The Sound of America

There is not a single instrument in the United States that is as quintessentially American as the banjo is. This guitar like instrument has a round frame and either four, five or six strings. It originated in Africa, and was brought to the American Colonies with the arrival of African slaves from 1620 onwards. Soon the instrument could be heard during slave gatherings at plantations all along the Southern states of the US. 

Banjos were introduced to a wider non-black audience through Minstrel Shows. Minstrel Shows started in the 1830's. They were a ridiculous attempt to depict the lives of African American slaves who lived on plantations in the South. White actors painted their faces black and acted like dumb-witted slaves that did nothing all day but steel food, do silly things and play music on their banjo. One of the most popular songs that came from one of these Minstrel Show's was Stephen Foster's 1847 hit "Oh Susannah". The song was later covered by such greats as Neil Young, the Byrds, and James Taylor. 

Minstrel Shows were very popular from the 1830's until the late 1890's, and the banjo's popularity grew with it. Soon not only African slaves played the instrument, but many white Americans did too. The banjo could be heard in several musical styles from blues, to country and folk music, as it was played all throughout the US.

Earl Scruggs was born in 1924 in Carolina, and started started playing the banjo at a young age. He developed his own three finger picking style and in 1945 was discovered by the founder of Bluegrass music, Bill Monroe. Ever since Bill Monroe added Earl Scrugss to his band, the banjo became an indispensable part of Bluegrass music. Only three years later, Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt left Monroe's Bluegrass Boys, to start their own band. The duo soon became quite popular and even landed a spot on the Grand Ole Opry. Below you can hear them at the Opry, performing one of their classics "Foggy Mountain Breakdown". 

In the 1950's the banjo again became an important part of folk music. It was reintroduced by Pete Seeger, the father of folk, who himself was an avid banjo player and wrote a popular book on "How to Play the 5-String Banjo". The book thought many young musicians at the time how to play this instrument, and the banjo soon found itself in another revival. Pete Seeger is 93 today, and he can still be heard playing his instrument in folk festivals all throughout the US. Below you can watch Seeger give a short history lesson on this beautiful instrument.  

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One of the Most Covered Songs in History

A few years ago the British newspaper The Indepedent published a list of the ten most covered songs in history:

1. Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles
2.Yesterday - The Beatles
3. Cry me a River -  Julie Londen
4. And I Love Her - The Beatles
5. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones
6. Imagine - John Lennon
7. Summertime - Abbie Mitchell
8. Blackbird - The Beatles
9. Over the Rainbow - Judy Garland
10. The Look of Love - Dusty Springfield

This blog post is about number 7 on this list: "Summertime". I have to admit I've never heard of Abbie Mitchell's version of "Summertime", nor had I ever heard of Abbie Mitchell before. But her rendition of the song is how Gershwin originally intented it to be, and it is indeed beautiful. In 1933 Gerswin wrote the opera Porgy and Bess and included the lullaby "Summertime". The character Clara sings this song at the start, and its melody can be heard several times throughout the opera. In 1935, when Porgy and Bess was first performed on stage, Abbie Mitchell played Clara's part. Mitchell recorded the first version of "Summertime", and 38,324 recordings of the song were made after Mitchell's version.

In 1936, Billie Holiday's cover of "Summertime" was the first that entered the American music charts. About two decades later, Ella Fitzgerald and Lois Armstrong also recorded an excellent rendition of the song. Their version became that popular, that most people actually think that Fitzgerald and Armstrong were the first who recorded this song.

Ella Fitzgerald and Lois Armstrong - "Summertime"

Since "Summertime" was recorded many times and by so many different people, it was done in an enormous variety of styles. Janis Joplin's version of the song is one of my favorites. She is one of few people who were able to add an extra dimension to an already beautiful song.

