Perhaps the most 'classic' country sound, honky tonk is a style rich with twangy vocals, moaning guitars, and lyrics that alternate between happy-go-lucky (Hank Williams' "Hey, Good Lookin'"), darkly quirky (Al Dexter's "Pistol Packin' Mama"), and totally down-and-out (Ted Daffan's "Born to Lose"). The music developed during the late '30s but was popularized over the next couple decades by such icons as Williams, Lefty Frizzell, Webb Pierce, Kitty Wells, and Ernest Tubb, who's 1942 hit "Walking the Floor Over You" burst the honky-tonk doors wide open. Previously country had been based around acoustic picking, but newly developed electric guitars and other amplified instruments quickly became a popular way to cut through the rowdy din in local roadhouses, juke joints, and 'honky tonks.' Pedal-steel guitars were added during the '50s, enhancing the music's mournful tone. Though honky tonk lost some of its edge with the advent of the Nashville Sound in the '60s, it has remained full and strong, and it still serves as the basis for much of today's "neo-traditional" country music as played by stars like George Strait, Alan Jackson, and Brad Paisley.

Notable Artists: Floyd Tillman, Hank Williams, Carl Smith, Johnny Paycheck