Name	Bluegrass
Bgcolor	brown
Color	white
Stylistic origins	Country music, Anglo-Celtic music, Appalachian folk music, Blues, Jazz
Cultural origins	Mid to late 1940s United States
Instruments	Fiddle, banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin, resonator guitar, and upright bass
Popularity	originally eastern Midwest US and Southeast US, but now diffused throughout US, and in other countries, especially Japan and parts of Europe.
Subgenrelist	List of bluegrass genres
Subgenres	Progressive bluegrass – Traditional bluegrass – Neo-Traditional Bluegrass
Fusiongenres	Jam band
Regional scenes	Czech Republic
Other topics	Musicians – Hall of Honor

Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of country music. It has roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music. Bluegrass was inspired by the music of immigrants from the United Kingdom and Ireland (particularly the Scotch-Irish immigrants in Appalachia). In bluegrass, as in some forms of jazz, one or more instruments each takes its turn playing the melody and improvising around it, while the others perform accompaniment; this is especially typified in tunes called breakdowns. This is in contrast to old-time music, in which all instruments play the melody together or one instrument carries the lead throughout while the others provide accompaniment. Traditional bluegrass is typically based on a small set of acoustic stringed instruments including mandolin, acoustic guitar, banjo, fiddle, resonator guitar and upright bass, with or without vocals.

Bluegrass music has attracted a diverse and loyal following worldwide. Bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe characterized the genre: "Scottish bagpipes and ole-time fiddlin'. It's Methodist and Holiness and Baptist. It's blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound. It's plain music that tells a good story. It's played from my heart to your heart, and it will touch you. Bluegrass is music that matters."

Characteristics

Instrumentation

Unlike mainstream country music, bluegrass relies mostly on acoustic stringed instruments. The fiddle, five-string banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin, and upright bass are often joined by the resonator guitar (popularly known by the Dobro brand name). This instrumentation originated in rural dance bands and was being abandoned by those groups (in favor of blues and jazz ensembles) when picked up by European-American musicians. Instrumental solos are improvised, and are frequently technically demanding. The acoustic guitar is now most commonly played with a flatpick unlike the style of Lester Flatt who used a thumb and finger pick. The style is known as flatpicking. The banjo players often use a three-finger style developed by Earl Scruggs.

Bluegrass musicians, fans, and scholars have long debated what instrumentation constitutes a bluegrass band. Since the term bluegrass came from Bill Monroe's band, the Blue Grass Boys, many consider the instruments used in his band the traditional bluegrass instruments. These were the mandolin (played by Monroe), the fiddle, guitar, banjo and upright bass. At times the musicians may perform gospel songs, singing four-part harmony and including no or sparse instrumentation (often with banjo players switching to lead guitar). Bluegrass bands have included instruments as diverse as the resonator guitar (Dobro), accordion, harmonica, piano, autoharp, drums, drum kit, electric guitar, and electric versions of all other common bluegrass instruments, though these are considered to be more progressive and are a departure from the traditional bluegrass style. These departures are sometimes referred to as "Newgrass".

Vocals

Besides special instrumentation, a distinguishing characteristic of bluegrass is vocal harmony featuring two, three, or four parts, often with a dissonant or modal sound in the highest voice (see modal frame). The high-pitch vocal style has been characterized as the "high lonesome sound". Commonly, the ordering and layering of this harmony is called the 'stack'. A standard stack has a baritone voice at the bottom, the lead in the middle (singing the main melody) and a tenor at the top; although stacks can be altered, especially where a female voice is included. Alison Krauss and Union Station provide a good example of a different harmony stack with a baritone and tenor with a high lead, an octave above the standard melody line, sung by the female vocalist.

History

Creation

s.]] Bluegrass as a style developed during the mid-1940s. Because of war rationing, recording was limited during that time, and it would be most accurate to say that bluegrass was played some time after World War II, but no earlier. As with any musical genre, no one person can claim to have "invented" it. Rather, bluegrass is an amalgam of old-time music, country, ragtime and jazz. Nevertheless, bluegrass's beginnings can be traced to one band. Today Bill Monroe is referred to as the "founding father" of bluegrass music; the bluegrass style was named for his band, the Blue Grass Boys, formed in 1939. The 1945 addition of banjo player Earl Scruggs, who played with a three-finger roll originally developed by Snuffy Jenkins and others but now almost universally known as "Scruggs style", is considered the key moment in the development of this genre. (Jenkins, in interviews, has said he learned it from Rex Brooks and Smith Hammett in the 1920s.)

Monroe's 1946 to 1948 band, which featured Scruggs, singer-guitarist Lester Flatt, fiddler Chubby Wise and bassist Howard Watts, also known as "Cedric Rainwater,"—sometimes called "the original bluegrass band"—created the definitive sound and instrumental configuration that remains a model to this day. By some arguments, as long as the Blue Grass Boys were the only band playing this music, it was just their unique style; it could not be considered a musical style until other bands began performing in similar fashion. In 1947, the Stanley Brothers recorded the traditional song "Molly and Tenbrooks" in the Blue Grass Boys' style, and this could also be pointed to as the beginning of bluegrass as a style. As Ralph Stanley himself said about the origins of the genre:

Bluegrass was generally used for dancing in the rural areas, a dancing style known as buckdancing, flatfooting, or clogging, but eventually spread to more urban areas and became more popular. Bluegrass is typically performed on acoustic instruments, since the genre originated before widespread availability of household electricity. Electric instruments were frowned upon by conservative country music people, like the founder of the Grand Ole Opry, George D. Hay. In 1948, bluegrass emerged as a genre within the post-war country-music industry. This period of time is characterized as the golden era, or wellspring of "traditional bluegrass."

Bluegrass is not and never was folk music under a strict definition; however, the topical and narrative themes of many bluegrass songs are highly reminiscent of "folk music". In fact, many songs that are widely considered to be bluegrass are older works legitimately classified as folk or old-time music performed in a bluegrass style. From its earliest days to today, bluegrass has been recorded and performed by professional musicians. Although amateur bluegrass musicians and trends such as "parking-lot picking" are too important to be ignored, it is professional musicians who have set the direction of the style. While bluegrass is not folk music in that strict sense, the interplay between bluegrass music and folk forms has been studied. Folklorist Dr. Neil Rosenberg, for example, shows that most devoted bluegrass fans and musicians are familiar with traditional folk songs and old-time music and that these songs are often played at shows and festivals.

on April 20, 2008 at The Granada Theater in Dallas]]

First generation

First generation bluegrass musicians dominated the genre from its beginnings in the mid-1940s through the mid-1960s. This group generally consists of those who were playing during the "Golden Age" in the 1950s, including Wade Mainer and his Mountaineers, Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys, the Stanley Brothers, Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs with the Foggy Mountain Boys, Hilo Brown and The Timberliners, Ervin T. Rouse, who wrote the standard "Orange Blossom Special", Reno and Smiley, the Sauceman Brothers, Lonesome Pine Fiddlers, Jim & Jesse, Jimmy Martin and the Osborne Brothers, Mac Wiseman, Mac Martin and the Dixie Travelers, Carl Story and his Rambling Mountaineers, Buzz Busby, The Lilly Brothers and Jim Eanes.

