Decades from now, if you ask the youth of today what defined their generation, you might get answers like “the personal computer,” “the internet,” or maybe even “The Iraq War.” But, if you asked them a slightly different question like what defined their culture, you are likely to get a more ambiguous set of responses.


Bluegrass.jpg            As the thread of history stretches onward and the technologies of travel and communication grow ever more sophisticated and prevalent, those things that once defined our local or regional culture come under fire from a host of foreign influences. Ultimately, they are either incorporated by the next generation into a new cultural identity or they are discarded altogether, thought of as obsolete and dated, or worse, not thought of at all.

            The story of bluegrass music is one of stubborn survival in the face of such external, often hostile, forces. Outliving the onslaught of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1960s, and frequently misrepresented in American popular culture as a crude, purely “hillbilly” form of music, (see the “Dueling Banjos” scene in 1972’s Deliverance, for example), bluegrass musicians have fought a hard, uphill battle to prove that not only is their style of music prodigious and musically virtuoso, but fun, relevant, and quintessentially “American.”

            Itself, an amalgam of African-American blues, gospel, ragtime, jazz, and traditional Irish, Scottish and English folk, the style of music called ‘bluegrass’ is most often credited as being developed in the 1940s by a Kentucky native named Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys band, which featured arguably some of the finest ensembles of musicians ever assembled. The first Grand Ol’ Opry audiences to hear the new musical style were predictably dazzled and amazed by the sheer deftness of the players on stage. The tempos were break-neck, the vocal harmonies free and soaring, and the playing…nothing short of revolutionary. To them, it was probably the equivalent of hearing The Beatles on Ed Sullivan.

            It is this uninhibited, revolutionary character of bluegrass that has probably been the secret of its long-lasting stature in the hallowed halls of American roots music. For those of us who grew up in rural Kentucky, it can be easy to take this part of our musical heritage for granted, forgetting, for all the structure and discipline, just how revolutionary it can be. For those outside Kentucky, it can be difficult to break from the inaccurate, media-fueled preconceptions of shoeless, straw-chewing hicks from the hills twanging around on primitive instruments. It doesn’t help that bluegrass musicians are often accused, fairly or unfairly, of being resistant to musical evolution.

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            It is true that many purists still believe in the traditional methodology set forth by those early Blue Grass Boys recordings, and while this strict adherence to traditional style has allowed purists to refine the art of bluegrass playing and achieve a level of instrumental artistry even the classical masters of Europe would have admired, a resistance to change, by some, has not stopped bluegrass music from continuing to influence and be influenced by other musical styles. In fact, it is this ongoing interaction that cements bluegrass music’s importance in the scrapbook of music history, in this author’s opinion. As early American folk music becomes increasingly fossilized by legend, bluegrass music is finding a new and younger audience interested in exploring its sonic possibilities. Artists like Bela Fleck, The String Cheese Incident, Grammy Award winner Chris Thile, and sound chameleon, Beck, have brought the influence of bluegrass into their music and to a new generation of music festival goers and MP3 consumers.

            Some purists may cry “blasphemy” at these developments, but without progress in human endeavors, our traditions struggle to remain relevant to subsequent generations, who invariably wish to experience the world in a different way than the ones before.

            Bluegrass music may seem as old as the hills to those of us too young to remember its origins first hand, but it is only about 60-years-old. By contrast, polyphonic music (music with more than one note at a time) was only first allowed in the Catholic Liturgy about 640 years ago! Before that, most music was monophonic chanting. So, by this measuring stick, bluegrass is a relative newcomer on the music scene and should be thought of as such – fresh, vibrant, and organic.

            Someone always has to break the rules for progress to be made. It was the visionary genius of rule-breakers like Bill Monroe who decided to put African instruments like the banjo together with European mandolins, flat-top guitars, and Scottish-style “fiddles” in the first place and play them at blinding speeds to create the unheard-of, high lonesome style of bluegrass. It is not only possible, but likely that the next Bill Monroe is daydreaming in an elementary or high school as I write, waiting to be handed that mandolin or 5-string banjo that will change his life and the world forever, and when he does, he will not forsake his local traditions, he will incorporate them with everything he’s learned to make something beautiful and new – his very own culture.

            Fortunately, for the residents of Owensboro, the International Bluegrass Music Museum is there to help encourage the next generation of bluegrass masters through their many programs and activities, such as the “Bluegrass in the Schools” program, which, through the generosity of supporters, puts traditional bluegrass instruments in the hands of Owensboro youth. On the other hand, if you’re just an average Joe interested in exploring the musical stylings of bluegrass, or are just looking for an evening of fun, check out “Jam Night” at the museum. It happens from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. every Thursday and admittance is only $1 to non-members. Bring your instrument, learn a few licks, and be part of the next evolution of a living, breathing American art form.