Bluegrass music

Bluegrass music is a form of American country music first popularized by Bill Monroe. Its roots lie in the English, Irish and Scottish traditional music but also borrow heavily from blues. The name of the genre is derived from the Blue Grass Boys, the name of Monroe's band and the nickname of his home state, Kentucky. It is typically characterized by tenor lead singing, known as the "high, lonesome sound," and virtuouso instrumental solos on fiddle, banjo, and mandolin. Like jazz, bluegrass is played with each melody instrument switching off, playing improvised solos in turn while the others revert to backing; this is in contrast to old-time music, in which all instruments play the melody together or one instrument carried the lead throughout while the others provide accompaniment. Bluegrass has influenced major pop and country artists, including Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton and others.

Instrumentation

Bluegrass artists use a variety of stringed instruments to create a unique sound.

Unlike mainstream country music, bluegrass relies mostly on acoustic stringed instruments. The fiddle, banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin, and upright bass are sometimes joined by the resonator slide guitar (popularly known by the Dobro brand name). Instrumental solos are usually improvised, and can frequently be technically demanding.

Debate rages among bluegrass musicians, fans, and scholars over what instrumentation constitutes a bluegrass band. Many consider the instruments used in Monroe's post-WWII bands to be the traditional bluegrass instruments. These were the mandolin (played by Monroe), fiddle, guitar, banjo, and upright bass. At times the musicians may perform gospel songs, singing four-part harmony and including only sparse instrumentation (often with banjo players switching to lead guitar). Bluegrass bands have included instruments as diverse as accordion, harmonica, mouth harp, piano, drums, electric guitar, and electric versions of all common bluegrass instruments, though these are not widely accepted within the bluegrass community.

Although many bluegrass songs are original, the genre also an emphasizes traditional songs, often with sentimental or religious themes. The "High Lonesome" sound can be credited to Shape-Note music where a high-pitched harmony, that can generally be characterized as having a nasal timbre, is sung over the main melody. Bluegrass harmonies often featue two voices with a dissonant or modal sound in the highest voice. Three-part harmonies are also common, and four-part harmonies are sometimes used in bluegrass gospel arrangements.

History

Creation

It is important to note that bluegrass is not and never was purely folk music under a strict definition, even though many bluegrass songs are indeed traditional folk songs. From its earliest days to today, bluegrass has been recorded and performed by professional musicians. Although amateur bluegrass musicians and trends such as "parking lot picking" are too important to be ignored, it is professional musicians who have set the direction of the genre. While bluegrass thus is not a folk music in the strictest sense, the interplay between bluegrass music and traditional folk forms is significant. Monroe, for instance, was influenced by his mother's singing of traditional Scotts-Irish ballads, as well as by the traditions of both white and black fiddlers and guitarists. Indeed, the instrumentation incorporated into bluegrass originated in rural black dance bands and was being abandonded by those groups (in favor of blues and jazz ensembles) when picked up by white musicians (van der Merwe 1989, p.62).

Bluegrass as a definite style, however, developed during the mid 1940s. While no one person can claim to have "invented" it singlehandedly, the beginnings of bluegrass can be clearly traced to one band. Bill Monroe is rightly referred to as the "father" of bluegrass; his band, theBlue Grass Boys, formed in 1939 after he and his brother Charlie parted was as a duet act. The 1945 addition of banjo player Earl Scruggs, who played with a three-finger roll originally developed by Snuffy Jenkins but now almost universally known as "Scruggs style," is often pointed to as a key moment in the development of this genre. However, even before Scruggs came on the scene, Monroe's style was one of a kind and had gained acclaim for its hard-driving mandolin playing laced with blues riffs and his unique vocalizations and harmonies. Monroe's 1945-48 band, which featured Scruggs on banjo, Monroe and mandolin and tenor vocals, guitarist Lester Flatt on lead/baritone vocals, fiddler Chubby Wise, and bassist Howard (aka "Cedric Rainwater,") Watts, created the definitive sound and instrumental configuration that remains a model for bluegrass musicians to this day.