Janis Joplin - "Summertime"

I won't bother you here with all the 38,325 recorded covers of this song, but if you're interested check this website which lists them all. Miles Davis, Sam Cooke, Billy Stewart and Scarlett Johansson were among the many to record "Summertime"

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The Evolution of Rock Music (and My Favorite Rock Song)

A while ago, I've read an article on the evolution of Rock music. As you may already know rock music originated from 1950's Rock & Roll, which in its turn was created through Country music and Rhythm and Blues. As you may also know, lots of different other types of music have influenced Rock; Jazz, Blues, Classical, Folk, etc. etc. The article I've read included an overview of all the different types of Rock music.  As can be seen, many different musical genres have come to life through Rock music. I have put the different genres in a mindmap  to show out of which particular musical style they were created. (Click on the image to make it larger).

Of course, this is not a complete overview and probably many other sub-genres of Rock music are still missing on this list. Moreover, musical genres have often been influenced by several other styles and not just by one, as the above figure suggests. Nevertheless, I think it shows very well  the enormous diversity of Rock music.

Personally, I am more into mainstraim Rock styles. I like Classical Rock, Baroque Pop, Metal, Indie Rock, Grunge, Britpop, but most of all just plain old fashioned Rock music. My all time favorite (Heavy Metal) Rock song is "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath. It is actually Black Sabbath's only top ten hit, and was written in just a few minutes as they needed another song to fill the album.

Black Sabbath - "Paranoid"

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Johnny Cash's Inspiration

I won't have to tell anyone how great a musician Johnny Cash was. He was the King of Rock and Roll, of Country, Folk and of Rock. What many people don't know, is that his wife June Carter Cash was also a very talented musician. She grew up in the famous Carter Family, pioneers of American Country music. Her mother Maybelle Carter recorded one of the first very popular country recordings with her brother in law A.P. Carter and his wife Sara. 

A.P. Carter travelled the US to find old folk songs, and recorded them with Sarah and Maybelle. They eventually recorded some 300 songs together between 1927 and 1941. He usually "forgot" to tell that these were not his own songs and was lucky to not be sued by anyone for plagiarism. Together they recorded several country traditionals: "Can the Circle be Unbroken", "Wildwood Flower", "Keep on the Sunny Side", and my favorite "Foggy Mountain Top". Maybelle Carter became known for her own guitar playing style. As she grew up not being able to play music with anyone, she decided to play both the rhythm and the melody on her guitar; it became widely known as "the Carter scratch".

 Maybelle Carter on Guitar, sitting next to Sarah and A.P. Carter

Mother Maybelle Carter gave birth to three daughters and thought them much of her musical knowledge. Soon June, Anita, and Helen were playing at the Grand Ole Opry, when a young Johnny Cash listened to them on the radio. June, while not the best singer of the three, was a great entertainer and a very good musician. She played several instruments and wrote some great hit records. "Ring of Fire" was actually written by June and made famous by Johnny Cash. Originally, however, "Ring of Fire" was written for her sister Anita. June also recorded several songs with her husband. "Jackson" was probably their most famous hit together.

Another one of my favorite recordings is the one below with Johnny Cash, the Carter sisters and Maybelle Carter. Here they are singing the Gospel song "Were You There". It was recorded during Johnny Cash's drug use period in 1960. From left to right you will see Helen, Anita, June and Maybelle Carter. Notice Anita Carter's beautiful voice. She actually did a real good duet with Hank Williams when she was still very young.

The Johnny Cash Show aired from 1969 to 1971. In it Johnny Cash sang with some of the greatest stars of the time (Linda Rondstadt, Joni Mitchell, Roy Orbinson) and of course with his own wife June. The following song was also recorded at the Johnny Cash Show. It really shows June's enormous musical talent and it's my favorite song by June Carter: "Tall Lover Man". 

