SOUTHERN STRATEGY SOUNDTRACKS: Country music became the sound of Richard Nixon's coalition in the early 1970s -- but it has always been too unruly to be fully co-opted by a reactionary agenda.

The article explores how country music has been intertwined with American political conservatism, from its origins in the 1920s through its role in Richard Nixon's Southern Strategy and beyond. It states that despite its association with reactionary politics, country music has always maintained a rebellious streak and a reflection of working-class struggles.