hillbilly music

noun

1. folk music combined with elements of popular music in which the banjo, fiddle, and guitar are principal instruments: a type of music that originated in mountain regions of the southern U.S.
2. country-and-western music.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hillbilly music¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

He also felt a strong kinship with country and other forms of “hillbilly music.”

From Seattle Times

In Their Own Words This new episode of the documentary series profiles guitarist Chuck Berry and how his blend of hillbilly music and R&B helped create the music that became rock ‘n’ roll.

From Los Angeles Times

A new fascination with flatpicking technique developed into a study of old-time music when she learned about the Black string band tradition concealed beneath the whitewashed narrative of what was once sold as hillbilly music.

From New York Times

White country music was stigmatized early on as “hillbilly music” so the industry started pushing it toward the rising white middle class as a way to make the genre more respected and hugely profitable.

From Seattle Times

Called “Hayloft Hoedown,” it’s considered the first country music television show in Washington, though back then people called it “hillbilly music.”

From Washington Post