Second generation

A second generation of Bluegrass musicians began performing, composing and recording came in the mid- to late-1960s, although many had played in first generation bands from a young age. Some Bluegrass musicians in this group are J. D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson, Sam Bush, John Hartford, Norman Blake, Frank Wakefield, Harley "Red" Allen, Bill Keith, Del McCoury and Tony Rice. As they refined their craft, the New Grass Revival, Seldom Scene, The Kentucky Colonels, and The Dillards developed progressive bluegrass. In one collaboration, first-generation bluegrass fiddler Vassar Clements, progressive mandolin player David Grisman, Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia (on banjo), and Peter Rowan on lead vocals, played in the band called Old and in the Way. Garcia, Chris Hillman, The Stanley Brothers and others in the 1960s and 1970s helped introduce rock music listeners to progressive and traditional bluegrass. Bush, Grisman, and Clements developed strong jazz elements in most of their playing – Clements liked to refer to his music and "hillbilly jazz" –, but each owes much to traditional bluegrass.

Third generation

Third generation Bluegrass developed in the mid-1980s. Bluegrass grew, matured and broadened from the music played in previous years. This generation redefined "mainstream bluegrass." High-quality sound equipment allowed each band member to be miked independently, exemplified by Tony Rice Unit and The Bluegrass Album Band. Tony Rice showcased elaborate lead guitar solos, and other bands followed. The electric bass became a general, but not universal, alternative to the traditional acoustic bass, though electrification of other instruments continued to meet resistance outside progressive circles. Nontraditional chord progressions also became more widely accepted. On the other hand, this generation saw a renaissance of more traditional songs, played in the newer style. The Johnson Mountain Boys were one of the decade's most popular touring groups, and played strictly traditional bluegrass.

Recent developments

In recent decades Bluegrass music has reached a broader audience. Major mainstream country music performers have recorded bluegrass albums, including Dolly Parton and Patty Loveless, who each released several bluegrass albums. Since the late 1990s, Ricky Skaggs, who began as a bluegrass musician and crossed over to mainstream country in the 1980s, returned to bluegrass with his band Kentucky Thunder. The Coen Brothers' released the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? in (2000), with an oldtime and bluegrass soundtrack, and the Down from the Mountain music tour and documentary resulting.

Meanwhile, festivals like the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Rocky-Grass in Lyons, Colorado and the Nederland, Colorado based Yonder Mountain String Band in the United States, and Druhá Tráva in the Czech Republic attract large audiences while expanding the range of progressive bluegrass in the college-jam band atmospheres, often called "jamgrass." Bluegrass fused with jazz in the music of Bela Fleck and The Flecktones, Tony Rice, Sam Bush, Doc Watson, and others.

Sub-genres

There are three major sub-genres of bluegrass and one unofficial sub-genre.

Traditional bluegrass

Traditional bluegrass emphasizes the traditional elements; musicians play folk songs, songs with simple traditional chord progressions, and use only acoustic instruments. Generally, they play compositions on instrument like Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys played in the late 1940s. In the early years, traditional bluegrass sometimes included instruments no longer accepted in mainstream bluegrass, such as the accordion and harmonica. Traditional bands may use bluegrass instruments in slightly different ways; for example playing the banjo by the claw-hammer style, or using multiple guitars or fiddles in a band. In this sub-genre, the guitar rarely leads but acts as a rhythm instrument, one notable exception being gospel songs. Melodies and lyrics tend to be simple, and a I-IV-V chord pattern is common.

Traditional bluegrass bands Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, Del McCoury, Larry Sparks and the Lonesome Ramblers, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, and Dan Paisley and the Southern Grass enjoy nationwide popularity. California mountain bluegrass, a variation on traditional, has enjoyed regional popularity with such bands as Rita Hosking and Cousin Jack.

Progressive bluegrass

Another major sub-genre is progressive bluegrass. Groups use electric instruments and import songs from other genres, particularly rock & roll. Although a more recent phenomenon, progressive bluegrass has roots going back to one of the earliest bluegrass bands. The banjo and bass duets Earl Scruggs played even in the earliest days of the Foggy Mountain Boys hint at the wild chord progressions to come. The four key distinguishing elements (not always all present) of progressive bluegrass are instrumentation (frequently including electric instruments, drums, piano, and more), songs imported (or styles imitated) from other genres, chord progressions, and lengthy "jam band"-style improvisation. The String Cheese Incident is one band that sometimes mixes a bluegrass tune with a jam band feeling, especially in original tunes like "Dudley's Kitchen". A twist on this genre is combining elements that preceded bluegrass, such as old-time string band music, with bluegrass music.

Bluegrass Gospel

"Bluegrass Gospel" has emerged as a third sub-genre. Nearly all bluegrass artists incorporate gospel music into their repertoire. Distinctive elements of this style include Christian lyrics, soulful three- or four-part harmony singing, and sometimes playing instrumentals subdue. A cappella choruses are popular with bluegrass gospel artists, though the harmony structure differs somewhat from standard barbershop or choir singing. Mainstream bluegrass artists Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver and IIIrd Tyme Out have produced bluegrass gospel music. While The Issacs, Mount Zion and The Churchmen play Bluegrass Gospel exclusively.

Neo-Traditional bluegrass

A newer development in the bluegrass world is Neo-Traditional Bluegrass. In the 1990s, most bluegrass bands were headed by a solo artist such as Doyle Lawson and Rhonda Vincent, with an accompanying band. Bands playing this sub-genre include The Grascals, Mountain Heart, The Infamous Stringdusters, Steep Canyon Rangers, and Cherryholmes who all have more than one lead singer.

Social and musical impact

In movies

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Cold Mountain

King of Bluegrass: The Life and Times of Jimmy Martin

That High Lonesome Sound

High Lonesome: the Story of Bluegrass Music (documentary)

The Ralph Stanley Story (documentary)

Bill Monroe: the Father of Bluegrass (documentary)

Deliverance

Harlan County, USA

Bonnie and Clyde

Bluegrass Journey (documentary)

Ralph Stanley: Reunion

A Mighty Wind

Chrystal

A Prairie Home Companion

Winter's Bone

Blues Brothers 2000

"Songcatcher"

Publications

Bluegrass Unlimited

British Bluegrass News

Cybergrass

Opera and theater

The Original Bluegrass Opera of Detroit

RedHead Express Bluegrass Show at Circle B Theatre, Branson, Missouri

Museums

International Bluegrass Music Museum Owensboro, Kentucky

Bill Monroe Museum Rosine, Kentucky

Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Hall of Fame and Country Star Museum Bean Blossom, Indiana

Ralph Stanley Museum and Traditional Mountain Music Center Clintwood, Virginia

The Bluegrass Bus Museum Nashville, Tennessee

Historical Music Trail

Southwest Virginia

See also

G run

References

Kingsbury, Paul (2004). The Encyclopedia of Country Music: The Ultimate Guide to the Music. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-517608-1.

Rosenberg, Neil (1985). Bluegrass: A History. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-00265-2.

van der Merwe, Peter (1989). Origins of the Popular Style: The Antecedents of Twentieth-Century Popular Music. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-316121-4.

