Country & Americana (also known as American roots music) is an amalgam of Americana Music formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the musical ethos of The United States, specifically those sounds that are merged from Folk, Country, Blues, Rhythm & Blues, Rock & Roll, Gospel , Bluegrass and other external influences.  Americana, as defined by the Americana Music Association (AMA), is "contemporary music that incorporates elements of various mostly acoustic American roots music styles, including Country, Roots rock, Folk, Gospel and Bluegrass resulting in a distinctive roots-oriented sound that lives in a world apart from the pure forms of the genres upon which it may draw. While acoustic instruments are often present and vital, Americana also often uses a full electric band.

Americana as a radio format had its origins in 1984 on KCSN in Northridge, California. Mark Humphrey, a contributor to country/folk Frets magazine, hosted a weekly radio show called "Honky Tonk Amnesia" which played "country, folk, honky tonk, cajun, dawg, blues, and old-time music", a combination that the country music station KCSN advertised as "Americana" The format came into its own in the mid-1990s as a descriptive phrase used by radio promoters and music industry figures for traditionally-oriented songwriters and performers.