What makes country music, country music?

The stories of every day people.
That song could be about you....or me....or any of us.

Simple, soothing & southern.

The feelings and acoustic guitar man.

The heart and soul of real life

it tells about life and the many situations in life. In any country song you can almost bet there is someone you know or are acquainted with that has had something in their life happen that can fit a country song. A for the music it really needs a steel guitar to be country and a fiddle also makes it better.

Tommy and Caveman said it clear enough.

The Legends

The heart and soul in the song and the writer!

To several good answers, I'll add this.

What specifically makes country music, country music is the combination of folk music and black american music.

it's about family, friends, drinking, the soliders fighting for our country and going to church. There's nothing better than how country music tells a story.. a story about people like me who live in the country, drive pick ups and like it that way!!

Country music is best described as the "working man's blues". It paints a picture and tells a story about ever day life in the American heart. It is about truth, lies, work, drinking, drugs, politics and religion. It can be booth inspirational and heartbreaking at the same time. It is not about being a redneck, a hick or a southerner. It is about being an American and standing up for what is right in this world. It can be about beer drinking and whiskey swilling good times and heartaches. To some this up it is purely what we can call AMERICA'S MUSIC.

It relates to the common man/woman. The one who believes in God, who likes to go out and drink with his/her friends, who loves his wife/girlfriend or husband/boyfriend, who want to follow his/her dreams, and whose feelings are sometimes hurt. Listen to a country CD by pretty much any artist and you will hear songs that relate to all of these.

look up the lyrics to 'you never even called me by my name' by david allen coe and towdes(spelling)the end it will list the things that a country song needs to be country.

as breanne said-the perfect country western song has to mention mama, trains, trucks, prison & getting drunk!

MERLE HAGGARD!