Bluegrass Music in American Culture

Bluegrass music has made quite a splash since its quiet beginnings in the 1920s with the Carter Family, but the true bluegrass really started in the 1940s, after World War II, with the Monroe brothers and their band the "Blue Grass Boys." Of course, true bluegrass started to take the American music world by storm in the the 1940s and has grown and changed each decade since.

The history of bluegrass takes it from the 1940s, when it replaced the more traditional string band, through the 1960s, when it incorporated itself into folk music, and through the 1970s when it was also integrated into rock. The songs themselves tell the stories of life in America and speaks of the history, not only of the country, but of the music itself. Each generation, the music has evolved. Traditional bluegrass is a style which combines banjo music, acoustic guitar, rich harmonies, and tenor type voices (higher rather than lower). The music is very improvisational, where each instrument has the ability to take the melody and do whatever they want to it when it is their turn to play it. Bluegrass was originally written to accompany dancing in the very rural parts of the country. It was used in celebrations and performances to tell the stories of the land.

To say bluegrass is grass roots Americana music would be very appropriate, although it does have some roots in other cultures as well. It has grown up with the South and is still a very visible part of the musical history of the country.