilk"/> By the early 1980s, punk audiences did come to appreciate a blend of punk and rockabilly, when the new subgenre of [[psychobilly]] emerged, with bands such as [[The Cramps]].