<P> In the early 1960s , the Nashville sound began to be challenged by the rival Bakersfield sound on the country side and by the British Invasion on the pop side ; compounding these problems were the sudden deaths , in separate airplane crashes , of Patsy Cline and Jim Reeves , two of the Nashville Sound 's biggest stars . Nashville 's pop song structure became more pronounced and it morphed into what was called Countrypolitan - a smoother sound typified through the use of lush string arrangements with a real orchestra and often , background vocals provided by a choir . Countrypolitan was aimed straight at mainstream markets and it sold well throughout the later 1960s into the early 1970s . Among the architects of this sound were producers Billy Sherrill ( who was instrumental in shaping Tammy Wynette 's early career ) and Glenn Sutton . Artists who typified the countrypolitan sound initially included Wynette , Glen Campbell ( who recorded in Hollywood and not Nashville ) , Lynn Anderson , Charlie Rich , and Charley Pride , the latter being a rare example of a top - selling African - American country performer . </P>
<P> In the early 1960s , the Nashville sound began to be challenged by the rival Bakersfield sound on the country side and by the British Invasion on the pop side ; compounding these problems were the sudden deaths , in separate airplane crashes , of Patsy Cline and Jim Reeves , two of the Nashville Sound 's biggest stars . Nashville 's pop song structure became more pronounced and it morphed into what was called Countrypolitan - a smoother sound typified through the use of lush string arrangements with a real orchestra and often , background vocals provided by a choir . Countrypolitan was aimed straight at mainstream markets and it sold well throughout the later 1960s into the early 1970s . Among the architects of this sound were producers Billy Sherrill ( who was instrumental in shaping Tammy Wynette 's early career ) and Glenn Sutton . Artists who typified the countrypolitan sound initially included Wynette , Glen Campbell ( who recorded in Hollywood and not Nashville ) , Lynn Anderson , Charlie Rich , and Charley Pride , the latter being a rare example of a top - selling African - American country performer . </P>
the nashville sound brought a polished and cosmopolitan sound to country music by
the nashville sound brought a polished and cosmopolitan sound to country music by
the use of lush string arrangements with a real orchestra and often , background vocals provided by a choir
the use of lush string arrangements with a real orchestra and often , background vocals provided by a choir