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Progressive country is variously considered a movement, a genre or a radio format. It developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, as a reaction against the slick, pop-oriented Nashville sound of country music. This movement was variously marketed under the names "Cosmic Cowboy music", "twang core", "cosmic country", progressive country, "redneck rock", "gonzo country" and, most commonly, outlaw country. The phrase "Cosmic Cowboy music" was taken from a Michael Martin Murphey song. Some country fans consider outlaw country a slightly harder-edged variant of progressive country. KOKE-FM, a radio station in Austin, Texas, was a key proponent of progressive country. By the mid-1970s, progressive country artists entered the mainstream, usually in the form of cover versions by other artists, and "progressive country" had become the standard label for music that mixed country, rock, blues and gospel. In the 1980s and '90s, progressive country evolved into alternative country, and the two terms would sometimes be used interchangeably, as alternative rock clubs would begin booking country acts that were insurgent in a mainstream country scene that had embraced country pop.
Progressive country drew equally from the Bakersfield sound, classic honky-tonk country, the works of contemporary singer-songwriterBob Dylan, and rock and roll, as well as folk, bluegrass, Southern rock and blues. Another important influence on progressive country was Roger Miller, who, in blending country with jazz, blues, and pop, "utilized unusual harmonic and rhythmic devices in his sophisticated songcraft". Tommy Caldwell of the Marshall Tucker Band suggested that progressive country combined country music structures and riffs with jazz improvisation upon which more complex structures could be built from the country music foundation. The Marshall Tucker Band's use of instruments like flutes and saxophones, as well as their fusion of rock instrumentation and country melodies, set them apart from other Southern rock bands. Marty Stuart, who stated influence from "cosmic country" on his 2023 album Altitude, defined "cosmic country" as "a state of mind. It’s a term that never got fully defined or explored or completed. My idea of cosmic country is the music that the Byrds made in an experimental fashion or the Flying Burrito Brothers." Some progressive country singers were also influenced by the progressive politics of the 1960s counterculture.
History
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2023)
Progressive country musicians (L-R) Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings at the Dripping Springs Reunion in 1972.
^ Patterson, Rob (September 1, 2013). "Q&A: MICHAEL MARTIN MURPHEY". Lone Star Magazine. Retrieved 2023-07-24. And beyond all of Murphey's above achievements, there is also the role he played in launching the Austin progressive country scene in the 1970s. So pivotal a role, in fact, that the Capital City's first local musical movement to have substantial national impact even took its nickname, "Cosmic Cowboy music," from a Murphey song.
Hamilton, Bretney (January 8, 2018). "The Road Gives Bob Livingston Life on New Record". Cowboys & Indians. Retrieved 2023-07-22. In the beginning, Bob Livingston helped create progressive country music.
Nash, Alanna (July 24, 1992). "This One's Gonna Hurt You". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2023-07-23. Past stints with Lester Flatt and Johnny Cash had made him a conduit between old-time hillbilly and bluegrass and progressive country music.
