western swing
what it is
Western swing is a style of popular music that began in the 1920s in the American Southwest among the region's popular Western string bands. It is dance music, often with an up-tempo beat. The music is an amalgamation of rural, cowboy, polka, and folk, New Orleans jazz or Dixieland, and blues blended with a jazzy "swing".
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level 4 · further
art pop, hyperpop, and the underground
level 5 · all the way
deep experimental
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questions
What is western swing?
Western swing is a style of popular music that began in the 1920s in the American Southwest among the region's popular Western string bands. It is dance music, often with an up-tempo beat. The music is an amalgamation of rural, cowboy, polka, and folk, New Orleans jazz or Dixieland, and blues blended with a jazzy "swing".
What are good western swing albums to start with?
Try Shotgun Willie by Willie Nelson, Viper of Melody by Wayne Hancock, Continental Stomp by Hot Club of Cowtown, and Ride With Bob by Asleep at the Wheel.
Who are some women making western swing?
musicisforgirls.com/genres/western-swing/girls lists women, non-binary artists, and bands with women making western swing, from mainstream to underground.
genre notes from last.fm listeners · artists and albums from last.fm, updated 2026-10-20