June Carter - "Tall Lover Man"

 

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A History of Bluegrass (part 1)

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A History of Bluegrass ( Part 2)

By the time the folk music scene regained its popularity in the late 1950's, most famous Bluegrass singers  had lost their contracts and radio's stopped playing their music. Many folk singers, however, were heavily influenced by the Bluegrass style, and decided to bring this music back to the public. Moreover, in 1962 Flatt & Scrugs were asked to sing the theme song for the popular TV show The Beverly Hillbillies ("The Ballad of Jed Clampett"). They had no idea that by doing this, people would  forever identify bluegrass music with trashy white people. 

This revival of Bluegrass during the 1960's allowed some great old time Bluegrass singers to display their music to an entirely new audience. The Stanley Brothers and Bill Monroe were among those. The Louvin Brothers were another brother duo that regained popularity, be it on a small scale. Although they sing a number of different musical styles, I personally like the Bluegrass versions of their songs best. "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby" is one of my (and my father in laws') favorites. 

From the late 1960's until the late 1990's Bluegrass continued to be played, although it was largely overshadowed by other more popular music styles. During this time several country singers recorded Bluegrass albums (listen to Dolly Parton's Bluegrass Collection). The real revival, however, came in the early 2000's with the soundtrack of the movie "Oh Brother Where Art Thou". Some of the biggest stars in Bluegrass and Country music can be heared on this cd (Ralph Stanley, Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris and the Carter Family). It also includes some bands which didn't achieve national fame yet, but rightfully did through this album (The Whites and the Cox Family). Thankfully, these artists didn't stop after the Oh Brother Soundtrack. The cd compilation "Down From the Mountain" is another one of my Bluegrass favorites, and includes many of the artists that are included in the Oh Brother Soundtrack.

Below you will find "I'm A Man of Constant Sorrow", the old time tradional folk song which Ralph Stanley brought to national fame. This is actually not really George Clooney singing, but Dan Triminsky, a musician in Alison Krauss' Union Station. Notice the woman at the beginning who's asking for the Soggy Bottom Boys, that's Gillian Welch :-). More about her will follow soon.

The Soggy Bottom Boys - "I'm a Man of Constant Sorrow"

A History of Bluegrass (Part 1)

As you may have already noticed I am a enormous fan of Bluegrass music. To me, Bluegrass represents music at its core. It's where all the good things in music come together. I love the vocal harmonies in bluegrass, as well as the splendid blending of different acoustic instruments; the banjo, steel / acoustic guitar, mandonline, fiddle, and the dobro.

The man who started this all was Bill Monroe. He grew up in the early part of the last century, when Bluegrass music did not even excist.  Bill Monroe was very interested in traditional music, and was inspired by a variety of musical genres; blues, jazz, country and Victorian parlor songs. He released his first record with his brother Charlie in 1936; "What Would You Give in Exchange for Your Soul". It became a big hit in the Southeastern states of the US, and brought instant fame to the Monroe Brothers. After several severe fights with his brother, Bill decided it was best for them to part. He soon started a new band; Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. 

Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys produced several big hits.  In 1940 they released a redo of Jimmie Rodger's "Mule Skinner Blues" which became very popular. Their 1946 hit "Blue Moon of Kentucky" did even better, and has since been covered by Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline and Bob Dylan (to name just a few).  It was in these two song that the Bill Monroe style was perfected. Soon Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys became regulars at the Grand Ole Opry. While Bill Monroe continued to be a constant factor in his band, the Blue Grass Boys were continually replaced. Two of his former band mates that were able to also make a big name for themselves were Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. They started their own band The Foggy Mountain Boys and became quite famous for their hit "Foggy Mountain Breakdown"" (if you think you know how to play the guitar, try playing this song). Bill Monroe received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993, just a few years before he died in 1996.

