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Neotraditional country, also known as "new traditional" country, is a country music style that rejects most elements of modern Top 40 country music. Neotraditional country emphasizes the instrumental background, and often even the dress and fashions, of country music of the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s. Some neotraditional artists are sometimes associated with the alternative country movement.

Neotraditional country was born as a reaction to the perceived blandness of mainstream country music. New (or "neo-") traditionalism looked to the elders of country music like Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams and Kitty Wells for inspiration, and was a precursor to the more general categorization known as New country.

In the mid-1980s Ricky Skaggs, a picking prodigy who took his inspiration from Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley (Skaggs was a Clinch Mountain Boy as a teen), began making music that he believed brought country back to its roots.

The old was not only new again, it seemed to be widely welcomed. Skaggs was not alone, however. Artists like Randy Travis, George Strait and The Judds used vintage musical stylings, covers of classic country material, and carefully crafted vocal delivery to help bring New Traditionalism to the vanguard of country music for a time.

In 2000, George Strait and Alan Jackson recorded a song titled "Murder on Music Row" which spoke directly to the rift between neotraditionalists and new country artists. Among the lyrics are brazen barbs at the Nashville establishment such as "Someone killed tradition and for that someone should hang."

Though the terms are assumed by many to be synonymous, Alternative Country is not the same as Neotraditional country. Alternative country artists reject mainstream country music completely and generally have a more rough sound. On the other hand, many Neotraditional Country artists are considered "mainstream" musicians (George Strait, Alan Jackson, Randy Travis...) that merely adhere to a more "traditional" country sound.

Furthermore, many Alternative Country artists are even heavily influenced by punk and rock music, something that is usually rejected by neotraditionalist country music, which is rather influenced by folk and bluegrass music. Alternative country artists usually have more of a rock and roll sensibility (if not in sound, at least in their approach to their music), and frequently collaborate with artists and producers in other genres.

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