A slice of classic Americana in the heart of the Czech Republic, with just a hint of Top Forty flavor

By Sam Corbett

Despite cheap drinks, this saloon is a ghost town (Photo by Sam Corbett).

In any other bar in Prague, walking in and being surrounded by skulls while a vulture lurks above you might be disquieting. But at a country-western bar, it’s just par for the course.

Country-and-western music has been extremely popular in the Czech Republic for decades. Under Communist rule, the appeal of songs about the open road and freedom inspired hope among the downtrodden citizens.

“The situation was very interesting under Communism,” said Ruth Ellen Gruber, an expert on cowboy culture in Europe. “The authorities permitted country music and bluegrass, but controlled it too, as bands had to sing in Czech.”

Europe’s first country music radio station was here, and the much-loved “Tramp Movement,” in which urbanites spend weekends in the country “roughing it” as if they’re in the American west, infuses local country-western with a flavor all its own.

“The Tramp movement, based in part on the romance of the American west, developed after World War One and created a strong tradition of sitting around campfires, strumming guitars and singing,” Gruber said. “Many American folk songs, translated into Czech, were incorporated into the acoustic Tramp music repertoire decades ago.” (more…)