By my reckoning, country music changed into country-pop music from the mid/late 1950s. The producers and studios took over, making lotsa money for the major record labels which had their own country "rosters".

From the late 1940s a lot of country (I mean real country) songs became massive pop hits when covered by non-country singers - such as Tony Bennett's international hit with Hank Williams' "Cold, Cold Heart".

Some record producers developed a particular studio sound that gave commercial success, so they were extensively copied: Owen Bradley, Billy Sherril, for example. Their sounds were really syrupy and sickly (to my ears) - female choruses, soaring strings, the mandatory steel guitar....

Country music became big business, with writers pitching songs to producers for their labels' singers, rather than singers writing for themselves, and singing them the way they'd want to.

So, in conclusion, it's all been about money. Some country singers really shone through, in spite of all this, although invariably they became a product of their record label, being told what to sing and what could be released. Willie Nelson was one of the first to break this mould (and mold). There's a lot of REAL country still around today. All of today's "hat" acts are just the Anti-Hank.

Norman D