ManheimVernon Dalhart came to country music from outside the tradition, becoming a national star in the years just before more indigenous kinds of country music found their place in the machinery of the music industry. A 1924 recording by Dalhart became country musics first million-selling record; pairing a train song (Wreck of the Old 97) with a sentimental ballad (The Prisoners Song), the release set patterns for two key genres of early country music on record.