Rich Bluegrass History in the Appalachian Mountains

The echoes of rich history from Scottish, Irish, and English traditions married with blues and southern string band music from America are what led to the formation of bluegrass, known as the soul music of the rural south. It typically includes a 5-string banjo, fiddle, mandolin, bass, and flat-top guitar. Other common instruments known for their loud and fast personalities are harmonicas and jugs. Bluegrass tends to have a reputation of a fast tempo and full of charisma. Most songs are about important topics in society, especially religion. The rural south takes pride in the bluegrass because its roots really began to flourish there in the 1930s with the formation of the first bluegrass band (Brief History of Bluegrass Music by the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, 2015).

Bluegrass has a rich and diverse background, dating all the way back to the migration of people from England, Scotland, and Ireland into America (Bluegrass on Folkways, n.d.). The sounds of diverse cultures slowly molded into bluegrass as the Carolinas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and the Virginias filled with families (Brief History of Bluegrass Music by the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, 2015). Little did they know that a small sound in the depths of the Appalachian Mountains during the 17th century would turn into such a well-known southern staple. The songs were about the southerner’ everyday lives with farming, religion, family, and love. Fast forward to the 20th century with the first band created by Bill Monroe and his brother Charlie Monroe. They named their band the Monroe Brothers. Several years later the brothers decided to go their separate ways in music, leading to new opportunities to spread the love of bluegrass and pride of the southern culture (Brief History of Bluegrass Music by the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, 2015).

Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys began performing in the 40s, soaring across the countryside and dwelling deep within the valleys of the south with their fast-paced and hard-driving acoustics and harmonies. After many attempted styles within the Blue Grass Boys, the five core instruments and the use of solos became the familiar sounds heard today. The sound of the five-string banjo originated from African cultures in the sub-Saharan area, brought by slaves into the New World. European culture, specifically Spanish-settler culture, is deeply woven into the harmonious strings of the guitar that later evolved into the six-string commonly known in today’s music. Following the common six-string guitar, the flat-top and bass guitars were born, giving the rural south an edgier tone to their songs about family, love, and religion. The black culture adopted the fiddle from Scotland and Ireland musical traditions that would later become popular among the whites of the rural south (PBS - American Roots Music: Instruments and Innovations, n.d.).

The Grand Ole Opry welcomed the sounds of Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys folk music in the 1940s. The love of bluegrass was now spread beyond the creeks and pastures as The Foggy Mountain Boys created their own twist to the harmonies of folk. The Foggy Mountain Boys were famous for their own Earl Scruggs, Lester Flatt, and Burkett Graves’s eccentric sound of the Dobro guitar. The Dopyera Brothers were originally from the Slovak Republic but migrated to America and invented the Dobro guitar. This unfamiliar sound was a resonator guitar, marrying with the bluesy side of Bluegrass (Brief History of Bluegrass Music by the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, 2015).

Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt are heavy contributors to the popularity of Bluegrass through American radio stations and television. The first known Bluegrass festival was held in 1965 at Fincastle, Virginia that allowed Bluegrass to come out of hiding and sing hello to the nation. Fast forward to today, there is an International Bluegrass Music Association and several nationwide folk music festivals where all walks of life join together to appreciate the beauty of the ever-evolving Bluegrass sound (Brief History of Bluegrass Music by the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, 2015).

Balsam Range is a well-known Bluegrass band local to Waynesville, North Carolina. They are a recipient of the 2018 International Bluegrass Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year (About, n.d.). Their original five members play the common five instruments known for Bluegrass and are known for singing about the Blue Ridge Mountains, life as a blue-collar worker, and tumbleweed towns. They have played at the July 4th and 5th celebrations in Canton, North Carolina, and at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin, North Carolina. Their appearance at MerleFest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina was a big success for the small-town band.

MerleFest and Mountain Heritage Day are two common festivals to celebrate the southern folk heritage. MerleFest has four daylight-to-dark days of music, good southern food, and vendor tents full of clothes, trinkets, and art. Other local bluegrass bands that have played at MerleFest are the Kruger Brothers (Cassandra McGuire, n.d.). One of their well-known songs is Carolina in the Fall singing about how they found their home in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Named after the song, Carolina in the Fall became another local folk music festival hosted by the Kruger Brothers. Balsam Range played at this festival in 2019 (Schedule—Carolina in the Fall Music and Food Festival, n.d.).

Mountain Heritage Day is held on Western Carolina University’s campus once a year. The festival has several diverse vendors such as arts and crafts, food, and non-profits. This festival is known for its family-friendly activities as well as performances. This year the festival will be on September 26th. The festival takes pride in the heritage of western North Carolina, especially Cherokee traditions such as the game of stickball (Western Carolina University, n.d.).

Today bluegrass is seen with an evolved sound becoming popular amongst today’s youth, particularly in the south. Bands and artists like Tyler Childers, Colter Wall, Turnpike Troubadours, and Brothers Comatose are responsible for this contemporary evolution of the classic sound. Through these people, the sound of Bluegrass lives on and is still popular among today’s youth. Drawing from the classic sounds and styles these artists are doing their part to ensure the deep roots of Bluegrass live on for generations.

Citations

About. (n.d.). Balsam Range. Retrieved February 16, 2020, from https://www.balsamrange.com/about

Bluegrass on Folkways: An American roots tradition. (n.d.). Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Retrieved February 16, 2020, from https://folkways.si.edu/bluegrass-folkways-american-roots-tradition/history/music/article/smithsonian

Brief History of Bluegrass Music by the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation. (2015, January). https://bluegrassheritage.org/history-of-bluegrass-music/

Cassandra McGuire. (n.d.). Lineup. MerleFest. Retrieved February 16, 2020, from https://merlefest.org/lineup/

PBS - American Roots Music: Instruments and Innovations. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2020, from https://www.pbs.org/americanrootsmusic/pbs_arm_instruments_innovations.html

Schedule—Carolina in the Fall Music and Food Festival. (n.d.). Carolina in the Fall. Retrieved February 16, 2020, from https://carolinainthefall.org/lineup/schedule

Western Carolina University. (n.d.). Mountain Heritage Day. Retrieved February 16, 2020, from https://www.wcu.edu/engage/mountain-heritage-day/index.aspx