Give Bluegrass a chance!

The various types of music brought with the people who began migrating to America in the early 1600s are considered to be the roots of bluegrass music---including dance music and ballads from Ireland, Scotland and England, as well as African American gospel music and blues. (In fact, slaves from Africa brought the design idea for the banjo--an instrument now integral to the bluegrass sound.)

As the early Jamestown settlers began to spread out into the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky and the Virginias, they composed new songs about day-to-day life experiences in the new land. Since most of these people lived in rural areas, the songs reflected life on the farm or in the hills and this type of music was called "mountain music" or "country music." The invention of the phonograph and the onset of the radio in the early 1900s brought this old-time music out of the rural Southern mountains to people all over the United States.

While many fans of bluegrass music date the genre back to 1939, when Bill Monroe formed his first Blue Grass Boys band, most believe that the classic bluegrass sound jelled in 1945, shortly after Earl Scruggs, a 21 year old banjo player from North Carolina, joined the band. Scruggs played an innovative three-finger picking style on the banjo that energized enthusiastic audiences, and has since come to be called simply, "Scruggs style" banjo. Equally influential in the classic 1945 line-up of the Blue Grass Boys were Lester Flatt, from Sparta, Tenn. on guitar and lead vocals against Monroe's tenor; Chubby Wise, from Florida, on fiddle; and Howard Watts, also known by his comedian name, "Cedric Rainwater," on acoustic bass.

Bluegrass bands began forming all over the country and Bill Monroe became the acknowledged "Father of Bluegrass Music.

Today, bluegrass music has found a whole new niche. While it's bands aren't on the top of the charts, thanks to festivals and word of mouth some bands are enjoying widespread popularity. Yonder Mountain String Band is a good example of the "Newgrass" sound of today.

As you can see from the interview above they are young, hip and trendy. While they play in the bluegrass genre, you may be drawn to them if you are fans of The Grateful Dead because of their "jam" band style.

Yonder Mountain String band enjoys success by playing many festivals all year long. Recently they shared the stage at Bonnaroo in Tennessee with bands like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Phish, Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, David Byrne, Wilco, Al Green, Snoop Dogg, Elvis Costello and Ben Harper.

It's bands like Yonder Mountain that are increasing the popularity of bluegrass music with today's youth. Bluegrass is being re-introduced to a whole new generation that are experiencing the vibrant sounds of the mandolin, banjo, stand up bass, and guitar once again!

 As you can see from the video above, Jack White of The White Stripes, is both a fan and performer of bluegrass. He had a supporting role, as  Rene Zellweger's love interest "Georgia", in the movie Cold Mountain with Nicole Kidman and Jude Law and recorded "Poor Wayfaring Stranger" for the soundtrack.

"Poor Wayfaring Stranger" is a traditional folk song of unknown origin. There are many and varied opinions as to its origin. Some of the theories include Appalachian Folk, Old Irish, and Catskills Folk. One theory is that it originates from the Negro Spirituals and there was a deliberate concealment of the songs origins. Clearly the song is of a spiritual nature as the Wayfaring Stranger sings of the hardships of his temporal life passing by and speaks of his journeying on to a better place. Regardless of its origins, it is a hauntingly beautiful piece of music.

This song has been recorded countless times. Best known artists include:Emmy Lou Harris, Natalie Merchant, Burl Ives, Dolly Parton, Jerry Reid, Dusty Springfield, & Trace Adkins

Aside from being one of the greatest comedic actors of our generation, an author, renowned art collector, and a playwright, Steve Martin is also a helluva banjo player with over four decades of experience under his belt. During his time as a teenage picker, he began a lifelong friendship with John McEuen, who would later see stardom as a member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and who produced this project.

Martin’s music has appeared on some of his comedy records throughout the years; however, The Crow is Martin’s first full-length album, one that he said was “forty-five years in the making.” It’s worth the wait.

