http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Bluegrass_Summary.html The term bluegrass refers to a form of American music that was born in the mid 1940s as a result of the encounter of rural African-American music (Blues and Jazz) and Scottish, Irish and English traditional music. Bluegrass is characterized by the use of a variety of acoustic stringed instruments such as acoustic guitar, fiddle, mandolin, upright bass and banjo. There are two subgenres within bluegrass: Traditional and Progressive bluegrass. While the former emphasizes traditional elements, the latter introduced the use of electric instruments and songs from other genres. Druha Trava, Jim andamp; Jesé, Josh Pinkham, Lonesome River Band, Mountain Heart and Nickel Creek are some of the performers who belong to this genre. en-us http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_8523.html Fri, 21 Apr 2006 08:29:07 CST
Fusion is an interesting word; actually it is a word that describes accurately the band New Grass Revival. This bluegrass oriented band makes a fusion of diverse rhythms and genres, such as rock, jazz, Celtic and eastern music. They primarily produce Progressive Bluegrass, which is nowadays very popular among younger generations.

Some of this band’s contemporary groups are Boone Creek, Seldom Scene and Old andamp; in the Way. Of course they have been influenced by several legends of this genre, such as Bill Monroe and The Grateful Dead. The members who initiated the band were Sam Bush, whose eclectic usage of instruments (fiddle, guitar and mandolin) constituted a great support; on the bass, Ebo Walker and Curtis Burch wisely playing the guitar.

By 1981, the group suspended their creational and performing activities, though Bush and Cowan decided to persist with the band. Then, other members joined the band; Bela Fleck, a gifted banjo player and Pat Flynn, a great guitarist. On September 24, 1996 Fleck, Cowan, Bush and Burch got together again, after Courtney Johnson passed away; this reunion was at the Ryman Auditorium in Tennessee, in order to give assistance to his widow.

The musical production was very prosperous; among their best albums we can mention “New Grass Revival,” from 1972, “When the Storm is Over” in 1977 and their most recent “Grass Roots: The Best of the New Grass Revival,” in 2005. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_8504.html Fri, 21 Apr 2006 08:15:40 CST
This band’s prolific career is completely due to the fact that all members who have been part of it have worked hard to convert The Seldom Scene into one of the most important and influential bands in the last thirty years.

As many bands do when they start, Seldom Scene used to rehearse in a basement in Maryland. The former members of the band were John Duffey who played the mandolin, John Starling with the guitar, Mike Auldridge with the dobro, Ben Eldridge whose instrument was the banjo and Tom Gray in the bass. They gave Seldom Scene the originality combined with the familiarity of established bluegrass and songs written by James Taylor, Paul Craft and others.

Nowadays, the Seldom Scene has new and fresh integrants; their names are: Dudley Connell (guitar), Ben Eldridge (banjo), Fred Travers (dobro), Lou Reid (mandolin), and Ronnie Simkins (bass). The main element that makes the Seldom Scene so widely known and different from other bluegrass bands is the usage of the dobro, which gives their music an original shade. They gathered again to record an album called Cream Scene in 1996. Despite their success, the band suffered the loss of one of its integrants and leader John Duffey passed away in 1997. It was very difficult for the other members to adapt to the new circumstances; however, they rearranged the band, giving to it a new angle and putting it into the progressive wave.

Among their most important records, we can mention Act I, II and III, which were released in the early 70’s; and their more recent album Scene It All, successfully released in 2000.

You are totally welcome to learn more about the Seldom Scene and check all their websites. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_8369.html Thu, 20 Apr 2006 10:33:48 CST
One of the pioneer bands in the Bluegrass scene is The Country Gentlemen; they began their musical career on July 4, 1957, and they come from Washington, DC. The original members of the band were Charlie Waller; he used to play the guitar and sing. Then we have John Duffey; who was in charge of the mandolin and tenor vocal. The third member was Bill Emerson, who played the banjo and Larry Lahey who was in charge of the bass.

