1. BLUEGRASS GENERATIONS
Principal Research: Fred Bartenstein
Research Assistance: Mary Jo Leet Ed Renner
Admin. Assistance: Kelly Skidmore
September 9,
725 Wright Street, Yellow Springs, OH 45387

2. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud
of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders…and
let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Hebrews 12:1-2
“Hey, let’s hear it for Lester Flatt. Joe Stuart and Pete
Rowan, Mac Wiseman and Melvin Goins. Stoney Cooper
and Earl Snead, bluegrass music is what we need.”
“Tater Tate and Alan Munde,” John Hartford, 1976

3. Project goals:
Create a database of not less than 500 professional bluegrass artists, whose recordings have had national distribution.
Propose a classification of generations.
Explore interesting patterns.

4. Data collected for 680 artists
Name & nickname(s)
Year of birth
State of birth
Year of death
Gender
Year of first and last commercial recording
Primary instrument
Primary vocal part
Member of the Blue Grass Boys?
Primary other recording genre
Band leader?
Sources of information

5. Primary sources of information:
Bluegrass Bios 2005 (Wayne Rice)
America’s Music: Bluegrass (Barry Willis)
All Music Guide website (allmusic.com)
Bluegrass Discography website (ibiblio.org/hillwilliam/ BGdiscography)
Century of Country website (countryworks. com/artist_full.asp)
Blue Grass Boys website (//doodah.net/bgb/)
Country Music Records (Tony Russell)
Country Music Sources (Meade, Spottswood & Meade)
Fred Bartenstein database of 9,000+ songs for broadcast

6. Potential sources of error
Incorrect information (some guesses)
Incomplete information (missing artists, particularly in later generations, US bias)
Interpretation

7. Generation 0 - The Ancestors
• Born
• Recorded
• Born in the South
• Preserved & updated
19th century music
• Major contributors to
bluegrass repertoire
• Played fiddle, guitar,
banjo, slide guitar
examples (of 30):
• Dock Boggs
• A.P. & Sara Carter
• Grayson & Whitter
• Uncle Dave Macon
• J.E. Mainer
• Sam & Kirk McGee
• Charlie Poole
• Jimmie Rodgers
• E.V. & Hattie Stoneman
• Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith

8. Generation 1 - The Pioneers
• Born
• Recorded 1927-on
• Born in Appalachia
• Professional country
music entertainers
• Created bluegrass vocal
& instrumental styles
• Played guitar, fiddle,
mandolin, banjo, bass
examples (of 118):
• Roy Acuff
• Bill & Earl Bolick
• Maybelle Carter
• Flatt & Scruggs
• Wade Mainer
• Bill & Charlie Monroe
• Molly O’Day
• Carl Story
• Doc Watson
• Bob Wills

9. Generation 2 - The Builders
• Born
• Recorded 1941-on
• Rural to urban migrants
• 23% Blue Grass Boys
• Fleshed out & explored
within classic parameters
• First to be called
“bluegrass”
• Initiated bluegrass
festivals
examples (of 200):
• Country Gentlemen 1&2
• J.D. Crowe
• Hazel Dickens
• Jimmy Martin
• Del McCoury
• Jim & Jesse McReynolds
• Bob & Sonny Osborne
• Don Reno & Red Smiley
• Classic Seldom Scene
• Carter & Ralph Stanley
• Mac Wiseman

10. Generation 3 - The Innovators
• Born
• Recorded 1953-on
• Broadest geographic
origins
• Grew up with rock
• Took music to new
directions & audiences
• Fewest fiddlers
• Largest generation
(baby boomers)
examples (of 246):
• Sam Bush
• Rodney Dillard
• Jerry Douglas
• Bela Fleck
• Hot Rize
• Doyle Lawson
• Laurie Lewis
• Tony Rice
• Skaggs & Whitley
• Larry Sparks
• Rhonda Vincent

11. Generation 4 - The Conservators
• Born
• Recorded 1976-on
• 59% from the South
• Grew up with festivals
• 3% Blue Grass Boys, 9%
Quicksilver
• Returned to classic
patterns & repertoire
• Much smaller generation
(baby bust)
examples (of 69):
• Mike Bub
• Sidney & Suzanne Cox
• Stuart Duncan
• Rob Ickes
• Alison Krauss
• Rob & Ron McCoury
• Russell Moore
• Kenny & Valerie Smith
• Adam Steffey
• Ronnie Stewart
• Dan Tyminski

12. Generation 5 - The Explorers
• Born
• Recorded 1989-on
• 59% CA, CO, TN
• Oldest now only 28
• Appear to echo some
characteristics of Gen 0:
41% fiddlers, reinterpret
music for a new century
• Data base is thin;
generalizations are shaky
examples (of 17):
• Chapmans (except Bill)
• Michael Cleveland
• Ryan Holladay
• Sierra Hull
• Andy Leftwich
• Nickel Creek
• Brandon Rickman
• Ralph Stanley II
• Josh Williams
• Gabe Witcher

13. When were they actively recording?
Med.Age
st Rec

14. What other genres did they record?
(30)
(56)
(61)
(174)
(73)
(281)
Total (680)
median 1st rec

15. Born in 5 years beginning…

16. 12 years old in 5 years beginning…

17. What happened in the peak years for 12-year-olds?
“Golden Era” 70
Bonnie & Clyde, Early BGFs 69
1st & Classic Blue Grass Boys 61

18. What happened in the “trough” years for 12-year-olds?
Elvis, Rockabilly 41
Elvis, Doo-Wop 57
Beatles, Folk Boom 59

19. 1st recorded in 5 years beginning…

20. What happened in the peak years for first recording?
Folk Era, Beverly Hillbillies 72
Deliverance, Early BGFs 68
CDs, Alison Krauss
Mature BGFs, Bicentennial 67
Golden Era, Pt. 1 66
Golden Era, Pt. 2 64

21. What happened in the “trough” years for first recording?
Heavy Metal, Retro Country 34
Elvis, Rockabilly 35
Psychedelia, Folk Era Ended 46
Pop Rock, Retro Country 48

22. Where were they born? (40) (52) (66) (496)
median 1st rec

23. What states did they come from?
Overall-
56%
median 1st rec

24. Primary instrument (overall %)
(198)
(157)
(105)
(97)
(82)
(20)
(21)

25. Overall (instrument %)
Ancestors
Pioneers
Builders
Innovators
Overall (instrument %)
Conservators
Explorers

26. How many were women? Overall- 11% (605) (75)
median 1st rec

27. Did they play in the Blue Grass Boys?
Overall-
11%
median 1st rec

28. How many were band leaders?
Overall-
33%
median 1st rec

29. How many were prodigies (1st recording younger than 18) or late bloomers (after 40)?
median 1st rec

30. Some observations
Generations alternate between innovation and conservation.
In lean times, artists arise from the bluegrass heartland (NC, VA, TN, KY, WV).
Interest in bluegrass occurs in adolescence, followed by a year apprenticeship, and a median recording career from ages 25 to 53.
Long careers “crowd the market” as generations overlap.
There is not one African-American or Hispanic in the database.

31. Some observations From 1936 to 1939, 28 banjo players were born.
- 18% of all 157 banjo players in the database
- 53% of all 54 musicians born in those 4 years
- more than double the overall 23% rate of
banjoists.
• These included:
Eddie Adcock Bill Emerson Allen Shelton
J.D. Crowe Walter Hensley Roni Stoneman
Doug Dillard Bill Keith Bobby Thompson
Ben Eldridge Sonny Osborne Eric Weissberg

32. Some observations • Similar but less pronounced concentrations
• years later, Earl Scruggs released his first seven banjo instrumentals.
• Similar but less pronounced concentrations
occurred:
- among mandolin players who were 10-14
when Bill Monroe’s Bluebirds
were released.
- among guitar players who were in the
first flush of bluegrass lead guitar,