Country music doesn’t have a single inventor — it’s a genre that evolved over time, shaped by various cultures and musical traditions in the southern United States. However, there are a few key figures and milestones often credited with helping establish it: The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers are considered two of the foundational acts of country music. In 1927, both recorded songs during the Bristol Sessions in Tennessee, often called the “birthplace of country music.” Jimmie Rodgers, especia