"Oh, (Monroe) was the first. But it wasn't called bluegrass back then. It was just called old time mountain hillbilly music. When they started doing the bluegrass festivals in 1965, everybody got together and wanted to know what to call the show, y'know. It was decided that since Bill was the oldest man, and was from the Bluegrass state of Kentucky and he had the Blue Grass Boys, it would be called 'bluegrass.'' - Ralph Stanley

Ralph Stanley, another big name in Bluegrass, was very much influenced by Bill Monroe (although Stanley never wanted to admit this).  Ralph Stanley started performing with his brother Carter at around the same time Bill Monroe did. Even though Bluegrass wasn't really known to be a musical genre back then, the Stanley brothers copied a lot of things that Bill Monroe and his band did at the time. What the Stanley Brothers did seem to work, they became almost as popular as Monroe was. The song "Man of Constant Sorrow" (a traditional folk song) was one of their biggest hits, which Ralph continued playing after his brother died in 1966. In 2004 the song was again introduced in the soundtrack of  the movie "Oh Brother Where Art Thou".

Several "Bluegrass" musicians lost their record deals in the late 1950's. This type of music was now seen as too old-fashioned and way too hillbilly. It wasn't, however, the end of Bluegrass. More information on how Bluegrass Came About will follow soon.

Bill Monroe - "Blue Moon of Kentucky"

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A Beautiful Voice

Exactly 10 years ago I saw my first opera. It was the year 2001 and I was in my first year of college. My best friend and I bought tickets to Bizet's opera "Carmen". Way too expensive for our student budget, but I never did regret this purchase.

The opera was beautiful. There were real horses on stage, a huge ensemble, and the music was, as you may already know, amazing. Soon after, I bought my first opera cd. It was actually a collection of four cd's by Pavarotti, Montserrat Caballet, another male singer (whose name I forgot) and my all time favorite female opera singer: Victoria de Los Angeles.

Vicotria de Los Angeles is a Spanish soprano singer, who achieved world fame in the 1950's and 1960's. She sang in various famous opera's (Carmen among others) and continued singing untill 1983. My favorite song of this cd collection is "Una Voce Poco Fa". An absolutely beautiful song and part of Rossini's opera "The Barber of Seville".

This opera was first performed in 1816 and has been performed numerous times since.  In this particular aria the heroine sings about her admirers' voice, who just sang a love song underneath her balcony. She promises herself to soon make this admirer her own. 

Victoria de los Angeles - "Una Voce Poco Fa"

Cold Cold Heart

Hank Williams may not be known by people who are not that into country music (especially the younger ones). But he has written and sung some amazing songs back in the first part of the last century. Check out "Lovesick Blues", "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love With You)" or "Lost Highway".

 "Cold Cold Heart" was written and recorded by Hank Williams in 1951. It is said the song is about his ex-wife who according to Mr. Williams was a cold hearted woman. The song reached the number 1 spot on the American Country Music Charts, and would I have lived then, I would have probably been one of the many people to buy this record. 

Hank Williams - Cold Cold Heart

Hank Williams was  not only a force to be reconned with in the last century. Even today he has inspired some great artists and avid music listeners. Since 1951 this song was covered by various singers (Johnny Cash, Toni Bennet, and Aretha Franklin among  others). My favorite rendition however, is by Norah Jones. Her debut album "Come Away With Me" includes "Cold Cold Heart" in a very Norah Jones style.  I actually heard her version before I even heard of Hank Williams, but I immediately fell in love with this song. 

Norah Jones - Cold Cold Heart 

Big Mama Thornton vs. The King

Yesterday I have already talked about the King for a bit (the fact that he was a part of  The Million Dollar Quartet). Today I will give you some Rock and Roll and some Blues. In fact, it's two versions of the same number "Hound Dog". First sung by the King himself, but then the original version by Big Mama Thornton.

As Elvis Presley probably doesn't need any further introduction, I will just let you watch this amazing video of "Hound Dog24t !". Enjoy!

Elvis Presley - "Hound Dog"

I actually like the original version of this song better than Presley's rendition. It was recorded by Big Mama Thornton just a few years before the King did, in 1952. Although it was a fairly big hit when Mrs. Thornton selling neearly two milllion copies. I am really curious which version you like best. Let me know how you like this version of "Hound Dog"! 

Big Mama Thornton - "Hound Dog"