Country pop
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Country pop is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock. Although the term first referred to country songs and artists that crossed over to top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to Adult Contemporary.
Country pop reached an early peak immediately following the movie Urban Cowboy in the early 1980s. For the next several years, country radio was dominated by neotradtionalist artists, although some country pop artists continued to have hits. Country pop enjoyed a resurgence beginning in the mid-1990s. In the last few years, however, some albums (such as Faith Hill's Cry) have been dismissed by country radio as "too pop".
Among the more famous country pop artists are Alabama, Garth Brooks, John Denver, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Ronnie Milsap, Eddie Rabbitt, Kenny Rogers, Restless Heart, and Shania Twain.
In recent years some pop acts have also crossed over to country music. Since 2003, Sheryl Crow, Los Lonely Boys, MercyMe and Kid Rock have all charted singles on the Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart. Jimmy Buffett, Elton John, Uncle Kracker, John Mellencamp, and Bret Michaels have also hit this chart in collaberation with established country artists. Whether this also counts as country pop is still being debated.
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