hillbilly music

American  

noun

1. folk music combined with elements of popular music in which the banjo, fiddle, and guitar are principal instruments: a type of music that originated in mountain regions of the southern U.S.

2. country-and-western music.

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Etymology

Origin of hillbilly music

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

So I was learning all this hillbilly music with my uncle, and then I focused on being an awesome guitar player.

From BBC • Aug. 22, 2025

White minstrel performers like Joel Walker Sweeney were credited with popularizing the instrument that inspired a vital part of popular music in the country seen as "hillbilly" music.

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2024

In Their Own Words This new episode of the documentary series profiles guitarist Chuck Berry and how his blend of hillbilly music and R&B helped create the music that became rock ‘n’ roll.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 27, 2021

I recently wrote about Buzz Busby, a mandolin-playing hillbilly music artist and host of “Hayloft Hoedown,” a show that aired on Channel 4 in 1954.

From Washington Post • May 19, 2020

Across the pastures, the incredible vulgarity of highly amplified hillbilly music drifted from the cafe on the highway.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin