Bluegrass is concert music that appeared in the Appalachian region of the United States in the 1940s, after World War II. Unlike prior American folk genres meant for dancing, bluegrass developed as music for listening. Bluegrass combines elements of English and Scottish ballads, old time, blues, gospel, and jazz to create music that is generally faster than old time music. It is characterized by the use of fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, and the dobro or resonator guitar.
The Blue Ridge Music Center indicates that microphone technology played an essential role in the development of bluegrass music, enabling the combination of story songs and rural dance musical instruments.
The typical bluegrass song includes ballad-style vocals combined with a series of between verse instrumental solos known as “breaks”.
Early Bluegrass
Initially, the music that appeared in the 1940s was known as old time, mountain or hillbilly music. In the mid-1960s, when bluegrass festivals appeared, the genre became known as bluegrass due to the fact that Bill Monroe was one of the leading figures; his band was called the Blue Grass Boys and his home state, Kentucky, is known as the bluegrass (referring to a type of grass) state.
Key musicians in the development of bluegrass include Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Jim and Jesse McReynolds, Stanley Brothers (Carter and Ralph), Don Reno, Red Smiley, the Lilly Brothers, John Duffey, and Charlie Waller.
Two record labels played an important role in the dissemination of bluegrass music on a national and international scale during the 1970s and afterward: Rounder Records (founded in 1970) and Sugar Hill Records (founded in 1978).
Newgrass
Newgrass is a subcategory of bluegrass that appeared in the 1970s, when young musicians influenced by classic rock, blues, progrock, folk-rock, reggae and jazz fusion, experimented with bluegrass and added new elements to it. The primary newgrass pioneer band was New Grass Revival, a seminal ensemble that featured Sam Bush, John Cowan, Béla Fleck, Courtney Johnson, Ebo Walker, Curtis Burch, Butch Robins, and Pat Flynn.
In addition to traditional material, the newgrass pioneers performed bluegrass versions of well known pop and rock songs. They introduced jamband style jazz progressions and added new instruments like drums, dobro (resophonic guitar), and electric guitar. Moreover, these young musicians had long hair and wore nontraditional clothes.
Top newgrasss artists include Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Alison Krauss and Union Station, The Infamous Stringdusters, Psychograss, Nickel Creek, Chris Thile, Jordan Tice, Punch Brothers, and Trampled by Turtles.
Currently, newgrass is not used as often as in the 1970s. Instead, the term used for this music in recent times is progressive bluegrass.
International Bluegrass
Bluegrass music has expanded far away from the United States, to Canada, Europe and beyond. Some musicians mixed bluegrass with other genres. Banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck ventured into jazz fusion and combined bluegrass with world music; Che Apalache intertwined Argentine folk music with bluegrass. Moreover, Canadian banjo player Jayme Stone searched for the roots of the banjo in West Africa, incorporating world music and jazz. Meanwhile, Flamengrass fused bluegrass with Flamenco.
Bluegrass Icons
Although it is difficult to list all the talent in the wide-ranging bluegrass community, some of the biggest names in bluegrass in the past decades that arrived after the pioneers include country music star Dolly Parton who has recorded several bluegrass albums; Carl Jackson and John Starling; Nashville Bluegrass Band; Alison Krauss & Union Station; Jerry Douglas; Del McCoury; Rhonda Vincent; New Grass Revival; Tim O’Brien; Bela Fleck; Pat Flynn; Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers; Dailey & Vincent; Dan Tyminski; Nickel Creek; Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder; Hot Rize; J.D. Crowe; The Johnson Mountain Boys; Lonesome River Band; Blue Highway; Ronnie Bowman; Jason Carter; Larry Sparks; The Grascals; Bryan Sutton; Tony Rice; Sam Bush; Tony Trischka; Darol Anger; Mike Marshall; The Infamous Stringdusters; The Gibson Brothers; Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice; Becky Buller; Compton & Newberry; Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen; Rob Ickes; Della Mae; Sierra Hull; Steep Canyon Rangers; Steve Martin; neotraditional band The Earls of Leicester; The SteelDrivers; Noam Pikelny; Flatt Lonesome; The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys; Chris Thile; Balsam Range; Special Consensus (Greg Cahill, Rick Faris, Dustin Benson, Dan Eubanks); Phil Leadbetter; Missy Raines; Punch Brothers; Kristin Scott-Benson; Michael Cleveland; Billy Strings; Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange), Sister Sadie, and Authentic Unlimited.
