Country music has gone through a number of phases, one of which was Country & Western as promoters and writers tried to define or redefine and even "modernize" the industry.   During the Country & Western phase many country performers who did not really do any cowboy music dressed in fancy western costumes. There were also "cowboy" performers such as Sons of the Pioneers and Gene Autry appearing along side the mountain and country folk. There have also been "Countrypolitan" (which may have been a Chet Atkins' influenced era) and now "Modern Country" for what that's worth.