''Country Music'' was a bi-monthly magazine on

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

founded in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in 1972 by John Killion, Russell D. Barnard and Spencer Oettinger as a monthly publication. It was known for taking an approach to music journalism closer in tone to

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

with an insistence on high-caliber writing and knowledgability, unlike earlier country fan publications that opted to uncritically publicize artists and their work. The magazine became known for informed, sometimes critical articles and opinionated reviews and also for its advocacy for the early 1970s "Outlaw" movement and its coverage of traditional country artists of the past. At the magazine's peak from the late 70's until the magazine's 1999 sale, its core of writers included Patrick Carr,

Alanna Nash Alanna Nash is an American journalist and biographer. Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1950, Nash holds a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and is the author of several acclaimed books. She is a 1972 graduat ...

, John Morthland,

Peter Guralnick Peter Guralnick (born December 15, 1943, in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American music critic, author, and screenwriter. He specializes in the history of early rock and roll and has written on Elvis Presley, Sam Phillips, and Sam Cooke. Caree ...

, Ed Ward, Michael Bane, Dave Hickey, Rich Kienzle, Douglas B. Green, Bob Allen and Hazel Smith. In 1978 the three co-founders, known as KBO Publishers, sold the magazine to Candlelite Music, who published it as a bi-monthly until 1981 with co-founder Russell Barnard as editor. Candlelite sold to another entity, who published only briefly before it went bankrupt. In 1983, Barnard re-acquired the ''Country Music '' name, created Silver Eagle Publishers and resumed publication from

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, along the Long Island Sound within Connecticut's Gold Coast. It is northeast of New York City. The town had a population of 27,141 according to the 2020 U.S. Census. History ...

as a high-quality bimonthly. Barnard sold the publication to Sussex Publications in 1999, who moved offices to Nashville. By 2000, Sussex had sold it to

American Media Mass media in the United States consist of several types of media: television, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines, and web sites. The U.S. also has a strong music industry. New York City, Manhattan in particular, and to a lesser extent ...

, who published until folding it into ''

Country Weekly ''Nash Country Weekly'' was an American lifestyle weekly magazine about country artists and their music. It was in circulation between April 1994 and May 2016. The publisher, Cumulus Media, now maintains the site ''Nash Country Daily''. Overview ...

'' in 2003. Its last issue was dated August–September 2003. A second American Media publication on country music, ''

'', continued publication after the closure of ''Country Music''.

References

{{American Media 1973 establishments in New York City 2003 disestablishments in Tennessee American country music Bimonthly magazines published in the United States Defunct magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1973 Magazines disestablished in 2003 Magazines published in Connecticut Magazines published in New York City Magazines published in Tennessee Mass media in Nashville, Tennessee Music magazines published in the United States