Bluegrass

(A kneeslappingly informal guide to that sweet ass Bluegrass)

Probably your first impression of Blue Grass

What is Bluegrass?

In the long and forgotten, ancient times (1930's) a baby was born. Believe it or not that baby was Bluegrass. It's parents however were Big Daddy Blues and Miss Country. After a decade of sweet love and societal hardship baby Bluegrass was conceived. On a more serious note, Bluegrass was genuinely formed in the period right after the first world war and in the struggling years of the great depression. Bluegrass is a lot like country but instead has mainly string instruments. The singing is usually higher pitched and the music is really fast and has someone going absolutely ham on the banjo. 

Who Created Bluegrass?

Mr. Bill Monroe himself. Many refer to him as the "Father of Bluegrass." With that being said he paved the way for Bluegrass's success through "perfecting" the way Bluegrass is performed. He was actually one of those guys who played blues music with seeing difficulties as he had crossed eyes for a long time as a child into his early adulthood which for the rest of his life impaired his vision. He gained inspiration through his oldest brothers who were known for swing dancing and decided to create his own music but with primarily stringed instruments. Bill even added his own twists to it and made a lot of the song's tempos pretty fast and he sang in a higher pitched voice! Eventually the "Blue Grass Boys" were created through Bill hiring very talented musicians and as they performed Bluegrass gained so much popularity that it began being played over the radio so people all over the countrie could enjoy it!

Bill Monroe with Colonel Sanders

Who plays in Bluegrass?

Normally, Bluegrass is performed by both genders. At first, men mainly dominated this genre as they were typically performing it while they were away working and broadcasted it over the radios. Over time women began to participate as its popularity began to sky rocket. When it was originally created artist, Bill Monroe and his gang the "Blue Grass Boys" perfected the genre through it's acoustic, stringed instrumentation and fast/high pitched singing. Which also made dancing and "gittin' down" much more enjoyable. 

Blue Grass Boys with Art Wooten on fiddle

Where does Bluegrass take place?

Today, Bluegrass is performed all over the United States. It may not be everyone's favorite but it is primarily played around mountain landscaped areas. I would say Bluegrass is pretty well know around the Rocky Mountains, and mostly up through North Carolina and Tennessee in the Smokey Mountains. It's pretty well known where we currently live and probably all over the place when you drive further up north. 

Why Bluegrass?

I like to think of Bluegrass like Mayonnaise. I know that sounds really obscure but it honestly acts a lot like mayonnaise. People either hate it, want just a taste, or they want A LOT of it. I fall into the later category of it. I would say I primarily listen to a lot of indie or pop music but theres just something about Bluegrass that scratches an itch in my brain. It has such an aesthetically pleasing sound to it and the instrumentation itself slays.

Blue Grass Art Print by Elizabeth Person

What is in Bluegrass?

Normally Bluegrass bands are made up of a variety of stringed instruments like the banjo, acoustic guitar and bass, mandolin and fiddle. If you want to get down and dirty sometimes there might be something a long the lines of "jugs and clothes washing racks." I know when you think of Bluegrass sometimes Hillbilly's come to mind but in some cases thats what or should I say who are primarily the current players of Bluegrass. However, in the past many of the players were people who would work during the week and then on the weekends would go out and sing/vent about work and romantic frustrations. 

Modern Day Bluegrass

Everyone knows, or has at least heard of Dolly Parton. She is a world renown singer and song writer and even has her own recreational "dolly" themed amusement park. A long with being a singer and songwriter she has composed quite a few Bluegrass pieces like Little Sparrow and Mountain Angel. 

Mountain Angel

Pretty as an angel from the day that she was born

Skin as fair as Lily's hair, as golden as the corn

They knew that she was special from the moment she first cried

She was a mountain angel certified

She was her momma's baby, she was her daddy's pride

Good at home, at church and school, at everything she tried

Everybody's darlin' led a charmed and peaceful life

The perfect mountain angel 'til he arrived

And ohh, she fell so deeply

Ooh, she couldn't stop

She gave herself to him, milled it completely

He lifted her so high he let her drop

She gave up everything for him that mattered in her life

All the others that had loved her and she vowed to be his wife

She dreamed of bearing children in an ivy-covered house

The mountain angel's sunshine turned to clouds

The wicked handsome stranger left the way he came

Broke her heart and broke her mind

She never was the same

They say he was the devil

That had come to steal her soul

She never loved another it was told

They say she had a baby

Some say that it had died

They it's just as well

As it had been the devil's child

They say good conquers evil

But here, evil won the prize

So the mountain angel took to the wild

And ooh, she couldn't take it

Years passed and she had long since lost her mind

She waited for him as her beauty faded

Her parents died from grief before their time

She tried to gather pieces of her life, they wouldn't fit

Beside the tiny grave deep in the woods is where she'd sit

Talking to the child, herself, to him, who knew for sure

Possessed they say by satan's insane lure

High a'top the mountain, for years they say she's seen

Looking down upon the town where she had once been queen

She'd sneak around the playground, watch the little children play

They'd see the crazy lady then run away

They say she roamed these hills for years, wearing not a stitch

The lovely mountain angel now thought to be a witch

She made those wailing mournful sounds

That you could hear for miles

Long after she laid down upon her baby's grave and died

And ooh, her ghost is callin'

She's waiting for the ones that she adored

Through spring and summer, fall when snow is fallin'

Her spirit roams these hills forever more

The mountain angel's voices ever more

Oohh, oooo

Oohh, oooo

Oohh, oooo

Great song right? I agree, it just sounds so nice acoustically but what makes it Bluegrass is that it has the stringed instrumentation and it's lyrics, which I supplied above, recap a story of romantic struggles which is a staple of Bluegrass music. This is pretty modern in the standards of Bluegrass but it follows along with the normality of having a high pitched tune above an acoustic guitar or banjo. There are even moments when these instruments have a small solo which is very, very, very important within Bluegrass. 

Original Bluegrass

Below I'm going to show you all one of the very first Bluegrass pieces by the Blue Grass Boys. 

In this video Bill Monroe, the man in the grey suit, (and acknowledged founder of Bluegrass) shares with us his first written hymn, The Wicked Path of Sin. Another staple of Bluegrass is them talking about more hardships and how the things they do in life end up coming back as their sins. What I really like about this video and why I used it as my example is that the Blue Grass Boys are a really well put together group of individuals Also, in the video you get to see this man hit some pretty high notes :) I also really like how Bluegrass groups divy out solos because they're pretty on the fly and the whole group just steps back and lets the violin have a lil moment to shine since he doesn't sing. It just feels so welcoming. 

BlueRock

Honestly is just sounds like Im making up words at this point, and honestly yeah I am. However what I call BlueRock is honestly this pretty dope parody of Bluegrass where people in the community like to play songs that are so far away from Bluegrass that when they come together it is literally life changing. 

I really like this video because it add elements of Bluegrass and Rock together that in the end actually end up complimenting each other. Also, something to notice in this video is that they are using a drum set and accordion. I know the accordion isn't too far off from from Bluegrass roots but typically there isn't really much percussion in Bluegrass besides "hand made" percussive instruments. 

Works Cited

“Bluegrass.” Blue Ridge Music Trails. Last modified December 15, 2021. Accessed January 15, 2023. https://www.blueridgemusicnc.com/listen-and-learn/music-styles/bluegrass/. 

Folkways. “Explore.” Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Accessed January 15, 2023. https://folkways.si.edu/bluegrass-folkways-american-roots-tradition/history/music/article/smithsonian. 

“A Tribute to Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys.” Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. Accessed January 15, 2023. http://www.doodah.net/bgb/.