In 1947 the Stanley Brothers recorded the traditional racehorse song "Molly and Tenbrooks" in the Blue Grass Boys' style, and this could also be pointed to as the beginning of bluegrass as a genre. Flatt and Scruggs left Monroe to form their own highly successful band in 1948. By the early 1950s several well known bluegrass bands had emerged, including the Stanley Brothers, Jim and Jesse McReynolds, and Reno & Smiley, and Flatt & Scruggs. Jimmy Martin, the Osborne Brothers, and others were soon to follow.

First generation

First generation bluegrass musicians dominated the genre from its beginnings in the mid-1940s through the mid-1960s. This group generally consists of those who were playing during the "Golden Age" in the 1950s, including Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys, the Stanley Brothers, Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs with the Foggy Mountain Boys, Reno and Smiley, the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers, Jim and Jesse, and Jimmy Martin.

Second generation

Bluegrass's second generation came to prominence in the mid- to late-1960s, although many of the second generation musicians were playing (often at young ages) in first generation bands prior to this. Among the most prominent second generation musicians are J. D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson, Sam Bush, and Tony Rice. With the second generation came a growth in progressive bluegrass, as exemplified by second generation bands such as the Country Gentlemen, New Grass Revival, Seldom Scene, and Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals. In that vein, first-generation bluegrass fiddler Vassar Clements, mandolin virtuoso David Grisman, Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia (on banjo) and Peter Rowan as lead vocalist collaborated on the album Old and in the Way; the Garcia connection helped to expose progressive bluegrass to a rock music audience. Many of both the first and second generation bluegrass pioneers got their starts playing with the Blue Grass Boys under Bill Monroe's tutelage.

Third generation

The third generation in bluegrass reached primacy in the mid-1980s. Third generation bluegrass saw a number of notable changes from the music played in previous years. In several regards, this generation saw a redefinition of "mainstream bluegrass." Increased availability of high-quality sound equipment led to each band member being miked independently, and a "wall of sound" style developed (exemplified by IIIrd Tyme Out and Lonesome River Band). Following the example set by Tony Rice, lead guitar playing became more common (and more elaborate). An electric bass became a generally, but not universally, accepted alternative to the traditional acoustic bass, though electrification of other instruments continued to meet resistance outside progressive circles. Nontraditional chord progressions also became more widely accepted. On the other hand, this generation saw a rennaissance of more traditional songs, played in the newer style.

It could be argued that a fourth generation of bluegrass musicians is beginning to appear, marked by a high level of technical skill. Although it is too soon to see definite trends, the most notable fourth generation musician to emerge so far is probably Chris Thile, who has recorded five solo albums beginning at age 13.

Recent developments

Since the late 1990s, several mainstream country musicians have recorded bluegrass albums. Ricky Skaggs, who began as a bluegrass musician and crossed over to mainstream country in the 1980s, returned to bluegrass in 1996, and since then has recorded several bluegrass albums and tours with his bluegrass band Kentucky Thunder. Around the same time, country music superstars Dolly Parton and Patty Loveless released several bluegrass albums. Along with the Coen Brothers' movie, 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' and the subsequent "Down From the Mountain" music tour, this has brought bluegrass music to a much wider audience. Meanwhile, bands such as the Yonder Mountain String Band in the United States, and Druhá Tráva in the Czech Republic have attracted large audiences while pushing at the edges of progressive bluegrass.

Though she is often considered a crossover or mainstream country artist, no discussion of recent developments in bluegrass music would be complete without mention of Alison Krauss. A vocalist/fiddler whose first album was released when she was just 16, Krauss and her band, Union Station, were major contributors to the soundtrack of 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?'. As a solo artist, collaborator, producer and with Union Station, Krauss has won, as of 2006, 20 Grammy Awards, the most of any female artist in history. She is now tied for 7th place on the all-time winners list.