Trischka, Tony, Wernick, Pete, (1988) Masters of the 5-String Banjo, Oak Publications. ISBN 0-8256-0298-X.

Notes

External links

International Bluegrass Music Association

Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America

International Bluegrass Music Museum

Official nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park archival recordings

Category:American folk music Category:Country music genres old-time * Category:Christian music genres Category:Culture of the Southern United States Category:Appalachian culture

Randall Franks is an award winning bluegrass singer and musician who plays mandolin, guitar and mountain dulcimer. He was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004 and has been designated the "Appalachian Ambassador of the Fiddle."

TV and movies

As TV’s “Officer Randy Goode” on the hit series In the Heat of the Night, he appeared for five years on NBC and CBS and now on WGN America and was seen in 150 countries around the world. Franks has appeared in numerous films including Hallmark Hall of Fame’s “The Flamingo Rising” co-starring with Academy Award winner William Hurt as “Officer Randy Kraft.” He starred in the sci-fi thriller “Phoenix Falling” with Stella Parton, in the Vietnam War era action adventure “Firebase 9.” He also made a special appearance in Dolly Parton’s “Blue Valley Songbird” for Lifetime. Franks began his movie career with a singing role in the movie “Desperate For Love” with Christian Slater. After taking a hiatus from film and dramatic television, he returned in 2009 as attorney Alvin Potter for "Robert Townsend's Musical Theater of Hope" a special for America's GMC cable. For more information visit http://randallfranks.com/.

Franks hosted and directed the PBS documentary “Still Ramblin’” highlighting the life of Georgia singing cowboy and early Grand Ole Opry star Ramblin’ “Doc” Tommy Scott.

His Crimson CD “God’s Children” pays homage to the brother duets of the 1930s. The project includes appearances by David Davis, Sonny Shroyer, “Enos” from the “Dukes of Hazzard,” the late Cotton and Jane Carrier and Marty Hays. The single “Children In Need,” co-written by Franks and Tommy Scott, featured a performance with Sonny Shroyer reminding listeners of the importance of helping the children in one’s community through a whimsical tale told by “Ollie the Old Church Owl” portrayed by Shroyer.

Author

Franks embarked on a new facet of his career when he co-authored the award winning “Stirring Up Success with a Southern Flavor” with Shirley Smith, executive director for the Catoosa County Learning Center. Franks gathered over 70 celebrities for the cookbook that incorporates celebrities, center stories and Catoosa County history and photos to assist with the fundraising project for the center. In just one year of sales, that book yielded the program over $27,000 in 2004. With the 2007 release of "Snake Oil, Superstars, and Me," the autobiography of Ramblin' "Doc" Tommy Scott, Franks joined Scott and fellow co-author Shirley Noe Swiesz in completing the 700-page project highlighting Scott's 90 years on the stage, film and television. Franks is currently working on three other books, one featuring stories of his experiences in entertainment and another reflecting the Appalachian upbringing of his late mother and a sequel to the literacy cookbook mentioned above. Smith and Franks partnered again in 2009 for a sequel "Stirring Up Additional Success with a Southern Flavor" with even more celebrities to raise more for the Catoosa County Learning Center.

Early musical experiences

As a child, Franks was exposed to the rich heritage of Georgia fiddlin’ at family reunions. Franks’ desire to learn was sparked at the age of eight when he heard the “Orange Blossom Special” by Ervin Rouse. He was inspired to study both classically with Donald Grisier, Ph.D. and at the feet of some of Georgia’s fiddle legends such as the Skillet Licker Gordon Tanner, WSB Barndance host Cotton Carrier, Anita Sorrells Mathis and Dallas Burrell.

While still in school, Franks formed the children’s bluegrass band The Peachtree Pickers. It was through this act that he gained attention from national acts and television becoming a regular on the “Country Kids TV Series” and appearing for the Grand Ole Opry. The group released five albums.

To support the group’s efforts Franks started a Randall “Randy” Franks Peachtree Picker Fan Club, coordinated by Pearl Bruce. The club grew to include around 8,000 fans by 1986 rivaling and exceeding those of top country stars of the period. Franks created “The Pickin’Post” newsletter to keep the large group of fans informed sharing info on his career as well as Southern bluegrass festivals and other groups. The club also launched “The Singing Post” for fans exclusively interested in gospel music. The club grew even more dramatically during Franks' success on television. After more than 25 years, “The Pickin Post” continues to keep fans informed three times each year from P.O. Box 42, Tunnel Hill, Ga. 30755.

Bill Monroe

In the 1980s, The Father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe took a special interest in the young band and especially the young fiddler. Monroe spent hours teaching and sharing with Franks much like Monroe’s Uncle Pen had done for him. With the departure of Kenny Baker, Franks was asked to join the Bluegrass Boys. Still in school, he took off to tour from coast to coast. Though school beckoned him back, Franks continued to make appearances with Monroe up until he stopped touring. For his contributions to the work of Bill Monroe, Franks was honored by the state of Kentucky.

Disc jockey and artist credits

While in college, Franks became part of the cast of the WRFG radio show “The Bluegrass Festival,” hosted by T.P. and Sandra Hollomon. As part of the highest-rated bluegrass show in the Atlanta market, Franks participated on the weekly broadcast and occasionally filled in for the hosts. He also from time to time, hosted his own shows on WRFG. In the early 1990s, he hosted “Sacred Sounds” featuring bluegrass gospel on WGFS in Covington, Ga. He now hosts "Sacred Sounds Fridays Live" on WBFCFM.com in Ringgold, Ga. Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. and Fridays at 9 a.m.

With more than 200 recordings to his credit, his music has brought him on stage or in the studio to perform with entertainers in a variety of music fields: Carl Perkins; Charlie Daniels; Peabo Bryson; The Whites; Ricky Skaggs; Kitty Wells; Pee Wee King; Jimmy Dickens; Jeff and Sheri Easter; The Lewis Family; The Isaacs; The Primitive Quartet; Bill Monroe; Jim and Jesse; Ralph Stanley; Raymond Fairchild; Jimmy Martin; Mac Wiseman; Chubby Wise; Josh Graves; Doug Dillard; Jerry Douglas; Sam Bush; Byron Berline; The Warrior River Boys; The Sand Mountain Boys; The Gary Waldrep Band; The Cox Family; The Sidemen; Elaine and Shorty; “Doc” Tommy Scott’s Last Real Old Time Medicine Show.

Franks was also tapped by two other nationally known performers: Folk Music’s Doodle and the Golden River Grass, with whom Franks carried on the Georgia Fiddle Band tradition; and multi award winning gospel quartet, The Marksmen, who Franks long admired for their vocal artistry.

SEBA and fostering bluegrass

Franks founded the SouthEastern Bluegrass Association (SEBA) in 1984 to preserve, promote and publicize Bluegrass Music. Through the organization which has grown to one of the country’s largest he supported the creation of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).

Franks saw a bluegrass void in some areas in his home state of Georgia so in the mid 1980s he began promoting bluegrass concerts using regional talent in communities that did not have bluegrass events nearby to increase the visibility of the field outside bluegrass festivals. He carried this endeavor one step farther during his off time from “In the Heat of the Night” when he began the “Share with D.A.R.E.” (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) concert series held in communities in several states featuring acts including Jim and Jesse, The Lewis Family, the Osborne Brothers himself and others. The shows showcased bluegrass stars while raising awareness and funds for a program to help keep children off drugs.

