Week 11 Discussion 1010 unread replies.1010 replies. Unit 16 Country Music In the Rock Era. ( This unit covers the genre from the 1960's-present) Give a few reasons why country music has surged in popularity the latter half of the 20th century. ( Page 291) What does countryfying rock mean? Who has been a big influence on this? What contributed to the "outsiders" influencing country music, and why did they call them outsiders? What defines country royalty, and who in particular was part of this? Include also pop and glamour which is later in the unit. We know Nashville is the country music capital. Describe the Nashville sound, and how it's changed over the years. So I am not a country music fan. However, there are big names and groups that are mentioned in this unit that I know from their influence in popular music. ( ie. the Eagles don't generally call themselves a country band, but a lot of their songs have that country sound. I just recently saw an Eagles Tribute Band perform at Tupelo Music Hall.) Another group that comes to mind that has the country sound is Little River Band, who hail from Australia. So with this in mind, based on influence and exposure, share about a musician or band that has influenced you, or you have been exposed to. Taylor Swift is a great example of a modern pop music star who started out country. If you haven't been influenced or exposed at all, then share about a song from this unit that made an impact on you and why. Please feel free to provide a web link of the above. ( I enjoyed the web links that were provided recently from our Latin music unit )