What it is, what to hear first, and what sits next to it.
Perhaps the most 'classic' country sound, honky tonk is a style rich with twangy vocals, moaning guitars, and lyrics that alternate between happy-go-lucky (Hank Williams' "Hey, Good Lookin'"), darkly quirky (Al Dexter's "Pistol Packin' Mama"), and totally down-and-out (Ted Daffan's "Born to Lose"). The music developed during the late '30s but was popularized over the next couple decades by such icons as Williams, Lefty Frizzell, Webb Pierce, Kitty Wells .