Activities: Dirt Road Driving

Some of the heaviest hitters ever to hoist a bluegrass axe, from the old school (Bill Monroe) to the new crew (Chris Thile).

Hit the southern backroads with these classic 45s from the birth of rock 'n' roll. And while you're out there, visit 706 Union Street in Memphis, where Sam Phillips' Sun Records birthed their pioneering mix of R&B and hillbilly music.

Listen to key tracks from today's most popular Americana albums, as measured by the Americana Music Association's weekly airplay chart.

A new brand of country music emerged in the '70s that sought to bring raw honky tonk emotion and authenticity back to the genre, which had become increasingly pop-oriented. These are the outlaw country songs that mattered.

Long before the blues went electric and urban, these rural pioneers were laying down the foundations of the genre, usually with no more than a voice and acoustic guitar.

Dating back to 1930s, these are some of the earliest recordings of blues music. Though it had humble beginnings, the blues music of the Mississippi Delta paved the way for rock & roll.

Meet the '50s rockers who combined hillbilly music and rock & roll, and see how their music has influenced subsequent generations of rockers. And not just the ones who put pomade in their hair, either.

Got yourself a '69 Pontiac Trans Am with a 350 H.O. under the hood, a two-tone custom spray job and racing slicks out back? Blast these scuzzy, '70s leaning rock anthems from your radio and taste the envy in the parking lot air.

If you've ever worn cowboy boots with a bathing suit -- or if you think that sounds like a great idea -- these contemporary, summertime country songs are for you.

This four-day festival in Telluride, CO brings together popular and upcoming bluegrass acts as well as some crossover artists. This playlist should prepare you for "acoustic adventures at 8,750 feet," whether you're headed to the Rockies or not.

Lynyrd Skynyrd is the definitive American Southern Rock band. Listen to essential songs by Lynyrd Skynyrd as well as their greatest influences and contemporaries.

Following in the steps of George Jones and Merle Haggard, neotraditional (and "new traditional") country artists of the '80s and '90s tried to take the genre back to its roots -- and get plenty of radio play while they were at it.

Bluegrass is a genre of country music that emerged from Appalachia in the 1940s as a faster, more complex take on traditional string band music. Listen to the songs that have helped define this rich, and surprisingly diverse, musical tradition.

This playlist includes all of the early Texas blues pioneers, some of whom were the first to play the blues with an electric guitar.

The yearning, country-tinged feel of Cajun music and the blues-based, party-starting grooves of zydeco are at the core of Louisiana's musical tradition. These are the old-school artists who built the sound.

A collection of classics and lesser-known gems from the beginning of rock & roll, with an emphasis on country-leaning "hillbilly rock," or rockabilly