Hearing these old country songs, I was struck by the absence of a drummer. Today's country has had a drummer as long as I can remember. When did that change? What brought drums into country music?
How would you answer those questions?
I dug up some stuff you might find interesting. Just highlight the below area to read the answer.
But most historians remember Bob Wills’ debut with the [Grand Ole Opry] n December 1944 as the pivotal event in breaking down the ban on drums. When The Playboys arrived and began setting up their equipment, alarmed Opry staffers instructed them to play without their drummer, Monte Mountjoy. After some heated discussion, Wills agreed to the drums being set up behind a curtain, out of the audience’s sight.
Then, when it came time to play their live set, Wills shouted, “Move those things out onstage!” Mountjoy’s kit was duly pulled into sight in time for them to hit their opening number. Not surprisingly, that was their last as well as their first appearance on the Opry. But what really mattered that night was that drums had been played on the Opry stage, in the heart of country music. And things were never quite the same after that.