Cow Punk: The Definitive History

Cowpunk or Country punk is a subgenre of punk rock that began in Southern California in the 1980s, especially Los Angeles. It combines punk rock with country music, folk music, and blues in sound, subject matter, attitude, and style. It tends to downplay the fashion elements associated with the British psychobilly genre, and grew directly out of the city's strong roots in both country music, country rock, and folk rock.[1] Many of the musicians in this scene have now become associated with alternative country or roots rock.

Contents
1 Bands associated with the 1980s "Cowpunk" ethos in Los Angeles
2 Other Notable Cowpunk bands and musicians
3 Secondary Sources
4 See also
5 References


Bands associated with the 1980s "Cowpunk" ethos in Los Angeles
The Beat Farmers (1980s San Diego)
The Blasters (1980s Los Angeles, rockabilly and proto-Roots music, led by Dave Alvin)
Blood on the Saddle (1980s Los Angeles)
Chris D. and the Divine Horsemen (1980s Los Angeles, leader of the punk band The Flesh Eaters
Danny and Dusty (1980s Los Angeles, country collaboration between Green on Red and Steve Wynn)
Green On Red (1980s Tucson and Los Angeles, with roots in the "Paisley Underground")
The Gun Club (1980s Los Angeles)
The Knitters (1980s Los Angeles, made up of the members of X (U.S. band) and The Blasters)
Lone Justice (1980s Anaheim and Los Angeles, led by Maria McKee)
The Long Ryders (1980s Los Angeles, with roots in "Paisley Underground")
Los Lobos (1980s East L.A., proto-Roots music)
Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper (1980s San Diego)
Rank and File (1980s San Francisco/Los Angeles)
Rosie and the Screamers (1980s San Diego, led by Rosie Flores)
The Rave-Ups (1980s Los Angeles)
The Screamin' Sirens (1980s Los Angeles)
Tex and the Horseheads (1980s Los Angeles)
X (U.S. band) (1980s Los Angeles, punk with country and rockabilly influences)
Dwight Yoakam (1980s Los Angeles, straight ahead country)

Other Notable Cowpunk bands and musicians
Blessid Union of Souls
Colorfinger
The Cramps
D-A-D (early career)
Dash Rip Rock
Drive-by Truckers
Gas Huffer
The Hickoids
Jason and the Scorchers(1980s)
k.d. lang (early career)
Fred LeBlanc
Th' Legendary Shack Shakers (1990s Nashville)
Lucero
Mary Prankster
Maria McKee
McPherson Struts
The Meat Puppets (1980s Arizona)
The Mekons
Mike Ness
Nashville Pussy
Nine Pound Hammer
Reverend Horton Heat
Rubber Rodeo
Slim Cessna's Auto Club
Social Distortion
Southern Culture on the Skids
The Supersuckers
Tiger Army
E.J. Wells
Hank Williams III

Secondary Sources
Einarson, John. Desperados: The Roots of Country Rock. New York: Cooper Square Press, 2001
Haslam, Gerald W. Workin' Man Blues: Country Music in California. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1999
Wolff, Kurt. The Rough Guide to Country Music. London: Rough Guides, 2000.

See also
Alternative country
Psychobilly
Punk blues

References
^ Gerald Haslam, Workin' Man Blues: Country Musc in California (Berkeley: University of Calfornia Press, 1999) covers all of the major movements in California Country music from the Hollywood Cowboys to Country Rock. He also includes a chapter on the 1980s and the "Los Angeles renaissance" of country-styled "roots", rockabilly and cowpunk music and interviews members of The Blasters, Los Lobos, X/The Knitters, Lone Justice, Dwight Yoakam, Rosie Flores, Rank and File and The Beat Farmers. Kurt Wolff in The Rough Guide to Country Music (London: Rough Guides, 2000) also highlights chapters covering major California contributions to Country Music: Hollywood Cowboys, The Bakersfield Sound and Country Rock as well as California's contribution to Western Swing. Under chapters dealing with Dwight Yoakam and Alternative Country, Wolf mentions the influence of Los Angeles and its 1980s "roots" music scene.