As in any band, there were some changes; they became a more solid and permanent group, with Waller, Duffey, Eddie Adcock (banjo) and Tom Gray (bass). They contributed to the success of the band and they earned the title of the “classic” Country Gentlemen. They belong to the first generation of what is known as folk music, which restoration facilitated them to include not only traditional songs and sounds, but also a stronger definition of the bluegrass genre. Due to their array of musical pieces, they became very popular and they caught the attention of many bluegrass devotees.

They signed a contract with Starday Records, and they released a bunch of singles and one album, which they called Traveling Dobro Blues. Then they decided to change to Folkways; in this case, they produced three albums and the most successful of these was called Country Songs Old andamp; New. By 1963, the Country Gentlemen moved again to Mercury, and this time their album’s name was Folk Session Inside. During the sixties and seventies, this band continued to renew its integrants, and they evolved into one of the most recognized bluegrass bands in America. Therefore, the International Bluegrass Music Association Hall of Fame inducted Charlie Waller, Eddie Adcock, John Duffey, and Tom Gray in 1996.

As its founder, Charlie Waller’s foremost dream was the maintenance of the band, referring to the classical idea and the initiative of his son Randy; he kept the promise of working hard on this new project, and fortunately, all efforts are being done to release Charlie’s latest CD, where he played the guitar and sang.

We encourage you to visit the web sites devoted to the Country Gentlemen. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_8347.html Thu, 20 Apr 2006 10:14:51 CST
Since they first gathered to produce IIIrd Tyme Out, back in 1991, Ray Deaton, Russell Moore and the other members of the group had great expectations about the future and success of their incoming band. They gave Bluegrass a new visage, making a good contrast between traditional sounds and brand new approaches. The current names of the members of IIIrd Tyme Out are Steve Dilling, who creatively plays the banjo; Allan Perdue, who plays the mandolin; Justen Haynes, who is in charge of the fiddle and the sound technician, Donnie Carver.

As a matter of fact, their superior quality has been granted the IBMA awards for seven consecutive years (from 1994 to 2000). Their deep vocals and the passion they show in every song, in their lyrics, is a clear evidence of their superiority and their desire to make things brilliantly. The IBMA award they received in 1998 was due to their performance as Vocal Group of the Year.

Their two live albums, called Live at the MAC and Back to the MAC (each one from 1998 and 2001 respectively) have earned popularity among both admirers and critics. Another side of music they have been very successful is the gospel music. Actually in 1997 and 1998, they were named as Best Contemporary Gospel Group, a nomination granted by the SPBGMA.

Undoubtedly, IIIrd Tyme Out have proved to be a band full of fresh proposals and which members give always the best to perform their abilities in a brilliant way! http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_8357.html Thu, 20 Apr 2006 10:14:37 CST
During the 1960’s, Doyle Lawson appeared in the bluegrass scene to become one of the most respected mandolin players in the United States. His experimentation of combining gospel sounds with his own band, called Quicksilver, lead him to impose his own unique musical style. He was born in Tennessee, on April 20, 1944 and he comes from a family whose several members used to sing in gospel quartets. He got his first mandolin when he was only 11 years old.

After some time he also started playing banjo, together with Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys. Then, he moved to Kentucky by 1966. Three years later, he made his debut with the album Bluegrass Holyday. In 1971, Doyle Lawson went on a musical tour to Japan with the Country Gentlemen; with this band, he joined for eight years.

1981 was a good year for Lawson’s production; the album Quicksilver Rides Again was a success. They also released a gospel album, Heavenly Treasures, which sold much more than the former album. After this achievement, Lawson andamp; Quicksilver released a gospel production, this one called Beyond the Shadows, in 1986. They kept on recording gospel albums until early 2000. Two years later, Lawson released his new album Hard Game of Love, which had a different shade, not gospel oriented this time. His most recent production called You Gotta Dig a Little Deeper brought him back to be near Quicksilver again.

Through the years, Doyle Lawson andamp; Quicksilver have overwhelmed their public with the emotion of their songs and the value of their Bluegrass style. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_8241.html Wed, 19 Apr 2006 08:14:18 CST
Bill Monroe is well-known as one of the pioneers of Bluegrass; actually, he is considered the father of Bluegrass. The name Bluegrass was in fact taken from his band “Blue Grass Boys.” He was born on September 13, 1911, in Rosine, Kentucky. His career as a composer, singer and instrumentalist extended for sixty years.

