Directory of Bluegrass Resources

Home > Business > Arts and Entertainment > Music > Labels > Specialty > Bluegrass

Bluegrass is a style of southern string band music developed by Bill Monroe in the 1930s and 1940s. Bill Monroe's records with the Blue Grass Boys were so popular on the radio that announcers began using the term "Bluegrass music." Typical instrumentation is fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, dobro, and bass. Bluegrass comes from Mountain, Gospel, and Blues music, and generally involves a traditional, often melancholy, subject. It is played by an acoustic string band, which may be augmented by traditional instruments, such as the harmonica, mouth harp, accordion, jug, and spoons. Bluegrass is characterized by virtuoso string playing, as with Bill Monroe playing the mandolin, or Earl Scruggs the banjo. The mandolin, following Monroe's example, and especially the 5-string banjo, is a prominent feature of the traditional bluegrass band. The tempo of the music is frequently fast, highlighting the skill of the performers; however, tempos and grooves vary from song to song, and tune to tune, and certain keys and modes are generally favored for "fiddle tunes" and songs, typically grounded in but not limited to blues and Celtic modal scales (Major, Mixolydian, Dorian and Aeolian). Some notable features of bluegrass are as follows: (1) musicians playing acoustic instruments in a continuously rotating ensemble, each "picker" taking turns playing lead "breaks" and "back-up" behind vocalists and other instrumentalists; (2) high-pitched -- often described as "high-lonesome" -- lead vocals and harmony singing in duos, trios and gospel quartets, often with bended notes and glissandos; (3) subject matter based on traditional themes akin to country and gospel music, of which bluegrass has many affinities and correspondences.

Resources in This Category

• Acoustic Disc

  http://www.dawgnet.com/
  Home of the "Old and in the Way" bluegrass recordings featuring David Grisman, Peter Rowan and Jerry Garcia, plus recordings with Garcia, Statman, and the David Grisman Bluegrass Experience. On-line store, downloads, streaming audio, tour information and the Mandolin News.

• Bear Family Records

  http://www.bear-family.de/
  German major independent country and bluegrass label that has released boxed sets by many of the early bluegrass greats. Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, The Stanley Brothers, Jim and Jesse among them. The European powerhouse also has reissues of classic country music.

• CMH Records

  http://www.cmhrecords.com/
  Features bluegrass, country and roots music, including re-issues of classic material, tributes to artists, and new voices in bluegrass.

• Compass Records

  http://compassrecords.com/
  Specializing in bluegrass, acoustic and world music, this label has a broad roster of traditional and contemporary artists performing on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond.

• Frank Wakefield, Blues Stay Away From Me CD

  http://www.bluesstayawayfromme.com/
  Frank Wakefield's 1980 release, "Blues Stay Away From Me" is available on CD and features Darol Anger and Eric Van der Wyk.

• Kindred Records

  http://www.kindredrecords.com/
  Official site of the independent record label formed to publish, market and distribute recordings of Kentucky musicians, songwriters and bands. Band biographies, press releases, email contacts and industry links.

• Mountain Home Music Company

  http://mountainhomemusiccompany.com/
  Bluegrass label connected to Crossroads Online Store, featuring bluegrass and Christian artists. Detailed artist information and contacts.

• Mountain Roads Recordings

  http://www.mountainroadsrecordings.com/
  Record label specializing in bluegrass, old-time and mountain music by artists of the Appalachian Highlands. News, artist profiles, album descriptions, mailing addresses, and links to bluegrass sites.

• Mystery Ridge Recording Company

  http://www.mysteryridge.com/
  Homespun, family-owned label with old-time and bluegrass recordings. Site provides ordering information.

• Patuxent Records

  http://www.pxrec.com/
  Label promoting American roots music, bluegrass, blues, swing ,jazz, and old-time music. Artists include Frank Wakefield and Joe Meadows.

• Skaggs Family Records

  http://www.skaggsfamilyrecords.com/
  Label featuring Ricky Skaggs, Cherryholmes, The Whites, Andy Leftwich, bluegrass, gospel, traditional and contemporary artists.

• Strictly Country Records

  http://www.strictlycountryrecords.com/
  SCR Productions is a Holland-based sound and production company that specializes in acoustic Americana music, including singer-songwriter, bluegrass, country, folk and country blues.

• Sugar Hill Records

  http://www.sugarhillrecords.com/
  Features the latest bluegrass, Americana, and folk artists.

• Voyager Recordings and Publications

  http://www.voyagerrecords.com/
  Old-time, bluegrass, fiddle recordings and tune books from many regional North American traditions, including Pacific Northwest, New England, Texas, Cajun, Southern, Canadian, and French Canadian. Audio clips.

Related Categories

• Home > Arts > Music > Styles > B > Bluegrass

 

Home > Business > Arts and Entertainment > Music > Labels > Specialty > Bluegrass

 

---

 

Thanks to DMOZ, which built a great web directory for nearly two decades and freely shared it with the web. About us