Recording executive

In 1989, Franks released “Golden River Fiddlin’” to the Folk and Bluegrass markets. SPBGMA, the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America, said Franks had a “Special Touch on the fiddle” while Bluegrass Unlimited called him “Hard Driving…Straightahead..Solid…Sure” like Tommy Jackson and Paul Warren.

Franks studied commercial music while pursuing his bachelor’s degree in business administration at Georgia State University. Upon graduation, he entered a position as Sales and Promotions Manager for Atlanta based MBM Records. He quickly discovered that independent bluegrass and gospel music recordings were difficult to market amongst mainstream retailers but he set out to make the music he loved available in as many outlets as he could.

As he rose in popularity on television, he used his celebrity status to break down the barriers that he previously faced as a record executive and many other bluegrass and gospel artists encountered by calling mainstream and Christian retail buyers and store managers directly using his podium from NBC and CBS to assist record companies and distributors in marketing his and other bluegrass and gospel product.

Through the effort his products and many other artists sold by the companies he worked with became available in record chains throughout the country.

At a time when the industry was made of largely of established stars rather than rising new performers, Franks joined fellow rising star Alison Krauss as the most visible fiddlers and personalities of the industry in the late eighties and early nineties.

With Franks’ widespread notoriety he gained by weekly network exposure, he worked to expose bluegrass and Southern Gospel to this new audience appearing on radio and television talk, news and entertainment shows. Franks continues to appear on radio stations in all formats, television stations throughout the country, gives countless print interviews talking about and sharing the music he loves.

Inspiring the youth

He also carried this message to America’s youth as an Honorary D.A.R.E. Officer appointed by the National Dare Officers Association, he has appeared for more than 10,000 students across the country to encourage them to live a successful drug-free life while also sharing his love of bluegrass music to a new generation of listeners. He coordinated a nationwide radio campaign featuring Alan Autry, David Hart and himself to encourage a drug-free life.

Franks began the 1990s as he crossed over to the Southern Gospel market being the first bluegrass performer to take his solo music project “Handshakes and Smiles” to the Top 20 Sales Charts. Singing News gave it “Four Stars”.

In the Heat of the Night Christmas

Serving both as an artist and producer, Randall Franks and his In the Heat of the Night co-star Alan Autry joined forces under the banner of Autry-Franks Productions to produce the charity "In the Heat of the Night" CD "Christmas Time's A Comin'" featuring the cast of the show. The project raised funds for drug abuse prevention charities.

With Franks producing, Autry performed his rendition of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" in homage to Gene Autry. Franks performed an original song with Grand Ole Opry stars The Whites entitled "Let's Live Everyday Like It was Christmas." The duo both performed on "Jingle Bells" and "Christmas Time's A Comin'." Franks and Autry were able to include many music legends, some among them, Country Music Hall of Famers Kitty Wells, Jimmy Dickens and Pee Wee King as well as many top legends from the Bluegrass genre, from Jim and Jesse to The Lewis Family. The “Christmas Time’s A Comin’” CD released on Sonlite and MGM/UA was one of the most popular Christmas releases of 1991 and 1992 with Southern retailers.

Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys

In addition to his own concert and personal appearances in the early 1990s, Franks became part of the Grand Ole Opry’s Jim and Jesse Show in 1990 appearing at concerts and festivals intermittently with the Bluegrass Hall of Fame members until 1996.

Franks formed his Hollywood Hillbilly Jamboree in the early 1990s, bringing his unique style of bluegrass into fairs, festivals and communities not normally including bluegrass in their annual celebrations. His show packages included a variety of stars, one of those casts were Donna Douglas, “Elly Mae Clampett” of “The Beverly Hillbillies,” Sonny Shroyer “Enos” from “The Dukes of Hazzard” and himself. Another television commercials package featured Dan Biggers “Doc Robb” from TV’s “In the Heat of the Night.” Other musical acts that appeared with his show include David Davis and the Warrior River Boys, Gary Waldrep, Ryan Robertson, Barney Miller, James Watson, Danny Bell, Bill Everett, Gilbert Hancock, Sue and Kim Koskela, Roger Hammett, The Sand Mountain Boys, The Dowden Sisters and others. At one South Carolina event alone over 30,000 people came out to see the show and his show was the only featured attraction.

Both his “Sacred Sounds of Appalachia” (1992) and his “Tunes and Tales from Tunnel Hill” (1995) were among the top thirty bluegrass recordings of the year. His “Let’s Live Everyday Like It Was Christmas” single with Grand Ole Opry stars The Whites was given a nod as one of the top Country Vocal Collaborations.

Franks was tapped to host the SPBGMA Bluegrass Music Awards in Nashville, Tenn. at the Roy Acuff Theater in 1995. He presented Del McCoury his Male Vocalist of the Year Award at the IBMA Awards in Owensboro, Ky. in 1992.

"Doc" Tommy Scott

In addition to his schedule, Franks began working with Ramblin’ “Doc” Tommy Scott in 1995. While he worked on the sets of “Grace Under Fire” and “Foxworthy” in Studio City, Calif., he arranged for “Doc” Tommy Scott’s Last Real Old Time Medicine Show with its unique bluegrass flavor to perform at celebrations during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. A veteran 1940s Grand Ole Opry comedian, Scott joined Franks on his 1999 “Comedy Down Home” on Crimson Records. The duo co-wrote the 1999 Lewis Family hit “You Can’t Stop Time.” Scott founded the original Hollywood Hillbilly Jamboree in 1945. Each has appeared on the others’ stage shows.

To raise funds for the Share America Foundation,Inc. in April 2009, the Franks and Scott partnered on stage to present the play "An Appalachian Gathering" featuring a cast of 20 performers creating a slice of Southern life in the 1940s and present day highlighting the effects of the Medicine Show on small towns through Scott's eyes. Franks played Scott in the 1940s.

Some awards and appearances

Franks was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004.

Franks has been honored with countless awards including The Fiddlin’ John Carson Award, A.S.E. Male Vocalist of the Year, The Cotton Carrier Award, Little Jimmy Dempsey Musician Award and a Sons of the American Revolution Citizenship Award. The Governor of Kentucky honored him for his contributions to the music of Bill Monroe. Catoosa County designated him “Appalachian Ambassador of the Fiddle” in 2004. Franks received the Songwriter of the Year Award from the Atlanta Society of Entertainers in 2009 for his song "The Old Black Fiddle" and also received Bluegrass Band of the Year with the Georgia Bluegrass Mafia Band. He appeared with that group performing that song on the live Georgia Public Broadcasting of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards along side Collective Soul and Third Day honoring Georgia music pioneer John L "Johnny" Carson. The International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, Ky. honored Franks as a Bluegrass Legend at its 2010 Pioneers of Bluegrass Gathering alongside fellow Blue Grass Boys and other pioneers. Randall Franks and the Georgia Mafia Bluegrass Band received the 2010 Atlanta Society of Entertainers Bluegrass Band of the Year Award. The Appalachian Ambassador of the Fiddle was honored as a feature performer alongside the Watkins Family by the Appalachian Regional Commission at its annual conference in 2010.

