What is Red Dirt music?

Red Dirt gets its name from the very soil here in Oklahoma. Originating in the outskirts of Stillwater, Oklahoma, Red Dirt is seen as a sub-genre of country, where many sounds from the south merge into a new twist of its own.

Bringing influences from Americana, folk, rock, blues and bluegrass into the fray, makes a sound that millions of fans around the nation can recognize and adore.

As someone once said, "Red dirt is a hue of funk, a shade of sound, a basic spirit embodied in music."

Classics like Okie from Muskogee have been performed by the likes of Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty and Jimmy Dean, among many others.

On a more contemporary note, modern Oklahoma bands like Cross Canadian Ragweed and the Turnpike Troubadours keep selling out shows and have kept the sound alive well into the 20th century.

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The Boys from Oklahoma's recent sold-out dates prove the massive popularity and fandom the genre has sustained for generations.

The Oklahoma Hall of Fame also recently recognized Cross Canadian Ragweed with an invitation to their ceremony, along with three more Red Dirt acts for their contributions to Oklahoma culture and music.

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Other artists announced with Hall of Fame invitations this year were Jason Boland & the Stragglers, The Great Divide and Stoney LaRue.

If you're a fan of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson or Dolly Parton, then you've heard and felt the grassroots sound they tend to lean on from time to time. Red Dirt captures that melancholic vibe, with twang and a back-to-basics sound when it's not getting too fancy.