Why is country music stereotypically synonymous with trucking?

And the whole "southern/drawl" accent? Not bashing anyone who's into those things. But as someone who's been driving for over a decade, I'm more of smooth-jazz/easy-listening and electronic/hip-hop type of person. Aside from ghost story and urbex pod-casts/recordings, nothing like those above mentioned genres of music to keep me going on the road throughout the night/early AM.

But then I step into a typical truck stop, don't matter which, and 98% of the time, it's some modern pop-country blaring over the loud-speakers. I even talk to some employees about it and they seem to despise it for the most part. Of course it could also be more of a limited playlist as opposed to the actual genre.

Also, being that I mainly live and drive across rural parts of only NM, TX, CO and KS, it's sort of the territory. So my back is against the wall. But even when I lived out in SoCal, the truck-stops I ventured through there also played alot of country. CA might've been country-ish back in the 80s/90s in some places. But as of late, it's more like "tAYloR SwiFt iS tHE BeSt cOuntRy arTisT" suburban kids watching the various pop country VEVO channels.

That said, any other thoughts? **prepares trashcan lid for imminent bombardment**

 

I agree with ya.. but I'am still living in the 80's .. hair bands ZZ Top AC/ DC .. GNR the list goes on .. about as country as I want get is Jason Alden & Eric Church.. it stops there..

 

Yeah, hair metal/dad rock would probably be another genre I'd hear around trucking circles more often as well.

 

That music didn't exist back in the day.

 

Surely there was "doo-wop" style RnB along with the more classic, "Duke Wellington" type of orchestral jazz. Or there just were no "music" radios in trucks until the 60s/70s. So it was collecting one's thoughts.

 

Can you give examples of what you’d like to hear? I sort of understand why hip hop wouldn’t be played on a more general public scale. It tends to be somewhat to full on vulgar. And that’s coming from someone who used to love hip hop 5 to 25 yrs ago. It’s all so lame nowadays. Maybe I outgrew it, not sure.

 

But it wasn't popular.
Big band and country and crooners were popular styles. Late 50s to early 60s was the beginnings of rock and roll.

 

My head is still stuck in 90s/early 2000s hip hop. Although I will say "Saweetie", "Megan Thee Stallion" and Doja Cat are old school emulating enough that i like them too.

As far as what to hear in a truckstop, I did hear some 80s new wave and an old school/90s rnb channel playing at the Pilot in my town and up in Lamar. Non vulgar as it gets.

 

A lot of older country music has a story and quite a bit related to trucking or about trucking
Also most of the drivers were from the country and just a different time, and wasn’t this new modern rap crap country.
I like older rock and roll, classical music
But most of the crap now a days is just electronic noise.

 

Maybe because truck drivers were once called the asphalt cowboys.

And by the way, the guy's name isn't Duke Wellington, it's Duke Ellington.

But I agree, I can't stand country music. I am more of a blues or classic rock guy. But, they can play anything in the restroom that drowns out the guy in the stall next to me chattin with his buddies while he's dropping a dillybar.