Introduction

Although the popular music industry has tended to cater to certain sounds that fit into the mainstream, divergent genres have managed to "cross over" to the pop charts from narrower charts. These genres include, among others, rhythm and blues; disco, which came to dominate the pop charts during the late 1970s; rap/hip-hop; and country. These periods of crossover success are usually short-lived but tend to be cyclical; that is, certain genres will make inroads on the pop charts but then will resegregate for a time until resurfacing on the pop charts several years later.

Few studies have attempted to trace these cycles by looking at chart performance. While some have examined the chart performance of female or African-American artists, none has examined the chart performance of a musical genre. This study traces one measurement of the country music industry's attempts to cross over: performance of country music on the pop singles charts.

This study began because current discourse suggests that the country music industry is experiencing a "boom,"(2) while the author believed that few pop mainstream stations are playing country music to go with their traditional mix of dance, rap, and middle-of-the-road ballads. As a result, this study's concerns are both presentist and historical. "Boom" can be defined in many ways, including high sales, extraordinary radio airplay, and outstanding chart performance, which measures both. For this study, "boom" is defined as outstanding chart performance, particularly among mainstream pop singles.

The country music industry has made a conscious effort to cross over in the past five years, especially in the areas of sales and concert attendance. The industry has attempted to reach people outside of the demographic groups long considered the backbone of country music fans. Garth Brooks's "Friends in Low Places" may be viewed as the beginning of a new era in country music. While the single did not achieve the pop chart success of his later albums(3) or later singles by other country artists, "Friends in Low Places" was number 1 on Billboard's country singles chart for four weeks in the fall of 1990, at a time when most country singles stayed at number 1 for just one or two weeks, and the song developed a loyal following in bars and clubs as well as on college campuses across the nation (Allbaugh). Since then, the industry has tried to become more "modern" and leave behind its "hick" image in an attempt to gain a larger portion of the market. Through slick marketing techniques and more concerted attempts at promotion, the industry has changed its demographics and has grown immensely.

According to Gubernick and Newcomb, "Rock's out, country's in" (72). While that may be a bit of an overstatement, it bears examination. Maybe Morthland's 1984 assessment is more accurate: "Once a grass roots form viewed with scorn outside the South and Southwest, it has now entered the mainstream" (xiii).

On 28 September 1991, Garth Brooks's third album, Ropin' the Wind, debuted at number 1 on the Billboard magazine Top 200 Albums chart, becoming the first country album to hit number 1 since Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits in 1980 (Grein, "Chartbeat," 28 Sept. 1991: 12). The album remained at number 1 for 16 weeks, consistently being ranked ahead of pop and rock heavyweights such as Guns N' Roses, U2, and Michael Jackson. In June 1992, Billy Ray Cyrus's debut album, Some Gave All, began a 17-week run at number 1, only to be replaced at number 1 on 10 October 1992 by another Brooks album, The Chase ("Billboard 200," 13 June 1992: 102; "Billboard 200," 10 Oct. 1992: 98). In the 59 weeks preceding 7 November 1992, country albums by Brooks or Cyrus had been number 1 for 40 weeks (Grein, "Chartbeat," 7 Nov. 1992: 92). In addition, while his album was number 1, Cyrus's first single, "Achy Breaky Heart," became the first country single to make the top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 since 1984(4) and the highest charting country single since "Islands in the Stream," by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, hit number 1 in 1983 (Grein, "Chartbeat," 28 Sept. 1991: 12). Since this breakthrough, artists ranging from the well-established (e.g., Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson) to relative newcomers (e.g., John Michael Montgomery, Trisha Yearwood) to rookies (e.g., Terri Clark, David Lee Murphy) have had albums make respectable showings on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart, including some that peaked at number 1. Country singles have also continued to "cross over" to the top pop and adult contemporary singles charts, although only two have repeated Cyrus's success on the pop chart (see endnote 16).

The importance of chart positions cannot be overemphasized, although some scholars and industry heavyweights may argue that final sales figures matter the most. Chart positions are taken seriously by all concerned. Tom McCourt and Eric Rothenbuhler note that these charts are "crucial to the popular music industry" (203-04). Quoting Nancy Lanthier, they say, "Record companies, radio stations, retailers, artists, and songwriters use the charts when making decisions on everything from record marketing strategy to tour planning. Reputations are made --and sometimes marred--by how high individual records are ranked" (15).

Jim Melanson made a similar argument in 1977:

The winners go away happy, ready to shift marketing and promotion gears to capitalize on their new positions. Show a record store owner a bullet or star, and he might double the order. A radio station programmer might add an upwardly mobile record to the playlist, or not reduce airplay on a song that has been out for a while. The losers may stay on the phone to vehemently argue their case. ... Some will take the time to retaliate for what they consider inaccurate calculations by cancelling advertising in the offending magazines. (106)

Although music industry personnel have always debated the accuracy of the charts, Melanson concludes, "no one goes so far as to ignore them" (109).

The reasons for the increasing popularity of country music are diverse and not the focus of this paper, but these few statistics make it clear that country music has made a comeback into the mainstream of American popular music. As Dave Wheeler, vice president of sales and product development for RCA Nashville, noted, "If you've got any kind of country album right now, you're going to sell a lot of records" (Goeme 2).(5)

Sales are not the only successful area. According to the latest available Arbitron ratings (Spring 1997), country is the fourth most popular radio format, behind rhythm and blues, adult contemporary, and news/talk (Ross, "Teens," 91). In 1989, country's share of 9.4% among persons over 12 compared to top 40's 15.9% (Stark 1). Now, however, country's 10.4% share puts it ahead of the top 40 and album rock formats, and at one time its share was more than 12%, making it the third ranked format (Ross, "N/T, Spanish" 81). More than 300 Arbitron-monitored stations now label themselves "country," compared to 196 top 40 stations (Stark 1).(6) The Country Music Foundation estimated about 2,300 country stations in the nation in 1995 (Flippo, "Country Music's" 35). The country phenomenon has been successful in other mass media(7) and is now seeing heavy sales of related merchandise.(8) In addition, attendance at country nightclubs and concerts has increased, even in urban areas (see, e.g., Painton).

Audience demographics have changed as well. While country music has been associated with a mostly older, working-class, rural, male, and white audience, statistics indicate a shift. Russell Smith quoted several country performers and industry officials who said the audience as a whole is younger (11C), while Painton noted that country music has become the favorite genre of the nation's 76 million baby boomers (62). As for country music leaving its working-class roots, one station executive reported that 77% of its listeners make $25,000 or more annually (Spain 34). Goerne quoted the 1991 Simmons Study of Media and Markets as showing country music with more listeners who make more than $40,000 annually than any other format (2). Country music also seems to be losing its identification as a strictly rural genre. The Simmons study showed country music with more listeners living in metropolitan areas than any other format had.(9)

Regardless of demographics, listenership appears to be strong. The 1997 Study of Radio Formats conducted by Interep Radio estimated 44.8 million listeners for the country format, compared to 37.5 million for the second-ranked format, adult contemporary (Taylor 44).