A Definition of Anglo-American Folk Music: Past to Present

It is well known that the colonization of the North American continent by europeans laid the ground work for the development of the modern United States. During this era, a new identity was formed as immigrants from the european nations began unifying. Out of this melting pot of cultures, new forms of music were born. Anglo-American folk music is a traditional form of music for the United States that developed from the immigration of English nationals. This form of music can be categorized into four main melodic behaviors: the Ionian (major scale), Mixolydian, Dorian, and Aeolian (natural minor scale) (“Anglo American Folk Music”).
From the 20th century on, music became much more predominant to everyday life with the introduction of the radio in the 1930s. Folk music was mostly a treasure secluded to the country and mountains, but the radio allowed music to travel vast distances and have an enormous audience, which was never before possible. This allowed for single artists, like Jimmie Rogers and Bill Monroe, to become well known and produce iconic tracks that would be recorded as the traditional music of America.
The lyrics that were used during this early America by these European migrating immigrants where about stories of freedom, life, and a search for identity. This became a significant part of the culture of the developing American people, who used this new form of media to identify themselves (historically and culturally). Since then, Anglo-American folk music has been identified as a strong source of inspiration from well known artists throughout

history, such as Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, and Hank Williams, just to name a few ("Introduction to Anglo-American Folk Music”).
Today, though international country singers, traditional Anglo-American folk music can be heard in it’s continuing power to move, inspire, and bring meaning to peoples lives’ all over the world. A form of music that was first born from the English nationals that migrated to a new land in search of hope and independence.