Historians have also noted the influence of the less-known Johnson City sessions of 19, and the Knoxville sessions of 19. Since 2014, the city has been home to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Congress has formally recognized Bristol, Tennessee as the "Birthplace of Country Music", based on the historic Bristol recording sessions of 1927. In the Southwestern United States, it was the Rocky Mountains, American frontier, and Rio Grande that acted as a similar backdrop for Native American, Mexican, and cowboy ballads, which resulted in New Mexico music and the development of Western music, and its directly related Red Dirt, Texas country, and Tejano music styles. As the country expanded westward, the Mississippi River and Louisiana became a crossroads for country music, giving rise to Cajun music.
Immigrants to the southern Appalachian Mountains, of the Southeastern United States, brought the folk music and instruments of Europe, Africa, and the Mediterranean Basin along with them for nearly 300 years, which developed into Appalachian music. Country music was "introduced to the world as a Southern phenomenon." The main components of the modern country music style date back to music traditions throughout the Southern United States and Southwestern United States, while its place in American popular music was established in the 1920s during the early days of music recording. Main articles: Appalachian music, Blues, Celtic folk, Old-time music, and Western music (North America)