Franks said he was honored when the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Macon featured an exhibit on his career in the Skillet Licker Café beside other Georgia notables Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt and Trisha Yearwood which was highlighted from 1996-2007. He has performed at thousands of events and television shows including 20 years at CMA Fan Fair, most of the leading Bluegrass Festivals, The National Folk Festival, National Black Arts Festival, Georgia Mountain Fair, ACM Fan Fest, Grand Ole Opry, Fiddlin’ Fish Music and Arts Festival, The Grand Masters, Command Presidential Performance, Nashville Now, Crook and Chase, Miller & Company, Reno’s Old Time Music Festival and HGTV’s Extreme Homes.

Charitable Efforts

Franks served as the Chairman for the Catoosa Citizens for Literacy in 2002-04 and he took that position again in 2007-09 after serving as co-chair for two years. The organization operates the Catoosa County Learning Center helping residents reach their goals by learning to read, getting a GED or acquiring basic computer skills. He now serves as past chairman.

He is president of the Share America Foundation that provides encouragement through the Pearl and Floyd Franks Scholarship to youth who are continuing the musical arts of Appalachia. The organization produces ten gospel Ringgold monthly. For more information visit http://www.shareamericafoundation.org/.

He serves as treasurer of the Catoosa County Local Emergency Planning Committee. The organization brings together all of the agencies that our community relies upon each day when a need arises. Through the committee's efforts, its members work to prepare solutions for widespread problems our community could face to better protect each of us.

He is the Fast Forward Chairman for the Georgia Production Partnership, a Georgia Film Industry organization which works to improve industry growth and opportunities.

He is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Ringgold, Boynton Lions Club, Catoosa Family Collaborative, Catoosa Ferst Foundation for Family Literacy, Nathan Anderson Cemetery Committee, Catoosa County Habitat for Humanity and the Catoosa County Historical Society. He is a Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame board advisor. Franks serves as a field researcher for several museums throughout the South.

Fiddling

The influence of the Georgia Fiddle Bands is apparent within Franks's style and recordings. He was exposed to the work of Fiddlin' John Carson, The Skillet Lickers and other Georgia fiddlers. He grew and gained skills by competing in Georgia fiddle contests, many fostered by World Record Mandolinist Bill Lowery as well as the Grand Ole Opry's Grand Master Fiddler Championship. In the 1990s Georgia honored Franks for his work to preserve the heritage of Georgia’s fiddling by naming a state-sponsored fiddle contest in his honor hosted then at Lake Lanier Islands. Today, the Randall Franks Trophy is presented to the winner each year at the 1890s Day Jamboree Old Time Fiddler's Convention in Ringgold, Ga. Franks also co-hosts America's Grand Master Fiddler Championship annually in Nashville at the IBMA World of Bluegrass.

Journalism and screenwriting

Franks began an interest in writing while still in high school. He began writing entertainment articles for various publications such as Bluegrass Unlimited, the SEBA Breakdown, Precious Memories magazine, and others. His love of writing blossomed into scriptwriting under the tutorage of Carroll O’Connor during his time on “In the Heat of the Night,” which yielded him the unique opportunity to co-write the screenplay for the #1 Country song “Wolverton Mountain” with Merle Kilgore.

He focused on another career in mainstream journalism from 2001-2009 in association with News Publishing Co. He developed a syndicated slice of life and entertainment column called “Southern Style” which is used in publications from North Carolina to Louisiana. Many readers equate his folksy style to that of the late columnist Lewis Grizzard. He currently writes for various magazines.

In his first year of journalism, the Georgia Press Association awarded him a First Place Feature Photo award for a unique photo of the Bluegrass group The White Oak Mountain Boys. His writing has yielded 21 Georgia Press and one National Press Association awards; one among those is W. Trox Bankston Award. He has helped garner two W. G. Sutlive trophies for community service and assisted The Catoosa County News in achieving the General Excellence award in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and a National Press Association award for Local News coverage.

It was perhaps Franks' love for journalism in the entertainment field specifically, that also caused him to discover a huge oversight in a popular publication about television. In the renowned Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, the authors had long left out Franks' name in the complete regular cast list of In the Heat of the Night. In the late 1990s, Franks picked up a copy of what had to have been the 1995 edition of the book, the first to have information on the entire series after it ended in 1994. Obviously feeling slighted when he discovered that he was never listed as a principal character in that edition and two previous ones, Franks wrote to the authors himself; he pointed out that he had co-starred on the series for five years, and asked to be added in the next edition. A rare instance of the authors omitting a prominent actor in a TV series listing, Franks got his wish when he was finally added, starting with the seventh edition in 1999. Brooks and Marsh even mentioned their contact by Franks, in their 1999 epilogue, to make up for the long holdout.

Franks is currently serving on the city council in Ringgold, Georgia with the term ending on December 31, 2013.

Category:Living people Category:American fiddlers Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Name	Bill Monroe
Landscape	|
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	William Smith Monroe
Alias	Bill Monroe |"The Father of Bluegrass Music"
Born	September 13, 1911
Died	September 09, 1996
Origin	Rosine, Kentucky, USA
Instrument	Mandolin
Genre	Bluegrass
Occupation	Bluegrass artist
Years active	1930s–1996
Label	|
Associated acts	|
Url	|
Current members	Country Music Hall of Fame International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor Rock and Roll Hall of Fame |
Past members	Grand Ole Opry (1939 – 1996) The Monroe Brothers Blue Grass Boys |
Notable instruments	Mandolin '''Gibson F5

William Smith Monroe (September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American musician who helped develop the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader. He is often referred to as The Father of Bluegrass.

Early life

Monroe was born on his family's farm near Rosine, Kentucky, the youngest of eight children of James Buchanan "Buck" and Malissa {Vandiver) Monroe. His mother and her brother, Pendleton "Pen" Vandiver, were both musically talented, and Monroe and his family grew up playing and singing at home. Because his older brothers Birch and Charlie already played the fiddle and guitar, Bill Monroe was left with the less desirable mandolin. He recalled his brothers insisted that he remove four of the eight strings so he would not play too loudly.

Monroe's mother died when he was ten, followed by his father six years later. As his brothers and sisters had moved away, Monroe lived for with his uncle Pen Vandiver, often accompanying him when Vandiver played the fiddle at dances. This experience inspired one of Monroe's most famous compositions, "Uncle Pen," recorded in 1950; on a 1972 album, Bill Monroe's Uncle Pen, Monroe recorded a number of traditional fiddle tunes often performed by Vandiver. Uncle Pen Vandiver has been credited with giving Monroe "a repertoire of tunes that sank into Bill's aurally trained memory and a sense of rhythm that seeped into his bones." Another influence in Monroe's musical life was a black musician named Arnold Shultz who introduced Monroe to the blues.

