Bluegrass Playlist

The bluegrass subculture is one that developed around the creation of music. It first appeared in the United States in the mid-1940's in the Appalachian region. Bluegrass is a style of music created by combing country, jazz, ragtime and old-time music and is characterized by the use of acoustic instruments such as the five-string banjo, fiddle, mandolin, acoustic guitar, upright bass, and more recently the resonator guitar. Only acoustic instruments are used because at the time electricity was not common in households and additionally, electric instruments were not favored by conservative country music musicians and audiences. The major themes in many of this early bluegrass music was love for the region, gospel and religion, and love for women. Most of these songs were used as dance music throughout the rural areas of the Appalachian region or were played for celebratory functions. This is a playlist of early bluegrass music that is all based on the Appalachia: the landscape, the people, and the love for a region. 

"Blue Moon Of Kentucky." Bill Monroe, The Essential Bill Monroe And His Blue Grass Boys 1945-1949. Columbia Records, C2K 52478, C2K 52478, 1992. 


Bill Monroe is known as the father and creator of bluegrass. This was his favorite song and what he was most acclaimed for. The lyrics focus on his home state of Kentucky. 


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Monroe


"Foggy Mountain Breakdown." Flatt & Scruggs with The Foggy Mountain Boys, The Story of Bonnie and Clyde. Columbia Records, CS 9649, 1968. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIKdswTJ2vY&feature=related

Possibly the most recognizable song from this era in bluegrass, this is an instrumental that used a pace of picking that was unmatched at the time. 


"Rocky Top." Osborne Brothers, Yesterday, Today, And The Osborne Brothers. MCA Records, MCA-119, 1967.


Another fast paced picking song, the lyrics focus on the vastness of the Appalachian mountain range. 




"When The Roses Bloom Again." Mac Wiseman, 'Tis Sweet To Be Remembered: Complete Recordings 1951-1964. Bear Family, 6316149, 2003. 

This song ties together the links of love and the landscape using roses blooming again as a metaphor for falling in love. 






"Windy Mountain." Lonesome Pine Fiddlers, The 14 Mountain Songs Featuring 5-String Banjo. Gusto, SLP155, 1976.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRG7ZRK8jWw


Another instrumental that uses the picking of the banjo to mimic the sound of wind around mountains. 


"Mountain Dew." Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys, Live From Japan. Rebel Records, 5144, 1970.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug8p5pVsj9U


A song cherishing the weather in the mountains. It is believed that they mountain dew can fix any illness, having total faith in the land they are from. 


"In The Sweet By And By." Don Reno & Red Smiley, Reno & Smiley: 1959-1963. Gusto Records, GUS 955, 2007. 

The lyrics of this song combine the gospel and religion they see in the land around them. It utilizes both of these ideals which were very important in the beginning of bluegrass. 




"Sunny Side Of The Mountain." Jimmy Martin, Sunny Side Of The Mountain. Decca, DL 4643, 1955. 


Jimmy Martin uses this song to discuss his love that he's lost. He talks about how it will always be with him using the metaphor of how the sun will always shine on the side of the mountain. 








"Hello City Limits." Red Allen and the Kentuckians, Solid Bluegrass Sound. Melodeon, 7325, 1965. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT5B5Krz8Xk

This song explores the fact that city limits do exist, that their Appalachian region does end, and they can leave who they once were behind. It is a song about starting new outside the world they are familiar with. 


"Over In The Glory Land." The Stanley Brothers, For The Good People. Gusto Records, 1960. 

The Stanley Brothers refer the the Appalachian region as their glory land, and once they move on they will be in heaven. It associates their landscape with religion. 






"Where We'll Never Grown Old." Don Reno and Red Smiley, Reno & Smiley: 1959-1963. Gusto Records, GUS 955, 2007. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSqAelw1Cmg&feature=related
Reno and Smiley have grown up and lived in the same area their whole lives. It is the home of their youth and where they feel like they have never aged. This is reinforced by the slight twang in the music. 


"A Beautiful Life." The Kentucky Colonels, Long Journey Home. Vanguard, 77004, 1964. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHC-6uYfJvE
An instrumental meant to explore the beautiful things about life. 


"Little Home in Tennessee." Mac Wiseman, 'Tis Sweet To Be Remembered: Complete Recordings 1951-1964. Bear Family, 6316149, 2003. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dDHCFiopGo&feature=related


This song is about yearning for a home back in Tennessee. While they are outside of their home, they always think about coming back. 




"Cabin In The Hills." Flatt & Scruggs, Essential Flatt & Scruggs: 'Tis Sweet To Be Remembered. Columbia Records, 64877, 1997. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYQzYQOiKpU


Flatt & Scruggs use this slower song to express desire to go back to a place they are familiar with. This song doesn't have the quick banjo that characterizes other bluegrass songs, put plays on the melody more. 




"East Tennessee Blues." Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys, The Father of Bluegrass Music. RCA Camden Records, CAL 719, 1962.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9cHV-QQb-A&feature=related


An instrumental that explores the blues of leaving Tennessee and the Appalachian region. 
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