Bluegrass Music in Kentucky
Bill Monroe & Beginnings
Bluegrass music owes its origins to the man widely recognised as ‘the Father of Bluegrass’: Kentucky-born Bill Monroe. Monroe named his band The Blue Grass Boys in honour of his state and while the term was not in use until the early 1950s, it’s a marker of Monroe’s influence that his band’s name soon became synonymous with the genre itself.
Jerusalem Monroe portrait
Musical Roots
Bluegrass has its roots in ‘old time’ and ‘country’ or ‘mountain’ music, the music which the people of the Appalachias played and which swiftly spread throughout the United States during the golden age of radio in the 1930s, thanks to the success of shows like the Grand Ole Opry, but it soaked up a wide range of other influences including Scottish and Irish fiddle music, spirituals, string bands, black gospel, jazz and blues.
The Bluegrass Sound
The bluegrass sound is characterised by a driving rhythm, solos which showcase each player’s virtuosity and skill at improvisation, close vocal harmonies and a lead vocal with a ‘high and lonesome sound.’ The music is perhaps most easily defined by the instruments used. The classic set up fixes on acoustic guitar, banjo (which has its origins in West Africa, where the ‘Banza’ and ‘Banjar’ stringed instruments date back to at least the 17th century), mandolin, fiddle and upright bass, with others such as the autoharp and dulcimer sometimes being added to the mix.
Typical themes
Bluegrass songs encompass themes such as lost love, spirituality, family, work songs and the changing landscape. Bill Monroe wrote over 200 songs, some of the most famous including Blue Moon of Kentucky (later covered by Elvis Presley) Raw Hide (a different song to the them tune of the popular Western TV series), Scotland, Uncle Pen and Bluegrass Breakdown.
Beginnings
Monroe lost both his parents by the age of 16 and was taught how to play the fiddle with his Uncle Pen. The music stayed in the family during the 20s while Bill formed a successful double act the Monroe Brothers with his brother Charlie until 1938 when the brothers fell out and went their separate ways.
A year later Bill formed the Blue Grass Boys but it was not until the mid 1940s that their sound is considered to have truly gelled, with the introduction of guitarist Lester Flatt and banjo player Earl Scruggs, joining fiddler Chubby Wise and Howard Watts on bass. Scruggs pioneered the super fast, 3 finger roll style of playing which ignited audiences and came to be a staple part of the bluegrass sound. In the 3 years that this classic line up spent together the band produced many of their best recordings for Columbia Records.
The Blue Grass Boys done Good
Monroe had over 150 players in the Blue Grass Boys over the decades, with many of them going on to enjoy successful careers in their own right. Flatt & Scruggs were the first to depart with their band the Foggy Mountain Boys in 1948, capitalising on the distinctive sound of the Dobro, or resophonic slide guitar. Flatt & Scruggs played together for over 20 years, during which time they did much to popularise bluegrass nationwide, through appearances on television, and at universities, schools and music venues.
The band are perhaps best known for their contributions to the soundtracks of 1967 film Bonnie & Clyde and the highly popular 1960s television comedy the Beverly Hillbillies, which despite the crude stereotypes portrayed built an entirely new audience for bluegrass. A similar boost was given by the soundtrack to the 1972 film Deliverance. Banjoist Eric Weissberg’s hit song Duelling Banjos played no small part in reviving public interest in bluegrass.
Golden Era
The 1950s are often viewed as ‘the golden age of bluegrass’ when many of the the music’s first wave of players came into their prime. Among these pioneers were artists such as Mac Wiseman, the Lilly Brothers, the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers and the Stanley Brothers, Ralph and Carter. The Stanley Brothers were quick to notice and echo the new sound that the Blue Grass Boys had developed, forming their band, the Clinch Mountain Boys, in 1946. The brothers played together until Carter’s death in 1966. Ralph’s career received a surprise boost in 2000 when his adaptation of I’m a Man of Constant Sorrow became the centrepiece in the Coen Brothers’ film O Brother, Where Art Thou? which once again revived public’s appetite for bluegrass and traditional country music.
Folk revival
Bluegrass also benefited from the folk revival of the late 50s/early 60s, when artists such as the Kingston Trio, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez became popular. Their music drew inspiration from a wide variety of American roots music of the 20s to 40s, much of which was compiled by Folkways Records’ Harry Smith and John and Alan Lomax, working on behalf of the Library of Congress.
Second wave players
A second wave of bluegrass artists emerged in the late 60s and 70s, some of whom developed the sub genre of progressive bluegrass, which mixes in electric guitars and songs from rock, country and other styles. Lexington-born J.D Crowe was an influential pioneer of this broader sound with his band the New South, alongside the Dillards and ‘bluegrass super group’ Old and in the Way featuring the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia on banjo.
Festivals begin
The 60s also saw the emergence of the first bluegrass festivals. North Carolina country music promoter Carlton Haney is credited with setting up the first weekend festival in 1965, the Roanoke Labor Day Blue Grass Festival in Fincastle, Virginia. Many others swiftly followed his example with Monroe himself, under Haney’s encouragement, starting the Bean Blossom Festival in, Indiana in 1967. Today there are bluegrass festivals far and wide across the globe, and over 100 in the USA alone.
Traditional renaissance
The next big renaissance came in the 1980s when artists such as the Del McCoury Band and Ricky Skaggs championed traditional bluegrass once again. McCoury had enjoyed a stint in Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys in the 60s and later collaborated with country rock artist Steve Earle in 1999. Skaggs became something of a popular ambassador for bluegrass notching up several Billboard No.1 hits in the 80s, including a cover of Monroe’s Uncle Pen.