The Blue Ridge Music Center
The Blue Ridge Music Center near Galax, Virginia, at milepost 213 on the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway, includes a Visitor Center and Museum that are open May through October. Admission to the Visitor Center and Museum is free. The grounds also include an outdoor amphitheater with a summer concert series.
Exhibits at Blue Ridge Music Center, 2021 – Photos by Angel Romero:
Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum
The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum is located in Owensboro, Kentucky. The museum is a nonprofit dedicated to the history and preservation of bluegrass music.
IBMA World of Bluegrass
The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) holds an annual conference that includes a trade fair, showcases and influential awards.
Pictured below: IBMA World of Bluegrass trade show in Raleigh, North Carolina. Beard Guitars exhibit, Becky Bueller’s booth; and Kentucky Center for Traditional Music staff. Photos by Angel Romero.
Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina
The Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina is a guide to the traditional music of the North Carolina mountains and foothills. The goal is to preserve and promote the traditional music of western North Carolina.
Earl Scruggs Center
The Earl Scruggs Center: Music & Stories from the American South celebrates the musical tradition and innovation of acclaimed bluegrass banjo player Earl Scruggs. The North Carolina native developed the three-finger playing style that has come to be known as the Scruggs style. Address: 103 S Lafayette St, Shelby, NC 28150. Phone: (704) 487-6233.
Shenandoah Music Trail
The Shenandoah Music Trail organizes jams, lessons, workshops, festivals, and concerts and records and promotes musicians on its weekly Mountain Music Show Series. The Virginia-based, all-volunteer nonprofit brings musicians and audiences together by preserving, promoting, and maintaining authentic acoustic Mountain Music. This tradition includes genres such as bluegrass, old-time, country blues, string band, American fiddle/banjo, Appalachian folk songs, shape-note and gospel, rural swing, and classic country.
Bluegrass music books
Bill Monroe The Life and Music of the Blue Grass Man by Tom Ewing (University of Illinois Press)
Can’t You Hear Me Callin’: The Life of Bill Monroe, Father of Bluegrass by Richard D. Smith (Da Capo Press)
Foggy Mountain Troubadour, The Life and Music of Curly Seckler by Penny Parsons (University of Illinois Press)
The Music of the Stanley Brothers by Gary B. Reid (University of Illinois Press, 2014)
Pretty Good for a Girl – Women in Bluegrass by Murphy Hicks Henry (University of Illinois Press, 2013)
Bluegrass Studies
East Tennessee State University (ETSU) in Johnson City has the world’s first ever Bachelor of Arts degree in Bluegrass, Old-Time and Country Music Studies. More at https://www.etsu.edu.
Kentucky Center for Traditional Music offers the only Bachelor of Arts in Traditional Music in Kentucky, together with a minor in traditional music. The center is also home to the traditional music archives and the Sounds of Our Heritage outreach program. Morehead University, 150 University Blvd., Morehead, KY 40351. Phone: 1-800-585-6781.
Artistworks Academy of bluegrass. Musical instrument lessons from master instrumentalists.
Homespun has a large catalog of educational music videos available as downloads, DVDs and streaming, including bluegrass banjo, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin.
Monroe Mandolin Camp, Abingdon, Virginia
The Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College, Asheville, North Carolina
Bluegrass magazines
Bluegrass Recordings
Classic Banjo (Smithsonian Folkways, 2013)
The collection offers an introduction to some of the many faces behind the music of the banjo, such as a recording of a young Pete Seeger performing a rapid-fire banjo medley as well as Doc Watson’s 1976 rendition of “Rambling Hobo,” the first banjo tune Watson, better known for his guitar playing, ever learned. Other featured performers include Elizabeth Cotten, Bill Evans, Snuffy Jenkins, Bill Keith, Dink Roberts, Roni Stoneman, Tony Trischka, and Don Vappie.
Classic Banjo was compiled by ethnomusicologist Greg Adams and archivist Jeff Place from over 300 albums in the Smithsonian Folkways collection, and is the 22nd album in Smithsonian Folkways acclaimed Classic series.
(headline image: Steep Canyon Rangers at Shakori Hills – Photo by Angel Romero)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
Updated recordings section