Bart,

Is it possible we never met?? We were picking on the same turf from what you say--and for a long while. Do I know you? Maybe we ought to talk. I think we'd agree most o0f the time. That's more than I can say for me and the spouse. ;)
Art Thieme

Also, folks,

In the beginning of the USA, all or most music was pretty much RURAL (as I said). There being no radios to launch the music away somewhere, the music was divided GEOGRAPHICALLY.
Northern "country" meant the lumber camp songs from Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York--the Northern tier of states.
Southern country meant the string band's that I mentioned arlier.
Midwest country might've been the songs collected by Mary O. Eddy in Ohio.
Along the shorelines, the songs reflected the lives of the people living in THOSE areas----i.e. whaling songs, fishing and boating songs.
In the midwest around the Great Lakes, country (rural) would've been the kinds of inland sea music that's done by Lee Murdock here now. (see the collections of Edith Fowke.)
WESTERN music (rural form = real cowboy songs) also became a commercial success alongside Southern music----i.e. the expanded concept of "Country and Weastern" music.
Then "western Swing" combined Benny Goodman with Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers.

Mr. McGrath, As I see it: Every part of the USA was "country" -- but the South had a commercial music form that built around what had been there already -- and naturally.

For 2 decades I used printed maps of the USA in school workshops I did all over the country. Instead of place names on these maps, I'd printed the names of FOLKSONGS (from my song list) over the general geographic area from which those songs had sprung. The songs often reflected the actual lives of the people in the various areas.

See what I'm saying?

Art Thieme