Subgenres

In addition to what might be considered "mainstream" bluegrass, which has gradually changed over the last 60 years, two major subgenres have existed almost since the music's beginning.

Traditional bluegrass

Traditional bluegrass, as the name implies, emphasizes the traditional elements. Traditional bluegrass musicians are likely to play folk songs, songs with simple traditional chord progressions, and use only acoustic instruments. In the early years, traditional bluegrass sometimes included instruments no longer accepted in mainstream bluegrass, such as washboards, mouth harps, and harmonicas. Traditional bands may use bluegrass instruments in slightly different ways (claw-hammer style of banjo playing, or multiple guitars or fiddles within a band). In this sub-genre, the guitar rarely takes the lead (the notable exception being gospel songs), remaining a rhythm instrument. Melodies and lyrics tend to be simple, and a I-IV-V chord pattern is very common.

Progressive bluegrass

Main article: Progressive bluegrass.

The other major subgenre is progressive bluegrass, roughly synonymous with "newgrass" (the latter term is attributed to New Grass Revival member Ebo Walker). Progressive bluegrass came to widespread attention in the late 1960s and 1970s, as some groups began using electric instruments and importing songs from other genres (particularly rock & roll). However, progressive bluegrass can be traced back to one of the earliest bluegrass bands. A brief listen to the banjo and bass duets Earl Scruggs played even in the earliest days of the Foggy Mountain Boys give a hint of wild chord progressions to come. The four key distinguishing elements (not always all present) of progressive bluegrass are instrumentation (frequently including electric instruments, drums, piano, and more), songs imported (or styles imitated) from other genres, chord progressions, and lengthy "jam band"-style improvisation.

Social and musical impact

Bluegrass in movies

• Cold Mountain (film)
• O Brother, Where Art Thou?
• King of Bluegrass: The Life and Times of Jimmy Martin
• That High Lonesome Sound
• High Lonesome: the Story of Bluegrass Music (documentary)
• The Ralph Stanley Story (documentary)
• Bill Monroe: the Father of Bluegrass (documentary)
• Deliverance
• Harlan County, USA
• Bonnie and Clyde
• Bluegrass Journey (documentary)

Publications

• Bluegrass Unlimited [1]
• Bluegrass Now [2]
• Bluegrass Works [3], a bluegrass webzine
• [Banjo Newsletter] [4]
• [Bluegrass Europe] [5]
• International Bluegrass
• Moonshiner (Japanese) [6]
• Women in Bluegrass Newsletter (has suspended publication) [7]
• Bluegrass Music Profiles [8]

Museums

• International Bluegrass Music Museum [9] Owensboro, Kentucky
• Bill Monroe Museum [10] Rosine, Kentucky
• Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Hall of Fame and Country Star Museum [11] Bean Blossom, Indiana
• Ralph Stanley Museum and Traditional Mountain Music Center [12] Clintwood, Virginia

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Kingsbury, Paul (2004). The Encyclopedia of Country Music: The Ultimate Guide to the Music. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-517608-1.
• Rosenberg, Neil (1985). Bluegrass: A History. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-00265-2.
• van der Merwe, Peter (1989). Origins of the Popular Style: The Antecedents of Twentieth-Century Popular Music. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-316121-4.

External links

• International Bluegrass Music Association
• Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America
• The Early Historical Sound of Southern Music
• The Steam Powered Preservation Society, an online roots music archive.
• Music from the Florida Folklife Collection (made available for public use by the State Archives of Florida) includes a live 1954 recording of "Black Mountain Rag" by The FFA Boys. (WMP, RealAudio, MP3)
• More Music from the Florida Folklife Collection (made available for public use by the State Archives of Florida) includes a live 1993 recording of "Wayfaring Stranger" by Bill Monroe. (WMP, RealAudio, MP3)
• Sugar Hill Records Music from bluegrass and roots music label in Durham, NC
• bgrass-L: the bluegrass listserv
• Rounder Records

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