From Bluegrass to Young Country Chapter 14 From Bluegrass to Young Country

Bill Monroe (1911-1996) Father of bluegrass Born in Kentucky Began performing with his brothers in the early 1930s Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys

Original bluegrass bands were very similar to string bands Their function was primarily to accompany dancing Emphasis was placed on instruments playing with a strong rhythm Vocals were almost secondary, alternating with instrumental breakdown sections

Primary instruments: Fiddle Mandolin Banjo Guitar Bass

Bill Monroe’s bluegrass style was more aggressive and technically demanding than existing string band styles Most mandolin players used a gentle strumming rhythm, softly trilling notes and filling in guitar rhythms Monroe played much faster, more intricate parts

Bill Monroe’s bluegrass did not include drums It was up to the string instruments to provide rhythm Has a feel of 1-and-2-and Quicker sixteenth notes provided a rhythmic feel It's Mighty Dark To Travel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jQMIhIP2uM

Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs Originally in Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys At the height of their success they left and formed their own band Composed the theme to The Beverly Hillbillies, bringing bluegrass to national attention https://youtu.be/NwzaxUF0k18 Earl Scruggs perfected the technique of tuning the banjo as it was played Earl's Breakdown https://youtu.be/3wC62YOY_kc

The experimentation of youthful new bluegrass artists in the 1960s led to the adoption of the term newgrass Some musicians experimented with combining it with elements of jazz and rock Nickel Creek blends country and pop music featuring the mandolin strongly http://youtu.be/ng5-VUDcjJ8

In 2001 O Brother Where Art Thou brought some popularity to bluegrass and older country music in general http://youtu.be/I1C2gCXo4Gs The soundtrack swept the 2001 CMA awards “A Man of Constant Sorrow”

MODERN COUNTRY MUSIC http://youtu.be/cy9gp8943zM

Garth Brooks Born in Oklahoma The most successful country/pop crossover artist One of the best-selling music artists in the US – 128 million records Whereas most of his immediate predecessors just stood on stage and sang, Brooks brought dramatic stadium rock aspects into his show (fireworks, mosh pit jumping, flying over the audience on cables and wearing a cordless head mounted microphone usually found on dancing pop acts) Released Ropin’ the Wind in 1991 – first country album to debut at the top of the pop charts In 2000 Brooks starred in a movie as dark rocker Chris Gaines To promote this new character, he began performing as him and released an album in character (wasn’t successful) Went on hiatus from 2005 – 2008 but has since returned to performing

Alan Jackson Born in Georgia in 1958 Has preserved honky tonk traditions Sarcastic lyrics about trendy Nashville activity “Don’t Rock the Jukebox” – don’t dial up rock music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMDq-MnpbTo Musical tributes to working-class and struggling families

Johnny Cash While staying true to himself musically, he managed to stay commercially and artistically viable for four generations Deeply spiritual and a devout Christian, yet was plagued all his life with substance abuse and other personal demons Established himself as a dark loner by wearing all black to the Grand Ole Opry – this, along with his dark ballads earned him the title “the man in black” Played a number of free concerts at prisons To stay relevant, Cash teamed up with Rick Rubin in the early 1990s who insisted on him rerecording songs by contemporary artists Nine Inch Nails “Hurt” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aF9AJm0RFc http://youtu.be/k7K4jH7NqUw “I Walk the Line”

Dixie Chicks Began as a neo-cowgirl and bluegrass group but this was abandoned for a more pop sound and look. Anti-war statements made them a little less popular http://youtu.be/Gw7gNf_9njs “Goodbye Earl”

Carrie Underwood Winner of the fourth season of American Idol Won the Grammy for Best New Artist – the second of only three people to do this along with Leann Rimes and Zac Brown Band http://youtu.be/WaSy8yy-mr8 “Before He Cheats”

Taylor Swift Her album Fearless has spent more time at no. 1 than any other since 2000 Ranked the 38th Best Artist of the 2000–10 decade by Billboard – her first album debuted in 2006 Has been extremely influential in bringing country music to a younger audience http://youtu.be/8xg3vE8Ie_E “Love Story” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLI4EuDckgM “Trouble”

September 11, 2001 World Trade Center and Pentagon are attacked by terrorists https://youtu.be/GmedslmeiUc In the wake of these attacks a number of patriotic songs surfaced https://youtu.be/gPHnadJ-0hE Can be seen as a way to boost morale through times of war At the same time songs came out either justifying the war(s) or supporting the troops https://youtu.be/5PXSK3iDeAI

Many of these songs contained mild to strong religious undertones – this stems from the traditionally strong religious beliefs in the South Shortly after the attacks Clear Channel Communications, which owns more than 1200 radio stations, published a list of 166 songs with “questionable lyrics” that should probably be avoided – this list included “all songs” by Rage Against the Machine

COUNTRY and ROCK

Lynyrd Skynyrd Formed in 1964 Had numerous hits, including Freebird, which frequently appears on “Best song” lists In 1977 the band was involved in a plane crash – the lead singer and guitarist died Known for incorporating extended solo sections into their live shows – Freebird is an excellent example of this http://youtu.be/np0solnL1XY

Allman Brothers Frequently combined blues and jazz into their mix of country and rock Also known for performing extended solo sections live http://youtu.be/0WGVW7byRCA “Ramblin’ Man”

In the past decade a number of hard/modern rock bands have performed patriotic songs with some type of country influence including “Citizen Soldier” by 3 Doors Down http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcjwSTcFsNY and Five Finger Death Punch

Changing Face of Country Music After Iraq War – young, good-looking, new talent Brad Paisley born 1972 in West Virginia – music business major, worked on demo sessions, signed with Arista label. Debut album went platinum (Who Needs Pictures 1999) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWM5P2GgT_E “Who Needs Pictures”

More New Faces Keith Urban – born in New Zealand in 1967,moved to Australia http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dtfBxUTXRY Tim McGraw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf7GfUORHtw Faith Hill http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7Qob5zr2Bk

Sinister Minister, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drHCosJWH0Q   Mark O'Connor and the New Nashville Cats http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyR99JCXJMw Mumford and Sons – “I Will Wait” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5t7B-ia8Y0