Bluegrass, Newgrass, Old-Time, and Americana Music - Paperback

by Craig Harris (Author)

A colorful and comprehensive history of bluegrass and old-time Appalachian music from its legendary roots to today�s Grammy-winning stars.

With simple instrumentation�banjo, guitar, and base�a great variety of musical traditions converged to create the �old-timey� music of Appalachia. Over time, that mountain sound evolved into numerous genres and subgenres that continue to thrive today. Now musician and roots music historian Craig Harris takes readers on an anecdotal journey through this distinctly American music.

From the Grand Ole Opry and the historic Bristol Sessions to contemporary festivals and the reemergence of Bluegrass in popular culture, Harris combines extensive research and never-before-seen photographs with more than ninety exclusive interviews. Bluegrass, Newgrass, Old-Time, and Americana Music is chock full of anecdotes about Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, Del McCoury, Doc Watson, Alison Kraus, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and more.

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"Mr. Harris gives us not only a fine overview of these uniquely American musical forms, he also colors his descriptions with stories and personal anecdotes, giving readers the sense they themselves are being addressed directly--a great introduction to one of America's greatest cultural legacies." --Mark Rubin, founder of the Bad Livers

"It's impossible to imagine a more comprehensive or varied cast of interviewees to catch the complex flavor of bluegrass music and its culture." --Ron Thomason, Dry Branch Fire Squad, Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival "Harris follows the perspectives of a broad array of characters as they weave together over the decades, revealing a panoramic view of what bluegrass is all about." --Pete "Dr. Banjo" Wernick, fifteen-time IBMA president and forty-year Hot Rize/Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers member Author Craig Harris invites us on an entertaining and informative journey through what may be the first comprehensive history of old-time music and bluegrass with all of their incredibly diverse and multidimensional roots. Combining research with more than 120 exclusive interviews, Harris traces the path from the earliest days of mountain music to the groundbreaking sounds of Grammy winners Alison Krauss, Béla Fleck, and Jerry Douglas's Earls of Leicester.

Craig Harris is the author of several books on roots music, American Indian music, and the Band. He has performed with Melanie, Rod MacDonald, Jonathan Edwards, Rick Danko, and the Gaea Star Band, with whom he cohosts a weekly radio show. Harris taught music in public and charter schools before launching his award-winning Drum Away the Blues program.