Since the rise of the “silent majority” of conservatives to the forefront of American politics in the Reagan era, the overall themes of country music have changed to the patriotic and conservative messages heard today in the type. The first real example of country music going hand in hand with politics dates back to the 1964 presidential election, when then-Democratic candidate George Wallace used Tammy Wynette's song “Stand By Your Man” to gain support from voters in the country. south. The political landscape of the South was highly fragmented and not yet as united as it would become during the Nixon and Reagan years. Country music is the most distinctive cultural product of the American South, “which has long been the area of ​​America that has most supported political reaction.” " With roots in the farms and hills of the hard-working Southerners, the music that came from there evolved over time from the simple "hillbilly" style to its own unique sound. During World War II the music often reminded soldiers of a time and place simpler and gave them a sense of patriotism as many artists like Bob Wills wrote songs that glorified America In the 1950s country wasn't as popular as many considered it to be "Southern redneck music stirred up images of pickup trucks with. rifles stacked in the backs of taxis, rifles waiting to be used to terrorize or kill civil rights protesters or those who sympathized with them.” To examine how country music was used to gain a foothold in the minds of Southern voters, one must first look at the music landscape of the 1960s. The new left championed white folk, rock, and soul music, which brought with it the demographics of the “hippy” movement and America… center of paper… University of Georgia Press, 1999. 81 . Print.Feder, J. Lester. "When the country did well." American Prospect February 17, 2007: n. page Network. 9 March 2010. .Grissim, Giovanni. Country Music: The White Man's Blues. New York: Coronet, 1970. 9. Print.Johnson, Lyndon. The Point of View: Presidency Perspectives, 1963-1969. Holt Reinhart and Winston, 1972. 549. Print.Lomax, John. Nashville music city in the USA. Random House Value Publishing, 1987. 215. Print.Lund, Jens. Fundamentalism, racism, and political reaction in country music. 79. Print.Malone, Bill. Country music, United States. 2nd. University of Texas Press, 2002. 373. Print."The Conservative Evolution of Country Music." All things considered. National Public Radio (NPR): February 18, 2007. Web. March 9 2010. .