Traditional Country Music Is At The Heart Of Modern Bluegrass

As a child of the 1950's, being raised on a healthy dose of Hank Williams, and George Jones, I spent most of the last 20 years wondering what happened to good old Country Music. You know, the honky tonk, beer drinking, cheating on your girlfriend songs.

The birth of Traditional Country Music can be traced back to the 1930's when the music that came out of the Bristol Sessions began to split up into categories. Blues, Bluegrass, and Country.

Roy Acuff and Ernest Tubb lead the migration to Nashville while Bill Monroe, along with Lester Flatt and the banjo magic of Earl Scruggs, kept the High Lonesome sound of what is now known as traditional bluegrass music.

Alan Jackson and George Strait told us back in 2000 about Murder on Music Row being the end of what we call Traditional Country Music.

The songs coming out of Nashville in the 21st century, that are being called Country Music are nothing more than Pop Music with very little roots in country music. This music was where all of the kids from the 70's and 80's landed when the Rock music ended after the breakup of the Eagles..

Murder on Music Row was the song that explained the shift in style that Nashville was going through at the dawn of the 21st century, and although it was well accepted by traditional fans, it was not liked by the record executives around Nashville.

Murder on Music Row was released as a duet sung by Alan Jackson, and George Strait with backup vocals by Lee Ann Womack on a George Strait album called "Latest Greatest Straitest Hits" in 2000, but was never released as a single.

The song was aimed at criticism of mainstream country music, and went to number 38 on the Billboard of Country singles.

George Jones, and Dirks Bently recorded the song again in 2006 as part of an album called "Songs of the Year 2007" but was only sold in Cracker Barrel Restaurants.

Would you be surprised if I told you Murder on Music Row had roots in Bluegrass? The song was written by, and originally recorded by Larry Cordle and his band, Lonesome Standard. It was released in 1999 as the title track on their album, Murder on Music Row. and was awarded Song of the Year in 2000 by the IBMA.

Tune into Bluegrass Junction on Sirius XM Radio, and 30% of the songs you will hear are traditional country music done in bluegrass style.

The crying steel guitars have been replaced by banjos and mandolins, but the lyrics and tunes say country music. And to make matters better, it's all acoustic natural music.

So murder wasn't committed on music row, traditional country only moved down the road where lovers of this style of music were able to find it alive and well in the IBMA.

Water always finds the lowest spot, and music that people love always finds it's audience. It just lives in a different place. 

Thanks to modern radio that caters to peoples likes instead of trying to force us into categories that we don't like, we can all find the music that we love to hear, and makes us, as individuals, happy.

So what happened to "Traditional Country Music"?

It moved from Nashville, to Raleigh, and is alive, well disguised as Modern Bluegrass with roots right here on The Crooked Road.

Bluegrass Jam Camp..Bristol Rhythm And Root Reunion

As a writer who also writes about golf, I have been so busy covering the end of season events in professional golf that I haven't had time to get a post up here on Sounds of the Mountains, but I finally broke away last week and got in some jamming at Bristol.

Dr. Banjo holds jam camps all around the country, and this time of the year, they hold a three-day bluegrass jam just ahead of the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion. This year the event was hosted by the folks at the new Birthplace of Country Music Museum.

The jam was lead by Gilbert and Leigh Nelson at the museum with an assist from Doug Miller. The week was topped off with a power jam on Thursday evening with musicians from the Abingdon area, and a 15-minute set on the Mural Stage, Friday evening at Rhythm & Roots.

The session included three days of Jamming instruction, breakout instrument and vocal training, and lots of playing. We had folks from the local area, and one guy from as far away as Wisconsin. 

I received pointers on my banjo, guitar, dog house as well as the finer points of singing harmony. In short, I had a blast playing bluegrass, and meeting a bunch great people.

We played music almost continually from 10 AM to 6 PM daily, and on Thursday after a supper break, we jammed well into the evening.  

The Pete Wernick jamming method provides a safe place for closet pickers where they can jam with other people who are at their talent level. By the end of the first day, we were playing slow to medium speed songs with ease.

By the end of the session and into the performance on the stage at Rhythm & Roots, everyone was able to keep up with some speedy bluegrass standards.

Gilbert Nelson is an entertaining, and very knowledgeable instructor who teaches all instruments in the bluegrass arsenal, as well as techniques for getting out to local jams. 

I recommend that anyone who is like myself, a little apprehensive about going out to join a local jam, the Wernick Method is a great place to begin, where you can gain the confidence to fit in.

Although I have played guitar and bass in many jams, my fear was that darn banjo. Can I pick the banjo out in public and not make a fool out of myself. The jam camp has provided that bridge.

The session in Bristol also included a tour of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. I had always heard of the 1927 Bristol Sessions, but never really understood why Bristol, and why 1927. I answered all those questions, and more during my trip through the museum.

If you love music of all kinds, and want to know more about the history around it, this is the place for you. It is well worth the $13.00 admission if you are in the area.

Not only did the jam camp include admission to the Museum, it also came with a pass to the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion. 

The only bad thing here is, I will have to wait until year to do it again.

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