In this Slate Plus bonus episode, journalist and historian David Cantwell joins Chris Molanphy for a deeper dive into Hit Parade’s exploration of crossover attempts in country music. Cantwell explains that country has always been a fluid genre, absorbing and repackaging rock, pop, folk, and myriad other sounds. So while ’70s newcomers like Olivia Newton-John and John Denver were initially met with backlash from purists, soon enough Nashville naysayers fell in line—or mounted their own crossover campaigns.
Also: Chris Molanphy tests a Slate Plus listener’s music knowledge, gives him a chance to turn the tables with a question of his own, and offers a sneak peek at the next episode of Hit Parade. Slate Plus members can sign up for a chance to be our trivia contestant on a future episode here.
Podcast production by Kevin Bendis.
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