Country music grew up in Tennessee, drawing from sources in the white rural music of East and Middle Tennessee, from the church music of country singing conventions, and from the black music of the Memphis area. With the commercialization of this musical fusion through radio and recording, Tennessee
soon became a national center for country music. Then, in the post-war years as the Grand Ole Opry gained recognition, country music achieved worldwide popularity and significance with Nashville a it axis. In Tennessee Strings, renowned music scholar Charles K. Wolfe trace for the first time the vital role played by Tennessee and its musicians in the development of this unique American art form.