The meat of The Crow is its instrumentals, which make up eleven of the album’s fifteen tracks. Though Martin is primarily a Scruggs-style picker, he throws in “Clawhammer Medley” for good measure, proving that he is an able frailer as well. A few of the album’s songs are from Martin’s 1981 comedy album The Steve Martin Brothers, and the title track is from a song he recorded for Tony Trischka’s Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular, but he’s recorded new versions for The Crow. All of the re-recorded tracks sound better than their earlier incarnations, due in part to McEuen’s production, which should be commended for turning a collection of songs recorded in four cities on two continents into a polished whole.

In 2001, the Coen Brothers produced a film called O Brother, Where art Thou?, which re-popularized Bluegrass Music, attracting new audiences across the country. Now, nearly a century after its incarnation, bluegrass music has evolved so far it’s even being played by rock bands, or Newgrass bands, as they’re referred to. Bands like Nickle Creek and Open Road continue to innovate the genre and draw younger audiences to the festivals; while true blue legends like Earl Scruggs are still going strong.

 Bands like "Old Crow Medicine Show" are making fans of bluegrass with their traditional bluegrass sound. Unlike Yonder Mountain String Band, Old Crow is a more traditional bluegrass band. However, they are adding fans to the bluegrass genre because they are unafraid to add the bluegrass sound to old rock classics like "The Band"'s version of "The Weight"

"The Weight" was one of the most popular songs to come out of Woodstock. In the video above Old Crow performs their version along with some help from Gillian Welch, a popular bluegrass vocalist in her own right.

In the 1960s, the concept of the "bluegrass festival" was first introduced, featuring bands that had seemed to be in competition with each other for a relatively limited audience on the same bill at weekend festivals across the country. Carlton Haney, from Reidsville, N.C., is credited with envisioning and producing the first weekend-long bluegrass music festival, held at Fincastle, Va. in 1965.

Today bluegrass festivals are the backbone of bluegrass music. Fans are unable to hear their favorite music on the radio, so they come out in droves to hear it live. In the video above you get the spirit of what it is like to attend a bluegrass festival.

One of the largest bluegrass festivals is held every year in Telluride, CO. 2010 will mark the festival's 36th year. The festival is nestled in the rugged San Juan Mountains and surrounded on three sides by the natural architecture of the Telluride Box Canyon.

Telluride is arguably the most spectacular town in the American West. Founded in 1875, the Victorian charm of the town is protected as a National Historic Landmark District. The town of Telluride (elevation 8,750') is connected to the modern resort community of Mountain Village (elevation 9,450') via a free commuter gondola.

Performers say there is a unique thrill to performing in front of the smartest, most attentive audience in the country. Artists are encouraged to take risks in Telluride, and the audience is regularly rewarded with unique blends of voices sharing the stage for the first time - as a new musical friendship cultivated backstage makes its debut on the Telluride stage.

I will leave you with a few of my favorite bluegrass artists and bands.The ones listed below are great artists to start with. I also recommend Yonder Mountain String Band, Old Crow Medicine Show and Gillian Welch as described in the article above! I hope you will check out these albums and go hear some bluegrass music in the future. It is truly American music. Give bluegrass a chance and help bring back one of the classic genres of music.

Union Station - For you lovers of O' Brother Where Art Thou, these are the true voices of "The Soggy Bottom Boys". No it wasn't really George Clooney singing. The members of this band include Dan Tyminski (acoustic guitar, lead harmony vocals) - Known for being the singing voice of George Clooney in O Brother, Where Art Thou? Jerry Douglas (dobro) - Named one of the ten best country musicians of all time by LIFE magazine. Ron Block (banjo, guitar) - Ron has recorded songs with folks from Dolly Parton to the Cox Family. Barry Bales (bass, harmony vocals) - Barry has also played for Merle Haggard, Reba McEntire, and others.

Union Station is know to record with the famous country artist Alison Krause. Check out their album Lonely Runs Both Ways.

