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The Hillbillies Of Maine: Rural Communities, Radio, And Country Music Performers, Erica Risberg

Maine History

During the first third of the twentieth century, the United Sates underwent profound social, technological, and economic changes that fundamentally altered rural society. This shift created a divide between rural and urban dwellers, and by the 1930s, country people were developing their own cultural expressions, often reflecting the unique folkways of various regions — the South, Appalachia, the Ozark Plateau, the rural West. One such manifestation of country culture was old-time, or country-western music — also known as hillbilly music. At the time, radio broadcasting was at an experimental stage in reaching an American audience. Station WBLZ in Bangor covered …