Bluegrass & Appalachia

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john_pifer

john_pifer

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Dickson, TN.
Being of Scots-Irish descent myself, I’ve always been fascinated by Appalachian culture and I love Bluegrass music. Watching a 1991 documentary on YouTube right now called Appalachian Journey. Great music and culture. A few Bluegrass favorites: Long Black Veil, Choctaw Hayride, Mama Cried. Love riding my motorcycle or driving out to the Smoky Mountains, through the Appalachian Country. Ive especially enjoyed stopping in little towns in the “hollers” of Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee and eating at diners where there are sure to be old men sitting at the table by the window drinking coffee. It’s fun striking up a conversation with them and learning about the history of the town as they know it. Any other fans of bluegrass and Appalachian culture here?
 
I grew up playing it, still do occasionally. Ironically enough I played it all over the midwest, from KY to CO, TX to IA, while living in Missouri, now I live 2 hours from Nashville and even closer to plenty of bluegrass notables' home towns, and have gotten rained off a motorcycle in Rocky Top, Tennessee!
 
Originally Posted By: Alex_V
I grew up playing it, still do occasionally. Ironically enough I played it all over the midwest, from KY to CO, TX to IA, while living in Missouri, now I live 2 hours from Nashville and even closer to plenty of bluegrass notables' home towns, and have gotten rained off a motorcycle in Rocky Top, Tennessee!
Haha, awesome! Speaking of Missouri - here are some fellas playing “Mama Cried” at Sally Mountain Park, Missouri:
 
Cool! It's been a while since I was at Sally Mountain (10 years?) but I've shared the stage with Driven at a festival in the mandolin and bass players' (twins) hometown of Colby, KS. The finest kind of people. The guitar player is now with Ricky Skaggs.
 
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Yes. I live about 7 miles from Cold Mountain, NC. Played some bluegrass here and there (I own a prewar Gibson banjo). Papaw used to make moonshine in the basement. Stuff like that.
 
Originally Posted By: john_pifer
Love riding my motorcycle ...... stopping in little towns.....where there are sure to be old men sitting at the table by the window drinking coffee. It’s fun striking up a conversation with them and learning about the history of the town as they know it.
This is one of my all time favorite past-times!
 
Big fan here also. I have been listening online, for the past coupla years, to [url=www.wmmt.org/listen]www.wmmt.org/listen[/url] In Whitesburg, ky. Well curated Bluegrass daily afternoons. Station is an offshoot of Appalshop.org which is involved in preserving Appalachian culture and is funded by some impressive donors. WMMT is outstanding, I often listen to it overnight. Some hilarious local DJ's, total amateurs, add a wrinkle in daytime. Cheers, Larry
 
I grew up in West Virginia and there are many places that are still very "backwoods" or "old school." I'm a huge music buff and do love some good ol' banjo. But the bluegrass culture is quickly expanding beyond those remote hollers. Check out The Dead South, especially their songs "In [censored] I'll Be In Good Company" and "Banjo Odyssey". Also look up Ole Crow Medicine Show who actually wrote* (they finished what was a Dylan song) and released "Wagon Wheel". Also, take a listen to The Reverend Peyton's Big [censored] Band. Now, this is more blues than bluegrass, but he plays a very old steel string acoustic guitar with a slide and the band is his wife on washboard and a drummer who plays buckets and a suitcase kick drum. They are from the midwest and I really enjoy them. Youtube Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9FzVhw8_bY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y4qmWF9TIM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gX1EP6mG-E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7RopOgsh5c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWCcLW08dsU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bro2ajJbDWQ
 
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Live in the heart of bluegrass country in the northwest corner of North Carolina's Appalachian mountains. Here bluegrass is mainstream. Local guy and guitar/banjo champion, Steve Lewis, teaches Appalachian Mountain music at the local high school. Being in the middle of it, taking the time to fully appreciate the uniqueness of the art is difficult to do. You just take some things for granted, unfortunately. https://bluegrasstoday.com/steve-lewis-inside-the-mind-of-a-contest-champion/
 
I grew up in Western Maryland in the Appalachian foothills. Very often, a lot of the old bluegrass and country singers would come to the various fireman's carnivals. I remember seeing Bill Monroe, among others. Bluegrass music was just call called "music". My dad was from Possum Holler, West Virginia. That is about 30 miles outside of Elkins, WV. He told me about listening to the Grand Ole Opry on the radio when he was growing up (when they could get reception in the holler). It was a big deal. You will still find many people playing music in the Appalachians, and their families have done it for many generations. Many times popular musicians in the mainstream will "discover" bluegrass, and it will influence them. It runs in cycles.
 
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Read the book Our Southern Highlanders by Horace Kephart. He came to the area in the early 20th century, about 100 years ago, and wrote about what he saw and experienced.
 
Given that it's that time of day (Bluegrass Time natch) I thought I would again recommend the mountain and bluegrass being played online At wmmt.org till 4:00 this afternoon. And most days. [url=www.wmmt.org/listen/]www.wmmt.org/listen/[/url] Cheers and enjoy. Larry
 
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