Chapter 14
From Bluegrass to Young Country
Bill Monroe (1911-1996)
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Father of bluegrass
Born in Kentucky
Began performing with his brothers in the
early 1930s
Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys
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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:
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Fiddle
Mandolin
Banjo
Guitar
Bass
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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
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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=4jQMIhIP2
uM
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs
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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
Earl Scruggs perfected the technique of tuning the
banjo as it was played
Earl's Breakdown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drHCosJWH0Q
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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
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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
http://youtu.be/TIKz1phnuCc
MODERN COUNTRY
MUSIC
http://youtu.be/cy9gp8943z
M
Garth Brooks
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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
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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=RMDqMnpbTo
Musical tributes to working-class and
struggling families
Johnny Cash
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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
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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
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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
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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=HLI4EuDc
kgM “Trouble”
September 11, 2001
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World Trade Center and Pentagon are attacked
by terrorists
In the wake of these attacks a number of
patriotic songs surfaced
http://youtu.be/fvj6zdWLUuk
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
http://youtu.be/JZaPfNZvSZM
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
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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
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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”
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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=ZcjwSTcFs
NY and Five Finger Death Punch
Changing Face of Country Music
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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=zWM5P2G
gT_E “Who Needs Pictures”
More New Faces
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Keith Urban – born in New Zealand in
1967,moved to Australia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dtfBxUT
XRY
Tim McGraw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf7GfUOR
Htw
Faith Hill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7Qob5zr2
Bk
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Sinister Minister, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drHCosJWH0Q
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When You come back down, nickel creek
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng5-VUDcjJ8
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Mark O'Connor and the New Nashville Cats
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyR99JCXJMw
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Mumford and Sons – “I Will Wait”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5t7B-ia8Y0