Bluegrass Music in American Culture

Bluegrass music is a true American creation. This musical entity is born of a blending of various ethnic styles of music. What has come to be known as the high lonesome sound was born from Scots-Irish folk ballads, sung by original immigrant families that came to Kentucky during the 1800s. Slave music also influenced the sound of bluegrass. The sound of bluegrass is one of hard times, sad love, innovation, family, and good times. It reflects the feelings of the families and friends who would get together on the front porch of a mountain cabin and entertain themselves with the music.

An array of instruments was employed by the mountain musicians to gain that unique improvisational blending of Scots-Irish ballads. You could find folks with fiddles, guitars, washboards, harmonicas, blow jugs, and banjos. The man who is considered to be the father of bluegrass is Bill Monroe. Monroe grew up in Kentucky and was weaned on mountain music. By age 12, he was developing his own guitar style and was taught the fiddle by fiddler Arnold Schultz, who is credited with putting the blues in bluegrass.

The fabric of many types of American music is interwoven with bluegrass, including rock and roll, jazz, blues, and country western. All of these styles owe their heritage to the mountain folk and the music kept alive by those who had the music in their souls. Bill Monroe's immortal words sum the iconic American sound up best; "It's got a hard drive to it. It's Scotch bagpipes and old-time fiddlin'. It's Methodist and Holiness and Baptist. It's blues and jazz and it has a high lonesome sound. It's plain music that tells a story. It's played from my heart to your heart, and it will touch you."