Americana

Noun

Americana pl (plural only)

1. (plural, plural-only) All things peculiar to the culture and people of the United States; anything that is a symbol of American life.
   • Today Coke exists as nostalgic brand, harking back to the day when the drink enjoyed its peak iconic stature. Coke now stands for 1950s Americana.2004, D. B. Holt, How Brands Become Icons, Harvard Business Press, →ISBN, page 27
   • The Clovis Limit, her shop in Portobello Road, dealt exclusively in Americana.2014, William Gibson, “The Clovis Limit”, in The Peripheral, G. P. Putnam's Sons, →ISBN
2. (plural, plural-only) An amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles.
   • The music that became Americana crossed racial lines very early, becoming one of the major integrating forces in America. The chapter shows how artists such as Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers were creating and playing Americana long before we had a name for what they were doing.2017, Michael Scott Cain, The Americana Revolution, Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page xxx
   • A quarter-century later, the Band’s music provided a key template for the acts first labeled Americana, including Son Volt, Wilco and Lucinda Williams, as well as for their sonic heirs.[2023 August 9, “Robbie Robertson, 80, Dies; Canadian Songwriter Captured American Spirit”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 30 Aug 2023

   Synonyms:

   alternative country, alt-country