The Grascals began their career in 2004, when they recorded their debut album and were invited by Dolly Parton to open her fall tour. They opened additional dates for her in 2005, including her sold-out concert at Radio City Music Hall, and they have also shared the stage with Brooks & Dunn, Dierks Bentley, Patty Loveless, Mac Wiseman, J. D. Crowe, Charlie Daniels, Kenny Rogers, Steve Wariner, Vince Gill, the Jordanaires and many others. They are proud to make regular guest appearances on the Grand Ole Opry and have also appeared on Opry Live, The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson and the TV Guide Channel.

In addition to the IBMA awards, The Grascals won the 2008 SPBGMA Bluegrass Awards for Instrumental Group of the Year (for the third consecutive year), Bluegrass Band of the Year (for the second consecutive year) and Mandolin Player of the Year (Danny Roberts’ second win in three years). In 2006 the group also took home Album of the Year for their self-titled debut and Song of the Year for “Me and John and Paul.” The group earned a Dove Award nomination in 2007 for Bluegrass Recorded Song of the Year for “Did You Forget God Today,” featuring the Jordanaires, which is included on Long List of Heartaches.

 Monroe Crossing was formed in September of 2000, but their history goes back much further. Monroe Crossing actually grew out of three different bands; The Pretty Good Bluegrass Band featuring Art and Mark, Big Skyota featuring Art and Matt and the Deadly Nightshade Family Singers which was home to Lisa and Mark. Each of those bands formed between 1995 and 1997 and performed into 2000. Also during 1995, a young banjo phenom named Benji Flaming recorded his first solo work at Mark's studio.

Between 1996 and the fall of 2000, these five folks had occasion to work together as subs for each other's bands but it was in August of 1999 that they had the good fortune of working together on the same show and found the combination to work well. Monroe Crossing was formed in September of 2000 with Brian Fesler on the banjo but by January 2001, Benji was on board.

Since then, Art, Lisa, Matt and Mark have constant members of Monroe Crossing. There have been six banjo players over the years. Brian Fesler was with the band from September through December of 2000. Benji joined in December of 2000 and stayed until October of 2001. Graham Sones was next on the five and played until October of 2004 when Jeff Whitson moved up from Arkansas to take his place. Jeff picked with Monroe Crossing until May of 2006. Jason Ericsson of Pennsylvania filled Jeff shoes and stayed until December of 2006. Jason's departure cleared the way for the return of Benji.

Beginning in October 2004, Monroe Crossing has been playing full-time, a feat few musicians in any genre can claim. With Benji back in the fold, the five original members of Monroe Crossing look forward to entertaining audiences of all sizes from coast to coast and from Canada to the Caribbean. It's hard to believe that these five individuals will celebrating their tenth anniversary with a year long tour beginning September of 2009.

Those “patient fans” who had the pleasure to see the fabled Freight Hoppers perform from 1992 to the band’s lay-up will certainly know what a sight and sound it is to witness the infectious groove of fiddle and banjo combination driven by David Bass and Frank Lee. These guys set a new benchmark on the circuit back in the mid 90s. When the band took a rest, in 2002 when they last performed together, many wondered if that hallmark sound would be heard again.

Now, Lee and Bass are back and have brought in Isaac Deal on guitar and vocals and Bradley Adams on upright bass. With the two original members reunited and joined by Deal, whose ardent high lead and tenor voice holds the line and traverses the music’s authentic spirit and Adams on powerhouse bass, a string band has been created to rival the best that ever kicked up dust. During the 1990s, The Freight Hoppers became the most popular modern day old time music string band in the world. The Freight Hoppers recorded two critically acclaimed albums that climbed into the Top 20 of Billboard’s Americana music charts: “Where’d You Come From, Where’d You Go?” (1996) and “Waiting on the Gravy Train” (1998). They toured extensively in the U.S., Canada and Europe, appeared on Garrison Keillor's " A Prairie Home Companion,” and elevated the popularity of old time music all over the world. With performances at concerts and festivals and radio airplay, they shook up the music landscape and created a new audience of traditional music fans.