Country and Bluegrass Music: Origins, Evolution, and Native American Influences - Prof. Th, Study notes of Music

Download Country and Bluegrass Music: Origins, Evolution, and Native American Influences - Prof. Th and more Study notes Music in PDF only on Docsity! Country and Bluegrass, and Native American Music Vocabulary Country/Bluegrass Aknoting- a gorde with a goat skin, long neck, strings, has a drone string that is played with a thumb Bela Fleck- revived the banjo Bill Monroe – Country and Blue Grass. Started genre of blue grass. Post WWII. 1950’s rock and roll. Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Father of blue grass music, instrument was a madaline (a tiny guitar 8 strings) Bluegrass – mid 20th acoustic music ^...banjo center of bluegrass music. Banjo is called America’s instrument. Progression versus nastalgina (looking back at the good old days) move to Detroit from Kentucky, all acoustic, no electric instruments, “churchy”, harmonies, and fast solos. The boys travel around South, play baseball, challenge local teams during day, play their concerts at night Carter Family- First family of country musicians, worked for XERA radio, the Carter Family had a warm presence on the radio and sang about things people could relate though, this it the beginning of nationalizing country music. Clawhammer – Right hand banjo technique. Came from Africa. instrumental technique on a banjo when the hand is down-picking Country & Western – Western style in country music. 1940’s. Hank Williams. Boots and cowboy hats. Dan Emmett- Composed the song Dixie, black faced banjo player in minstrel show, song representative of the old outh Dixie – Song composed by Dan Emmett. Minstrel song. “I wish I was in the land of cotton” ensemble. Only recording with a tambourine (playing the back beat). Banjo, percussions (bones), flute, recreation of a minstrel era performance, musical equivalent of the old confederate flag. Dr. John Brinkley- He was a "doctor" who broadcasted on the radio ads for his surgeries, people often died from his surgeries. He got people to listen to his radio station by hiring country musicians to play on his station. XERA DelRay TX million watts. (border radio) Earl Scruggs – Banjo player, 3 finger-style, not clawhammer. Plays with three fingers. Invents the style of playing, became known as the scrugg style. (fast, inventive and loud style) Elevation of the banjo – Late 19th century. Different sense of instrument. Instrument appealing to the upper class and women, fades by 1910, now left in hands of white southerners. Grand Ol’ Opry – Strictly clean, radio variety show. Made Nashville TN country universe. Hank Williams – Brought Western to Country Western. No banjos. Got his singing training in church. Died at 30 on way to gig in Ohio. Alcoholic, addicted to pain killers. (a super star, tragic hero, song writer) Hillbilly – stereotype of foolish and marketing term for white southerner musician. (southern, illiterate, alcoholic, mindless) Jump Jim Crow – Laws American equivalent to apartheid. Racial segregation. Name from Minstrel show. Segregation laws of the southern states following the Civil War. Jim Crow was a stock. Character in minstrel shows, a bumbling, comic, simple-minded black man with exaggerated features, rolling eyes, and comic threadbare clothing. A racist image that continues to reverberate in American Culture. Minstrelsy- Northern, white, entertainers (the way banjo was spread). 2 Forms: 1) stories about how nice it is to be a slave in the south fishing. 2.) humiliating stories, creating comical characters Nudie Suits – Taylor from Europe that worked in Nashville. Sold suits of early stars. Stephen Foster – Early composer of “Oh Suzanna” Living writer for minstrels. Known as the father of American Music; played banjo Tommy Jarrell – Sprout wings and fly. Fiddle and banjo player. North Carolina , highway worker and moonshiner. Fiddled in Smithsonian Institute, somewhat of a national treasure. Film: “Sprout wings and fly” director: Les Blank-1983 WLS- National Bam Dance (Chicago)