In Hillbilly Maidens, Okies, and Cowgirls, Stephanie Vander Wel examines the role of women during the first decades of the country music era, 1930–60, as country music migrated beyond the South into the Midwest and California and ultimately became a national phenomenon centered in Nashville. By focusing on the careers of five well-known singers during this formative era, Vander Wel sets out to show the significant and diverse ways women contributed to the popularity of the early country music genre. Vander Wel examines country music's roots in theatrical performance, especially vaudeville, demonstrating how women navigated the politics of marketing to attract larger and more diverse audiences, all the while situating women's careers within the historical processes of Depression-era migration, class, and the concomitant social changes that challenged gender norms.
The book is divided into three parts that move chronologically and regionally. Part 1 examines the origins of this genre...