<P> House music is a style of electronic dance music which originated in Chicago, Illinois, USA in the early 1980s . House music was strongly influenced by elements of soul - and funk - infused varieties of disco . Club play from pioneering DJs like Ron Hardy and Lil Louis, local dance music record shops, and the popular Hot Mix 5 shows on radio station WBMX - FM helped popularize house music in Chicago and among visiting DJs & producers from Detroit . Trax Records and DJ International Records, local labels with wider distribution, helped popularize house music outside of Chicago . It eventually reached Europe before becoming infused in mainstream pop & dance music worldwide during the 1990s . </P> <P> It has been widely cited that the initial blueprint for Techno was developed during the mid-1980s in Detroit, Michigan, by Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, Derrick May (the so - called "Belleville Three"), and Eddie Fowlkes, all of whom attended school together at Belleville High, near Detroit . Though initially conceived as party music that was played on daily mixed radio programs and played at parties given by cliquish, Detroit high school clubs, it has grown to be a global phenomenon . </P> <P> As the 1980s dawned, pop - influenced country music was the dominant style, through such acts as Kenny Rogers, Ronnie Milsap, T.G. Sheppard, Eddie Rabbitt, Crystal Gayle, Anne Murray and Dolly Parton . The 1980 movie Urban Cowboy, a romantic comedy starring John Travolta and Debra Winger, spawned a successful soundtrack album featuring pop - styled country songs, including "Lookin' for Love" by Johnny Lee, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by the Charlie Daniels Band, "Could I Have This Dance" by Murray and "Love the World Away" by Rogers . The songs, and the movie itself, resulted in an early 1980s boom in pop - styled country music, and the era is sometimes known as the "Urban Cowboy Movement". </P> <P> By the mid-1980s, country music audiences were beginning to tire of country pop . Although some pop - country artists continued to record and release successful songs and albums, the genre in general was beginning to suffer . By 1985, a New York Times article declared country music "dead". However, by this time, several newcomers were working behind the scenes to reverse this perception . </P>

What genres of music were popular in the 80's