When Alan Lomax subjected Country Music to his Cantometrics experiment, he decided
there was not too much difference in the vocal style and even instrumental style between
early county music (folk) and the more modern variety.

It's easy to see the modern style as an outgrowth of earlier country music.

The labels are always for the purpose of selling the music. Early country used to be called
"Hillbilly". "Nashville" is another bin designation. Basically, the roots are the same. A mixture of Scots-Irish, blues, and later Southwestern Swing (ala Bob Will et. al.)
Bluegrass is a recent development from the oil fields of Indiana but still maintains the early roots of "country". "Country" was so named because of its market in rural areas of the US.

It used to be Country and Western when it was aligned with cowboy songs and styles with a great influence from Hollywood (Gene, Roy, Sons of the Pioneers). Then Country lost the Western but not the hats. There was a Hawaiian influence probably from soldiers stationed there which spawned the electric steel guitar.

I think of country music spanning decades and having a tradition like the blues and jazz.
Much of it borrowed from the African-American musical tradition. The so-called "White Spirituals" took root in the Shape-note or Sacred Harp group singing style.

Atlanta was at one time the US Country music capital on the radio WSG (Welcome South Brother) and when a management dispute occurred over the nature of the music,
it went North to WGN in Nashville. Atlanta had a large fiddle contest in the 20's held at the Armory downtown. Fiddlin' John Carson and Gid Tanner started there.
(Check out Wayne Daniel's book "Pickin' On Peachtree").

It seems as though Country Music audiences haven't changed as much over the years as has Popular music from swing to rock to hip hop bands. Earlier artists such as the original Jimmy Rodgers or Hank Williams are still revered.

The contemporary Country Music audience attempts to identify themselves as white, working class and rural although obviously Country is now known all over the world.
Although it was associated with the Southern US, there were Country bands in rural New England in New Hampshire and Maine. In Chicago WLS (World's Largest Store) (Sears)
had one of the leading broadcast "jamborees" in the nation. It was popular in Canada.
Hank Snow was once a Canadian and there have been others who joined American Country music from there.

Contemporary country music is an outgrowth of earlier folk music.

Although much of it has become commercialized to meet the mass market nationally (some of it crossing over such as "Ode To Billy Joe") or Ray Charles, it retains a style of performance that is linked to the past.

The record company term "folk music" was used to isolate the Weavers, Kingston Trio and the popularizers of the so-called "folk music revival". It had relatively little to do with the
earlier forms of American folk music (including early "country") although it employed some of the song material. Pete Seeger was responsible for the popularity of many of these groups with his infectious and unique interpretations of folk songs.

It appears that the singer/songwriter movement spun off from Woody Guthrie via Dylan and other followers. Woody was a lot closer to earlier folk traditions than was Dylan. Dyaln found a career at the inception of the Popular Folk Revival by employing Woody's image and writing songs that were in that style. He was more of a popular songwriter, however, in that he reached a mass market but his songs reflected his own unique personality rather than as associated with an earlier country folk tradition as did the Carter Family and others from the time of Ralph Peer (a record producer who serviced the "hillbilly" market.)

There is a strong cultural link in country music and in the earlier days, much of it
was real folk rather than manufactured for a market.