A Honky Tonk is a nightclub or dance hall where live country music fills the air.  It is the descendent of the Juke Joint, originated by rural black-owned businesses as a center of community.  Both Juke Joints and Honky Tonks functioned in their communities as crucial social spaces for music and socializing, especially among marginalized groups.  These spaces were integral to the development of some of America's best musical forms.

Blues is a form of music that originated from African Americans in the deep south.  It is ther oot of many genres that followed, including country, swing, and doo-wop music. In the 1920s, swing music dominated the airwaves as American popular music.  In 1947, the commercial term "Rhythm and Blues" was created by record executives to segregate music into "race labels." Doo-wop originated in African American communities in the 1940s.  Its distinctive and captivating vocal harmonies led to its peak popularity in the 1950s and 1960s.