What is bluegrass music?

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As banjo and fiddle music was spread by the minstrel show and travelling circus, bluegrass was spread by the wireless. Mandolin player, vocalist and band leader Bill Monroe of Kentucky is regarded as the father of the sound. In 1945, Monroe, who claims to have been heavily influenced by black musical traditions, took the old hilly-billy sound and "modernised" it. He gave it an upbeat rhythm, organized it as a tight ensemble and featured improved solo parts. All of these features played well over the wireless and rekindled interest in old-time music all over the southland.

The popularity of bluegrass, named after Bill Monroe's band, the Bluegrass Boys, led to a search for unknown folk musicians still playing for their small circle of kin back in the hills. The old tunes were reinterpreted and given new life. Bluegrass in the 1950's and 1960's became part of the modern folk revival and was further spread northward. This new phone number list bluegrass style, in addition to the fiddle banjo, included the guitar, mandolin and standup bass to complete the ensemble. The guitar was never a popular instrument in the south until it gained popularity by way of the singing cowboy of Holllywood fame. It entered the bluegrass and American folk repertoire from the Spanish influence encountered in the south-west.

The mandolin, which became another signature of the sound, thanks to Mr. Monroe's virtuosity, entered the States at the turn of the century when large numbers of Italians and other Southern Europeans emigrated to the States, bringing it with them. Along with other things Latin American in flavour it came into vogue in Victorian parlours. It spread to the American heartland through mail-order catalogues such as Sears Roebuck. Standup bass was added for depth and foundation when performing in large halls.