Professional career

In 1929, Monroe moved to Indiana to work at an oil refinery with his brothers Birch and Charlie. Together with a friend Larry Moore, they formed a musical group, the Monroe Brothers, to play at local dances and house parties. Birch Monroe and Larry Moore soon left the group, and Bill and Charlie carried on as a duo, eventually winning spots performing live on radio stations— first in Indiana and then, sponsored by Texas Crystals, on several radio broadcasts in Iowa, Nebraska, South Carolina and North Carolina 1934 to 1936. RCA Victor signed the Monroe Brothers to a recording contract in 1936. They scored an immediate hit single with the gospel song "What Would You Give In Exchange For Your Soul?" and ultimately recorded 60 tracks for Victor's Bluebird label between 1936 and 1938.

After the Monroe Brothers disbanded in 1938, Bill Monroe formed The Kentuckians in Little Rock, Arkansas, but the group only lasted for three months. Monroe then left Little Rock for Atlanta, Georgia, to form the first edition of the Blue Grass Boys with singer/guitarist Cleo Davis, fiddler Art Wooten, and bassist Amos Garren. In October 1939, he successfully auditioned for a regular spot on the Grand Ole Opry, impressing Opry founder George D. Hay with his energetic performance of Jimmie Rodgers's "Mule Skinner Blues". Monroe recorded that song, along with seven others, at his first solo recording session for RCA Victor in 1940; by this time, the Blue Grass Boys consisted of singer/guitarist Clyde Moody, fiddler Tommy Magness, and bassist Bill Wesbrooks.

While the fast tempos and instrumental virtuosity characteristic of bluegrass music are apparent even on these early tracks, Monroe was still experimenting with the sound of his group. He seldom sang lead vocals on his Victor recordings, often preferring to contribute high tenor harmonies as he had in the Monroe Brothers. A 1945 session for Columbia Records featured an accordion, soon dropped from the band. Most importantly, while Monroe added banjo player David "'Stringbean" Akeman to the Blue Grass Boys in 1942, Akeman played the instrument in a relatively primitive style and was rarely featured in instrumental solos. Monroe's pre-1946 recordings represent a transitional style between the string-band tradition from which he came and the musical innovation to follow.

The "Original Bluegrass Band" and Monroe's heyday as a star

A key development occurred in Monroe's music with the addition of North Carolina banjo prodigy Earl Scruggs to the Blue Grass Boys in December 1945. Scruggs played the instrument with a distinctive three-finger picking style that immediately caused a sensation among Opry audiences. Scruggs joined a highly accomplished group that included singer/guitarist Lester Flatt, fiddler Chubby Wise, and bassist Howard Watts, who often performed under the name "Cedric Rainwater." In retrospect, this lineup of the Blue Grass Boys has been dubbed the "Original Bluegrass Band," as Monroe's music finally included all the elements that characterize the genre, including breakneck tempos, sophisticated vocal harmony arrangements, and impressive instrumental proficiency demonstrated in solos or "breaks" on the mandolin, banjo, and fiddle. By this point, Monroe had acquired the 1923 Gibson F5 model "Lloyd Loar" mandolin which became his trademark instrument for the remainder of his career.

The 28 songs recorded by this version of the Blue Grass Boys for Columbia Records in 1946 and 1947 soon became classics of the genre, including "Toy Heart," "Blue Grass Breakdown," "Molly and Tenbrooks", "Wicked Path of Sin," "My Rose of Old Kentucky," "Little Cabin Home on the Hill," and Monroe's most famous song, "Blue Moon of Kentucky". The last-named was recorded by Elvis Presley in 1954, appearing as the B-side of his first single for Sun Records. Monroe gave his blessing to Presley's rock-and-roll cover of the song, originally a slow ballad in waltz time, and in fact re-recorded it himself with a faster arrangement after Presley's version became a hit. Several gospel-themed numbers are credited to the "Blue Grass Quartet," which featured four-part vocal arrangements accompanied solely by mandolin and guitar — Monroe's usual practice when performing "sacred" songs.

Both Flatt and Scruggs left Monroe's band in early 1948, soon forming their own group, the Foggy Mountain Boys, which met with notable commercial success in the 1950s and 1960s with such hits as "Foggy Mountain Breakdown", "Cabin on the Hill," and "The Ballad of Jed Clampett". In 1949, after signing with Decca Records, Monroe quickly regrouped, entering the "golden age" of his career with what many consider the classic "high lonesome" version of the Blue Grass Boys, featuring the lead vocals and rhythm guitar of Jimmy Martin, the banjo of Rudy Lyle (replacing Earl Scruggs), and fiddlers such as Merle "Red" Taylor, Charlie Cline, Bobby Hicks and Vassar Clements. This band recorded a number of bluegrass classics, including "My Little Georgia Rose," "On and On," "Memories of Mother and Dad," and "Uncle Pen," as well as instrumentals such as "Roanoke", "Big Mon", "Stoney Lonesone", "Get Up John" and the mandolin feature "Raw Hide." Carter Stanley joined the Blue Grass Boys as guitarist for a short time in 1951 during a period when the Stanley Brothers had temporarily disbanded.

On January 16, 1953 Monroe was critically injured in a two-car wreck. He and "Bluegrass Boys" bass player, Bessie Lee Mauldin, were returning home from a fox hunt north of Nashville. On highway 31-W, near White House, their car was struck by a drunken driver. Monroe, who had suffered injuries to his back, left arm and nose, was rushed to General Hospital in Nashville. It took him almost four months to recover and resume touring. In the meantime Charlie Cline and Jimmy Martin kept the band together.

By the late 1950s, however, Monroe's commercial fortunes had begun to slip. The rise of rock-and-roll and the development of the "Nashville sound" in mainstream country music both represented threats to the viability of bluegrass. While still a mainstay on the Grand Ole Opry, Monroe found diminishing success on the singles charts, and struggled to keep his band together in the face of declining demand for live performances.

The folk revival

Monroe's fortunes began to improve during the "folk revival" of the early 1960s. Many college students and other young people were beginning to discover Monroe, associating his style more with traditional folk music than with the country-and-western genre with which it had previously been identified. The word "bluegrass" first appeared around this time to describe the sound of Monroe and similar artists such as Flatt and Scruggs, the Stanley Brothers, Reno and Smiley, Jim and Jesse, and the Osborne Brothers. While Flatt and Scruggs immediately recognized the potential for a lucrative new audience in cities and on college campuses in the North, Monroe was slower to respond. Under the influence of Ralph Rinzler, a young musician and folklorist from New Jersey who briefly became Monroe's manager in 1963, Monroe gradually expanded his geographic reach beyond the traditional southern country music circuit. Rinzler was also responsible for a lengthy profile and interview in the influential folk music magazine Sing Out! that first publicly referred to Monroe as the "father" of bluegrass. Accordingly, at the first bluegrass festival organized by Carlton Haney at Roanoke, Virginia in 1965, Bill Monroe was the central figure.

The growing national popularity of Monroe's music during the 1960s was also apparent in the increasingly diverse background of musicians recruited into his band. Non-southerners who served as Blue Grass Boys during this period included banjo player Bill Keith and singer/guitarist Peter Rowan from Massachusetts, fiddler Gene Lowinger from New York, banjo player Lamar Grier from Maryland, banjo player Steve Arkin from New York, and singer/guitarist Roland White and fiddler Richard Greene from California.

