On the eve of America's invasion of Iraq, the Dixie Chicks went from being the leading lights of country music to heartland pariahs almost overnight, thanks to one Bush-bashing aside on a London stage. A year later, the list of entertainers stumping for the president’s reelection consisted almost exclusively of country stars such as Brooks & Dunn, Lee Ann Womack, and Travis Tritt.   Post-9/11 ballads like Toby Keith’s "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" and Darryl Worley’s "Have You Forgotten?" were taken up as rallying anthems by a nation at war. Had country always been as politicized—and almost unilaterally conservative—as it was suddenly made to appear?

This November, The New Press will release "Rednecks & Bluenecks: The Politics of Country Music," a provocative new book from Entertainment Weekly senior writer Chris Willman that looks at America’s culture war through the prism of country artists, executives, and fans. The reality, Willman finds, is complex. On Music Row, there are at least as many outspoken execs who are liberal Democrats as there are candid conservatives. The artist and songwriter communities also have their share of those who lean left, though many of them don’t feel at liberty to declare their politics in a post-Chicks-bashing climate. But it’s undeniable that the genre emphasizes the traditional domestic values and patriotism more popularly associated these days with the right—which may make it less the marginalized, regionally specific genre it first appeared as than, arguably, early 21st century America’s most mainstream music.

But what of Steve Earle souls trapped in Toby Keith counties? For anyone in the heartland who feels left behind by country’s conservative tilt, there’s a refuge for the loyal opposition in the form of alternative country, which is "alt" not just in its stylistic variations but, more often than not, its politics. Artists who fall under the alt-country—or Americana—banner like Earle, Nanci Griffith, Rodney Crowell, Drive-by Truckers, and James McMurtry are often more vociferous in their anti-Bush or antiwar statements than their counterparts in the rock and hip-hop worlds. With all these different viewpoints represented, "Rednecks & Bluenecks" contends that country and its offshoots really represent the one strain of popular American entertainment where both sides of a passionate political debate are being argued…on and off the record.

"One goal with this book,” says Willman, “was to produce something that captured the peculiarities that are unique to country music, gave a sense of how the genre has evolved, and picked up some of its quirks in a way that might be fun for hardcore fans. But another aim was to use country as a way of taking a snapshot of America. I wanted to gather enough voices from the right, left and center that pretty much anything any average Joe was thinking about the state of the world these days got articulated at some point in the book. That these polarized positions were being argued by country singers would be, to the non-country-fan, I hoped, almost incidental."

The artists profiled in the pages of "Rednecks & Bluenecks" run a wide gamut: from unapologetically conservative hitmakers like Sara Evans and Craig Morgan to the apolitical Gretchen Wilson and Big & Rich to liberal veterans like Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson…from Ricky Skaggs, who abandoned mainstream country for bluegrass, to Rodney Crowell and Rosanne Cash, who abandoned it for more singer/songwriter-friendly pastures…from expats like Linda Ronstadt to traditionalists like Alan Jackson and Lee Ann Womack…from cult heroes like Buddy Miller to superstars like Tim McGraw.

The book has already won advance praise from several corners. Bestselling novelist Stephen King says that “Rednecks & Bluenecks” “proves conclusively that country music is really folk music: a mirror of interesting (and troubled) times. You won’t read a better book about American music this year—or, probably, a better one about American political thought." Filmmaker and music fan Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Elizabethtown) has called it "a surprising page-turner, full of great fly-on-the-wall scene-setting and lively interviews." Us Weekly and Rolling Stone editor Shirley Halperin praises its "candid interviews, thorough research and brilliant narration" and commends the book as "a fascinating read for music fans who like a little twang with their politics." USA Today country critic Brian Mansfield says the book is "clever and quick, insightful and inclusive…showing why, from the days of Uncle Dave Mason and Jimmie Davis to the time of the Dixie Chicks and Big & Rich, country music remains America’s music."

Among the revelations awaiting “Rednecks’” readers, serious or amusing:

--What the behind-the-scenes mood was when the Dixie Chicks’ Natalie Maines wore an "FUTK" T-shirt at an awards show… and what Toby Keith’s reaction was.

--How Tim McGraw gingerly came out as a Democrat.

--How Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn and alt-country poster boy Steve Earle nearly came to blows over Islamic terrorism at a New Year’s Eve party.

--Why Merle Haggard hates George W. Bush… and why he thinks Ronald Reagan was the greatest modern president.

--How Linda Ronstadt claims she never knew she was being "kicked out" of a Las Vegas casino, after riling up an audience with her Michael Moore endorsement, until she heard it on the news days later.

--How a chance meeting with an overly forgiving workout buddy in the months after 9/11 inspired Darryl Worley’s "Have You Forgotten?"

--Why the defiantly antipolitical Buddy Miller, who professes equal disappointment in Republicans and Democrats, broke his pledge never to do a political benefit for the sake of Sen. Patrick Leahy.

--Why Drive-by Truckers got booed at numerous stops along the road in 2004.

--Why Travis Tritt publicly derided the Dixie Chicks but then solicited liberal gadfly John Mellencamp for a let’s-all-get-along duet.

--Why Todd Snider thinks Garth Brooks is responsible for the downward spiral of modern country… but thinks he’s an alright guy anyway.

--Why anti-abortion believer Sara Evans thinks lawmakers should also pass legislation making it difficult to get a divorce.

--Why Democrat Rodney Crowell thinks his Republican friend Vince Gill is coming over to the other side.

--Why liberal Mavericks singer Raul Malo did a USO tour.

--How the horrors that hitmaker Craig Morgan saw in his days as a soldier in the first gulf war only make him more committed to supporting this one.

--Why longtime Nashville resident Steve Earle says "I’m through" and packed up for New York City.

"Rednecks & Bluenecks" is an absorbing read for anyone who wants to know more about the personal beliefs and creative processes of a wide variety of artists, and it has its share of Nashville (and Austin) dirt. But Willman also delves into electoral politics, examining how country's increasing popularity and conservative drift parallel the transformation of the Democratic South into the heart of the Republican mainstream.
 
The industry’s relationships with both parties is examined, with a number of Nashville movers and shakers contending that it isn’t so much that country music abandoned the Democratic party as the other way around. While the Democratic leadership was sleeping—thinking country was passé, or swayed by media stereotypes about how yokel stars are the only ones the GOP can line up for their conventions—the Republicans were smart enough to capitalize on country’s growing ubiquity even in urban areas. 
 
CHRIS WILLMAN has been a senior writer in Entertainment Weekly's Los Angeles bureau for the last decade, contributing cover stories on the Dixie Chicks, Coldplay, U2, Alan Jackson, Gretchen Wilson, Outkast, Avril Lavigne and many others. Prior to that he wrote about music and movies for the Los Angeles Times and Musician, as well as penning liner notes for artists like Steely Dan and Randy Newman. His commentary on the music scene has been seen on CNN, VH1 and CMT. This is his first book.