Country music is a staple of American culture and has been among the leading genres for decades. In some ways, country music started as an alternative to the popular music of the 1940s and 1950s. The genre grew and soon became popular music, and left room for some groups to create alternative country. Some would say that alternative country took country music back to its roots with lyrics inspired by folk music. Alternative country became the raw and pure alternative to the polished and pop-oriented country music that was on the radio. From the 1960s to the 2000s, there have been multiple resurgences of alternative country. Here are 4 defining alternative country bands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n