Later years

Even after the folk revival faded in the mid-1960s, it left a loyal audience for bluegrass music. Bluegrass festivals became common, with fans often traveling long distances to see a number of different acts over several days of performances.

In 1967 Monroe himself founded an annual bluegrass festival at Bean Blossom in southern Indiana, a park he had purchased in 1951, which routinely attracted a crowd of thousands; a double LP from the festival featuring Monroe, Jimmy Martin, Lester Flatt, and Jim and Jesse was released in 1973. The annual Bill Monroe Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival is now the world's oldest continuously running annual bluegrass festival.

Monroe's compositions during his later period were largely instrumentals, including "Jerusalem Ridge", "Old Dangerfield", and "My Last Days on Earth"; he settled into a new role as a musical patriarch who continued to influence younger generations of musicians. Monroe recorded two albums of duets in the 1980s; the first featured collaborations with country stars such as Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, and the Oak Ridge Boys, while the second paired him with other prominent bluegrass musicians. A 1989 live album celebrated his 50th year on the Grand Ole Opry. Monroe also kept a hectic touring schedule. On April 7, 1990, Monroe performed for Farm Aid IV in Indianapolis, Indiana along with Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and with many other artists.

Death

Monroe suffered a stroke in April 1996, effectively ending his touring and playing career. He died on September 9, 1996, only four days before his 85th birthday. Emmylou Harris said of Monroe after his death:

Awards and legacy

Bill Monroe was made an honorary Kentucky colonel in 1966.

Artists influenced by Monroe

More than 150 musicians played in the Blue Grass Boys over the nearly 60 years of Monroe's performing career. Monroe tended to recruit promising young musicians who served an apprenticeship with him before becoming accomplished artists in their own right. Some of Monroe's band members who went on to greater prominence include singer/guitarists Clyde Moody, Lester Flatt, Jack Cook, Mac Wiseman, Jimmy Martin, Carter Stanley, Del McCoury, Peter Rowan, Roland White, Roland Dunn and Doug Green; banjo players Earl Scruggs, Don Reno, Sonny Osborne, and Bill Keith; and fiddlers Tommy Magness, Chubby Wise, Vassar Clements, Byron Berline, Kenny Baker, Bobby Hicks, Gordon Terry, and Glen Duncan. Monroe also regularly performed with flat-picking guitar virtuoso Doc Watson. Modern bluegrass singer and mandolin player Ricky Skaggs was greatly influenced by Bill Monroe. Skaggs was only six years old when he first got to perform on stage with Monroe and his band.

Pseudonyms used by Monroe as a composer

Joe Ahr; Rupert Jones; Wilbur Jones; Albert Price; James B. Smith; James W. Smith

Discography

References

Bibliography

Rumble, John (1998). "Bill Monroe". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 350–2.

Smith, Richard D. (2000). Can't You Hear Me Callin': The Life of Bill Monroe, Father of Bluegrass. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-80381-2.

Rosenberg, Neil V., and Charles K. Wolfe (2007). The Music of Bill Monroe. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-03121-0.

External links

Country Music Hall of Fame profile

International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor profile

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame profile

Recording of "Wayfaring Stranger" from the 1993 Florida Folk Festival (available for public use from the State Archives of Florida)

Category:1911 births Category:1996 deaths Category:American country musicians Category:American country singers Category:American bluegrass musicians Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Category:Deaths from stroke Category:Grand Ole Opry members Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Category:International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor inductees Category:Musicians from Kentucky Category:National Heritage Fellowship winners Category:Peabody Award winners Category:People from Ohio County, Kentucky Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:United States National Medal of Arts recipients Category:American bluegrass mandolinists

Name	Tommy Hunter |
Landscape	|
Background	solo_singer |
Birth name	Thomas James Hunter|
Alias	|
Born	March 20, 1937 |
Died	|
Origin	London, Ontario, Canada |
Instruments	Guitar |
Genre	Country |
Occupation	Singer |
Years active	1956 – Present |
Label	|
Associated acts	|
Url	www.tommyhunter.com |
Current members	|
Past members	|

Thomas James "Tommy" Hunter, CM, O.Ont (born March 20, 1937 in London, Ontario) is a Canadian country music performer, known as "Canada's Country Gentleman".

Career

In 1956, he began performing as a rhythm guitarist on the CBC television show, Country Hoedown. The Tommy Hunter Show began as a CBC radio program in 1960 and went on to replace Country Hoedown on CBC television in 1965; Hunter's show was picked up by TNN in 1983 and ran on CBC until 1992. The book Cue the Elephant by Knowlton Nash (1996, McClelland & Stewart) featured some disparaging remarks from the show's make-up artist. "He could sell himself terrifically but there was no love lost between Tommy and the crew. Some of the guys loathed him ... Everybody made snide remarks behind Tommy's back ... people might say he was the biggest jerk in the world. But that was not my experience. For me, I saw a very easy down-to-earth manner. But Tommy does generate anti as well as pro feelings from people ... he didn't trust people around him, he became a monster to some."

People who performed on The Tommy Hunter Show early in their careers include:

Garth Brooks

Shania Twain, then known as Eileen Twain

The Judds

Alanis Morissette, when she was a country singer

After his show was cancelled by the CBC, Hunter continued to tour with his band, The Travelling Men. He has announced his intention to retire after a final tour in 2011.

Awards and recognition

Tommy Hunter was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1984. In 1986, Hunter was made a Member of the Order of Canada. He has received three Canadian Juno Awards and one Gemini Award. In 1990, he was given a place in the Country Music Hall of Fame's "Walkway of Stars". A street ("Tommy Hunter Way") was also renamed in his honour in his hometown of London, Ontario, in the late 1990s. He became a member of the Order of Ontario in 1996. In 2005 he was honored with a GMA Canada Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is handed out annually by the Gospel Music Association of Canada. (GMA Canada)

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

Tommy Hunter official website (accessed 24 June 2006)

Order of Canada citation: Tommy Hunter (accessed 24 June 2006)

The Canadian Encyclopedia: Tommy Hunter

Category:1937 births Category:Living people Category:Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Category:Canadian country singers Category:Canadian television variety show hosts Category:Juno Award winners Category:Members of the Order of Canada Category:Members of the Order of Ontario Category:Musicians from Ontario Category:People from London, Ontario