Bluegrass today
This resurgence built strong momentum for bluegrass in recent years carried forward by artists such as the multi grammy-winning Alison Krauss & Union Station, recent prodigies Chris Thile and Sarah Jarosz alongside bands like Nickelcreek and Crooked Still who, under the banner of NewGrass, (effectively an update of Progressive Bluegrass) have further pushed bluegrass into new and fertile territories.
Kentucky Bluegrass trail sites
Kentucky truly is the blue grass state in more ways than one. Make time to check out the key bluegrass pilgrimage sites while you’re here.
International Bluegrass Music Museum, Owensboro
The world’s only museum dedicated to celebrating and chronicling bluegrass history can be found in Owensboro. Here you can chart the bluegrass story through a timeline which illustrates the music’s key players, how it evolved through the decades and its impact throughout the world. The museum’s collection includes posters, performance clothing, original recordings, photographs and other memorabilia.
Historic artefacts on display include the fiddle played by Bill Monroe’s Uncle Pen and folk singer Pete Seeger’s banjo and during this centennial a year special exhibiiton devoted to Bill Monroe’s life story, showcasing personal items from his estate, including the headstock of the Gibson mandolin from which Monroe, enraged by an incomplete repair job, famously gouged out the company logo in 1952.
The museum is the home of the Bluegrass Hall of Fame and there’s also a performance space and practice rooms where local youngsters learn how to play. The museum takes its evangelical mission seriously, blasting out bluegrass to passers by in the street and online via its 24/7 radio station, Radio Bluegrass International.
Bill Monroe Homeplace, Rosine
Monroe Museum Sign
Tucked away up a windy forest path lies the more personal memorial to the Father of Bluegrass. Bill Monroe’s family home was lovingly renovated and opened up to the public in 2001. The simple, white clapboard house has been furnished with family items, records and fan artistry, recreating the atmosphere of the place where Monroe’s mother and uncle first taught him to fiddle. It sits in five acres of rustic woods on the original plot of the family farm, where the annual Jerusalem Ridge Festival serves a fulsome memorial to the man and his enduring musical legacy.
Rosine Barn, Rosine
From the outside it’s just a humble barn in the one horse town of Rosine, Ohio County, down the road from where Bill Monroe was born and raised. But every Friday night it plays host to the Rosine Barn Jamboree, a convivial, community-minded musical gathering attracting many of the state’s best players for miles around. Musicians deliver short sets comprised of old classics and new compositions on the stage, while those waiting in the wings gather on porches and benches outside to jam.
Bluegrass Festivals in 2011
With over 30 bluegrass festivals happening across the state this centennial year, there’s never been a better time to sample the authentic spirit of the music which put Kentucky on the map. Here’s our pick of three of the best picker fests to mosey on down to this year.
Yellow Creek Park, Owensboro
23-25 June
Romp has always played a little fast ‘n loose with its definition of bluegrass, mixing in a range of influences and crossover acts into its line up. The boat has been pushed out this year, with Hollywood comedian and long-time banjo basher Steve Martin topping the bill with the Steep Canyon Rangers, alongside one of the few remaining African American swing bands, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, country legend Emmylou Harris, Tramped by Turtles, up and coming Sarah Jarosz and modern master Chris Thile with his band, Punch Brothers.
There’ll be special late night parties every evening after the headlining act for those ready to romp on long into the night. All this in beautiful Yellow Creek Park, which offers superb amenities in a stunning natural setting including shady creekside camping, hiking trails, cycling, fishing, volleyball, tennis, softball, frisbee golf, rest rooms and camp showers, so you won’t have to rough it.
An advance 3-day pass, including free camping, costs just $55 for students or $70 for adults, kids under 13 and accompanied by an adult get free entry. Find out more and see the full line up.
12 – 14 September, Owensboro
For the first time ever, all living and active members of the Bluegrass Hall of Fame are getting together under the one roof to blast it off with 3 nights of rip roaring bluegrass. The phenomenal role call of bluegrass legends taking the stage at the Cannon Hall Auditorium and paying tribute to Bill Monroe, includes Ralph Stanley, Early Scruggs, Doc Watson, J.D Crowe, Kenny Baker and many more. A start studded, once-in-a-lifetime event not to be missed!
Alongside the show is the première of documentary film The Blue Grass Boys: Tales of Bill Monroe, featuring interviews with several generations of Blue Grass Boys. A new musical The Life and Lively Music of Bill Monroe, will also be unveiled at the Centennial Celebration, with a special daytime performance for local schoolchildren.
Tickets from $100 for all 3 nights.
29 September – 4 October Rosine
Where better to experience bluegrass than in the rambling grounds of the very house where Bill Monroe was born and raised? This year, the annual celebratory shindig is extended to 6 days of music and merrymaking in honour of the man who ushered in a generation of pickers, fiddlers and high, lonesome crooners.
This outdoor musical adventure features many leading lights of traditional bluegrass including Karl Shiflett, the Cumberland Highlanders, Larry Sparks and James Monroe, Bill’s only son. The bands perform on a stage made from trees felled from the surrounding woodland, kitted out with floral bouquets and pumpkins. It’s an idyllic setting where you can easily visit the house that Bill grew up in and began his lifelong musical journey.
Tickets start from $20 for a day pass, see the website for the latest details.
Rosien Barn Jamboree
