A History of Bluegrass Music
This Kentucky-based genre found its footing after a creative twist from 20’s string-band music
A Genre is Born
Bluegrass is an incredibly intimate and captivating genre. Its origins date back to the early 1940s. Two artists are responsible for its meteoric rise and distinct style. The first is Bill Monroe. The Kentucky-born musician experimented through a series of string-bands in the 30’s and early 40’s before creating the Blue Grass Boys with Cleo Davis, Art Wooten, and Amos Garren. Through steady touring and tenacity the group starting forming bluegrass music. The band made several stylistic moves. First, they sang in high-pitched tenor. Second, their harmonies were close-knit and their their tempos were unbelievably fast. The genre developed into its own sound even more when a precocious young banjo player joined the Blue Grass Boys in 1945. This musician was Earl Scruggs.
Earl Scruggs was only 21 when he auditioned for the Blue Grass Boys. Before his historic audition the Banjo player grew up in a small farming town in northwest North Carolina. He learned how to play the Banjo at a very young age. By 11 he was doing radio performances and by 15 he was in a group called the Morris Brothers. When he auditioned for the Blue Grass Boys his unique approach to the Banjo…