He and his brothers, Birch and Charlie used to work in an oil refinery; in their free time, they performed at a radio station, near Indiana. This was the beginning of their passion for country and folk music, back in the 1930’s.

Monroe was recognized for playing wisely the mandolin; and as time passed, several musicians stated to play for the Blue Grass Boys: Mac Wiseman, Clyde Moody, Jimmy Martin, Don Reno, Randall Franks; there were more than 150 musicians during the existence of this bluegrass group.

One of his most distinguished songs “Blue Moon of Kentucky” has become a cover, not only for bluegrass artists, but also for rock and roll versions. Mr. Monroe died on September 9, 1996; though he passed away, he will always be in the hearts of devotees. He was inducted, in 1971, in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

There is a long road to discover in Monroe’s musical career; his legacy has been spread all over the country and has taken many sides, shades and colors. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_8219.html Wed, 19 Apr 2006 07:56:02 CST
Alison Krauss is one of the most important Blue Grass representatives; she was born in July 23, 1971. Alison started playing different instruments, such as the violin at a very early age, as well as her brother Viktor. She is native from Illinois; she also participated in bluegrass festivals and contests.

Her professional career started definitely when she was 14; nowadays she is a great producer and has driven her success in a very positive way. Besides producing the albums together with Union Station, she has produced other hits with the Cox Family and Nickel Creek. Her voice has conquered thousands of people who enjoy her artistic interpretations.

The male members of Union Station, who play other instruments and vocalize, are:

Tyminski has proved to be one of the most prolific and gifted artists of the bluegrass landscape; before being part of Union Station, he played the mandolin and was vocalist for the Lonesome River Band. He has won ten Grammy Awards.

Barry Bales, who was raised in Tennessee; he plays the bass and performs some vocals. He attended East Tennessee State University. He met Alison Krauss while he was studying there.

Ron Block, who plays the banjo and guitar, besides writing songs and being a vocalist, has been with Union station since 1991. He is native from California, and grew up listening to his father’s music and composition; he usually played with rhythms such as blues.

Jerry Douglas started his profession at age five; his favorite instrument at that time was the mandolin. When he was eleven, he started playing the guitar. When he was eighteen, he participated in the bluegrass festival circuit, playing with The Country Gentlemen. By 1983, he joined the Whites, and recorded three solo albums.

Alison Krauss andamp; Union Station have been granted lots of awards; to mention the most important, we can include the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards. In 2003, they won for Album of the Year: Alison Krauss andamp; Union Station for the album Live. The country music Association Awards have prized them with Music Video of the year, for Whiskey Lullaby, in 2004. And the most recent recognition they have earned is the Grammy Awards, in its edition for 2006, as the Best Country performance by a duo or Group with Vocal, for their production Restless.

Therefore, if your musical taste prefers bluegrass, Alison Krauss andamp; Union Station is the best alternative for you. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_8230.html Wed, 19 Apr 2006 07:55:31 CST
Their youth and freshness brought an original style for bluegrass music; Nickel Creek belongs to the progressive bluegrass trend. It was originally formed in 1989 by four integrants, all of them citizens of California: Chris Thile, playing the mandolin; Sara Watkins, who plays the violin and her brother Sean Watkins, on the guitar. The fourth member, Chris’ father, who loves playing the string bass, had to be absent because of his job. Nowadays the new member is Mark Schatz.

Their beginning was very spontaneous; they once met at That Pizza Place, where they gathered to listen to the band Bluegrass Etc. Up to this day, Nickel Creek have recorded three albums; the second one was produced by Alison Krauss, who introduced them to find their own style. This release, called Nickel Creek, in 2000, was a complete success, and it is recognized as their first major release.

In 2003, they won a Grammy Award for their performance as Best Contemporary Folk Album, for the record called This Side. This album is considered gold; it has sold more than 500,000 copies. Their third album, Why Should the Fire Die?, was first released on August, 2005, and has been nominated for 2006’s Grammy Awards.

Their eclectic approach and their facility to combine the sound of jazz, classical and of course the roots of the bluegrass has crafted an artistic and brand new alternative for the bluegrass’ lovers.