Hillbilly

Hillbilly is a pejorative nickname for people who dwell in remote, rural, mountainous areas. In particular the term refers to residents of the Ozarks and Appalachia in the United States.

History

It is believed that the term "hillbilly" originally referred to Scots-Irish immigrants of mainly Presbyterian origin, who brought their cultural traditions with them when they moved to the United States. Many of their stories, songs and ballads dealt with the history of their homeland, especially relating the tale of the Protestant King William III, Prince of Orange, who defeated the Roman Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

Related Topics:
Scots-Irish - Presbyterian - Protestant - William III - Prince of Orange - Roman Catholic - James II - Battle of the Boyne - 1690

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Supporters of King William came to be known as Orangemen and Billy Boys (Billy being an abbreviation of William; the term "Billy Boy" is still used today, mainly in Northern Ireland). When considerable numbers of these Scots-Irish immigrants settled in hilly regions during the early 18th Century, they were nicknamed "hill billies" by the occupying British soldiers.

Related Topics:
Orangemen - Northern Ireland - British

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Alternatively, it is also speculated that the term emerged as a derogatory nickname given by "lowlander" Southerners for the hill-dwelling settlers of eastern Tennessee, western Virginia and northern Arkansas, most of whom were staunchly pro-Union during the American Civil War. Billy Yank was the common term for Union soldiers, the nemesis of the Confederate Johnny Reb.

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The use of the word was probably most apt (and relatively inoffensive) during the period between the western expansion of the early-to-mid nineteenth century and the post-war period of the 1940s. The advent of the interstate highway system and television brought many previously isolated communities into mainstream United States culture in the 1950s and 1960s, but many communities with relatively traditional lifestyles remain throughout the region.

Related Topics:
Western expansion - Nineteenth century - War - 1940s - Interstate highway - Television - United States - 1950s - 1960s

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Historically, there were conflicts between "hillbillies" and the planters who lived on the plains. During the American Civil War, many residents of western Virginia were pro-Union in that they generally did not own slaves and resented the political dominance of planters who did. This resentment was a contributing factor to the creation of the state of West Virginia. This affiliation may also be observed in the pro-Union names of many rural Appalachian areas, e.g. Lincoln County or Union County.

Related Topics:
American Civil War - West Virginia - Lincoln County - Union County

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Country and Western music was originally called hillbilly music, even by its fans, until the late 1950s. However the older name is now deemed offensive (and silly) and is hardly ever used. The first tune that contained the word "hillbilly" was "Hillbilly Boogie" by the Delmore Brothers in 1946. However, in 1927, the Gennett studios in Richmond, Indiana, made a recording of black fiddler Jim Booker with other instrumentalists; their recordings were labeled "made for Hillbilly" in the Gennett files, and marketed to a white audience. By the late forties, radio stations broadcast music described as "hillbilly", originally to describe fiddlers and string bands, but was then used to describe the traditional music of the people of the Appalachian Mountains. The people who actually sang these songs and lived in the Appalachian Mountains never used these terms to describe their own music. Popular songs of the early 1950s whose style bore characteristics of both "hillbilly" and rock-and-roll genres was referred to as "rockabilly". The versatile (to put it mildly) Elvis Presley was a prominent member of that genre. When the Country Music Association was founded in 1958, the term "hillbilly music" gradually fell out of use. However, the term "rockabilly" is alive and well. http://www.rockabillyhall.com/

Related Topics:
Country and Western music - 1950s - Elvis Presley

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