History of Bluegrass Music

In the seventeenth century, people migrating to America, such as the Irish, Scottish, and English, brought their local types of music with them. The dance music, ballads, gospel, and blues, eventually evolved into the bluegrass sounds of today.

Consider that most of the settlers lived in rural areas, such as Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and the Carolinas. The songs were about everyday life on the farm, and in the hills, this kind of music was the beginning of mountain and country music. With the introduction of the phonograph and radio, the old time sounds of the south were introduced to people all over the United States. In the rolling grassland of Kentucky’s Bluegrass Region, Clark County became the center of this style of music. The term “bluegrass” stemmed from the name of Bill Monroe’s band, “The Blue Grass Boys.” There are several traditional instruments that must be part of the band in order to be considered a bluegrass band. These include the use of the mandolin, the fiddles, banjo, standup bass, dulcimers, lap steels, autoharps, accordions, harmonicas, piano, drums, and the different guitars such as the bluegrass electric, dobros resonator, acoustic bass, and the ukulele.

Bluegrass music is currently enjoyed everywhere, including 30 foreign countries. It has been mixed with a variety of types of music including jazz, contemporary country, Celtic, rock and roll, gospel music, and the newgrass which is considered progressive bluegrass. It appears that the bluegrass sound is increasing all the time, and should continue to grow for many years to come.