Bill Monroe , known as the “Father of Bluegrass Music,” was born 100 years ago this week in rural Kentucky. He influenced early country music and rock ‘n’ roll, as well as the hard-driving, high-lonesome genre he created — bluegrass.
What are the origins of bluegrass music?
Bluegrass music came out of the rural south after World War II , but its roots date back to the 1930s. The genre was named after Bill Monroe’s band The Blue Grass Boys who began performing in the 1940s. Bluegrass songs were about issues important to everyday people.
What came first blues or bluegrass?
Blues is much older than bluegrass . Bluegrass didn’t come into being until 1945 and incorporates influences from blues and jazz as well as commercial country and old-timey influences.
Where was bluegrass founded?
1945, Appalachia, U.S. Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the United States Appalachian region . The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys.
Did bluegrass come from Ireland?
Bluegrass music heard across the southern United States finds its roots in Ireland and Scotland . The people who migrated to America in the 1600s from Ireland, Scotland, and England brought with them the basic styles of music that are generally considered to be the roots of bluegrass music as it is known today.
What is the difference between country and bluegrass?
Bluegrass is a sub-genre of Country Music with characteristics that differentiate it from mainstream Country : The instrumentation is purely ‘string band’ based: Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin, Fiddle and Upright Bass. There is more emphasis on an ‘acoustic’ sound. The music is more free and the structures are more complex.
Who is the best bluegrass band?
So, who are the best bluegrass bands? Any list of bluegrass artists has to include names of famous male and female bluegrass singers, including Doc Watson, Bill Monroe, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Old Crow Medicine Show, Nickel Creek , and the Stanley Brothers.
Who came first in history of bluegrass?
Bill Monroe , a native of Rosine, Kentucky, is often acknowledged as the “father” of bluegrass music. Bill grew up working and playing music with his siblings on the family farm (known as Jerusalem Ridge) in the early 1900s.
What style of music is bluegrass?
Bluegrass music is a tradition-based modern style of string band music . Typically a bluegrass band consists of four to seven performers who sing while accompanying themselves on acoustic string instruments such as the guitar, double bass, fiddle, five-string banjo, mandolin, steel guitar, and Dobro.
How did bluegrass develop over time?
The bluegrass genre was created over time through various influences . One online film stated that “British and Celtic ballads have been incorporated by the genre, as well as Scots-, Anglo- and Irish-American folk music roots” (Hobbs, “Women of Old Time Music”).
Why is bluegrass called Blue?
Legend has it that when early settlers looked out on the fields of Poa pratensis in Central Kentucky, the seed heads took on a purplish hue. In the sun, it looked blue-green . Hence, the name bluegrass was born.
Is Bluegrass considered country music?
Bluegrass is usually considered a branch from country music . For that reason, sometimes it may get slightly complicated to tell them apart. However, while similar and overlapping in many ways, the two are still distinct and should not be confused with one another.
Who was the first rockabilly star?
Record reviewers coined the term rockabilly—literally, rock and roll played by hillbillies—to describe the intense, rhythm-driven musical style introduced by Elvis Presley on his first recordings.
Where did the banjo come from?
The banjo came to America with the slaves , and musicologists have long looked in West Africa for its predecessors. Much of the speculation has centered on the ngoni and the xalam, two hide-covered stringed instruments from West Africa that bear some resemblance to the banjo.
Where is bluegrass country?
The Bluegrass region is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Kentucky . It makes up the northern part of the state, roughly bounded by the cities of Frankfort, Paris, Richmond and Stanford.
What does the word bluegrass mean?
1 : a grass with bluish green stems . 2 : a type of traditional American music that is played on stringed instruments.