Name	Steve Martin
Caption	at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
Birth name	Stephen Glenn Martin
Birth date	August 14, 1945
Birth place	Waco, Texas, United States
Medium	Stand-up, television, film, music, publishing
Nationality	American
Active	1967–present
Genre	Improvisational, sketch, slapstick
Influences	British television, Red Skelton, Jerry Lewis, Jack Benny, Laurel and Hardy, Wally Boag
Influenced	Eddie Izzard, Chris Rock, Judd Apatow, Patton Oswalt, Dane Cook, Brian Posehn, Bo Burnham, Will Forte, David Walliams, Sarah Silverman, Will Arnett, Jon Stewart, Harry Hill, Vic Reeves, Stephen Colbert, Louis C.K., Tina Fey, Russell Peters, Howie Mandel, Andy Samberg, Bill Hader, Artie Lange
Spouse	Victoria Tennant (November 20, 1986–1994) Martin was raised in Inglewood, California, and then later in Garden Grove, California, in a Baptist family. One of his earliest memories is of seeing his father, as an extra, serving drinks onstage at the Call Board Theatre on Melrose Place. During World War II, in England, Martin's father had appeared in a production of Our Town with Raymond Massey. Years later, he would write to Massey for help in Steve's fledgling career, but would receive no reply. Expressing his affection through gifts of cars, bikes, etc., Martin's father was stern, not emotionally open to his son. Martin's first job was at Disneyland, selling guidebooks on weekends and full-time during the summer school break. That lasted for three years (1955–1958). During his free time he frequented the Main Street Magic shop, where tricks were demonstrated to potential customers. In his authorized biography, close friend Morris Walker suggests that Martin could "be described most accurately as an agnostic [...] he rarely went to church and was never involved in organized religion of his own volition".
|rowspan	2| Cameo
Colspan	"5" style="font-size:90%"|"—" denotes a title that did not chart.
Name	Martin, Steve
Alternative names	Martin, Stephen Glen
Short description	Comedian, writer, and entertainer
Date of birth	August 14, 1945
Place of birth	Waco, Texas, United States

Category:1945 births Category:Actors from California Category:Actors from Texas Category:American banjoists Category:American buskers Category:American comedy musicians Category:American dramatists and playwrights Category:American film actors Category:American memoirists Category:American screenwriters Category:American stand-up comedians Category:California State University, Long Beach alumni Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Living people Category:Mark Twain Prize recipients Category:People from Waco, Texas Category:People from Garden Grove, California Category:Writers Guild of America Award winners Category:People from Inglewood, California

Raymond Fairchild (born March 15, 1939) is an American banjo player from the Great Smoky Mountains. He is known for his fast playing, his fancy and intricate picking and his ability of making the banjo mimic both animals and humans.

Biography

Fairchild was born in Cherokee, Swain County, North Carolina and learned music, from an early age, from his mother's side of the family. His musical influences also included Earl Scruggs, and Don Reno. When he was young he played for tips at a tourist stop in Maggie Valley. The owner of the tourist stop, Ted Sutton, taught young Fairchild about show-business. When Fairchild wasn't performing he worked as a stonemason. In the mid 1960s, he formed the Frosty Mountain Boys but soon changed the name to the Maggie Valley Boys.

Fairchild was signed by Uncle Jim O'Neal to record for the Rural Rhythm label. In the early 1970s, He made a successful performance on the Grand Ole Opry at WSM in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1975, he met the Crowe Brothers, (Wallace Crowe, and Wayne Crowe) and together they formed a trio. The bluegrass trio lasted until 1991 when Fairchild formed the New Maggie Valley Boys with his son Zane Fairchild.

Fairchild has won five awards as a champion banjo player and has scored two gold records. Since he is reluctant to leave his home district he is mostly seen at the Maggie Valley Opry House.

Discography

LPs

King of the Smokey Mountain 5-String Banjo Players, Rural Rhythm RR-146 (1963)

Mama Likes Bluegrass Music, Rural Rhythm RRFM 159 (1967)

Raymond Fairchild & the Maggie Valley Boys, Rural Rhythm RRMVB 170 (1967)

Honky Tonkin' Country Blues, Rural Rhythm RRRF 245 (1971)

King of the Smokey Mountain Banjo Players, Rural Rhythm RRRF 254 (1972)

King of the Smokey Mountain 5-String Banjo Players, Rural Rhythm RRRF 256 (1972)

King of the 5-String Banjo, Rural Rhythm RRRF 260 (1976)

King of the 5-String Banjo, Rural Rhythm RRRF 261 (1976)

King of the 5-String Banjo, Rural Rhythm RRRF 262 (1976)

King of the 5-String Banjo, Rural Rhythm RRRF 263 (1976)

Legendary Raymond Fairchild, Skyline SRO 003 (1981)

Plays Requests, Skyline SRO 012 (1985)

World Champion Banjo, Skyline SRO 016 (1987)

CDs

Mama Likes Bluegrass Music, Rural Rhythm RHY 159

31 Banjo Favorites, Rural Rhythm RHY 254

16 All-Time Favorites, Rural Rhythm RHY 260

15 Gospel Favorites, Rural Rhythm RHY 263

31 Banjo Favorites Vol 2, Rural Rhythm RHY 270

Smoky Mountain Christmas, Rural Rhythm RHY 290

The Bluegrass Banjo Collection, Rural Rhythm RHY 294

31 Banjo Favorites (The New Collection), Rural Rhythm RHY 324

Footnotes

References

Rehder, John B. (2004) Appalachian Folkways, JHU Press

Williams, Michael Ann (1995) Great Smoky Mountains Folklife, University Press of Mississippi

Category:1939 births Category:American bluegrass musicians Category:American banjoists Category:Living people

Name	Farm Fresh
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
Genre	Canadian hip hop
Years active	1994–present
Label	Peanuts & Corn Records
Current members	mcenroePip SkidDJ Hunnicutt

:This article is about Farm Fresh, the hip hop group. For the Virginia-area division of Supervalu, see Farm Fresh Food & Pharmacy. Farm Fresh is a hip hop group from Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. Made up of mcenroe, Pip Skid and DJ Hunnicutt, they released their first recording The Space EP in 1994 followed by a full length album named Crazy Friction in 1995.

The group soon went on hiatus and released a compact disc called Played Out, containing previous recordings and a few unreleased songs, in 1996. The band also appeared on Rheostatics' album The Nightlines Sessions, collaborating with that band on an improvised live track called "Trans Jam".

However, they did not record any further material as a unit until reuniting for an anniversary album named Time Is Running Out, which was released in March 2005.

All of their albums have been released on Peanuts & Corn Records.

References

External links

Peanuts & Corn Records Website

Category:1990s music groups Category:2000s music groups Category:Canadian hip hop groups Category:Musical groups from Manitoba Category:People from Brandon, Manitoba

Name	Earl Scruggs |
Landscape	|
Background	solo_singer |
Birth name	Earl Eugene Scruggs |
Alias	|
Born	January 06, 1924 |
Died	|
Origin	Shelby, North Carolina, USA |
Instrument	5-string banjo, guitar |
Genre	Bluegrass, country, gospel
Occupation	Bluegrass artist
Years active	1945–present |
Label	MCA Nashville Records
Associated acts	Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, Flatt and Scruggs, Earl Scruggs Revue
Url	www.earlscruggs.com |
Notable instruments	A 1933/34 Gibson Granada previously owned by Don Reno and Snuffy Jenkins, and "Nellie," a 1935/36 Gibson RB-3/RB-75 flathead

Earl Eugene Scruggs (born January 6, 1924) is a musician noted for perfecting and popularizing a 3-finger style (now called Scruggs style) on the 5-string banjo that is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. Although other musicians had played in 3-finger style before him, Scruggs shot to prominence when he was hired by Bill Monroe to fill the banjo slot in the "Blue Grass Boys". Scruggs built on earlier styles to develop a truly new and readily identifiable style, involving: unprecedented smoothness, syncopation, and uninterrupted flow; a large vocabulary of unique and original licks; blues and jazz phrases, evident in backup and in solos such as "Foggy Mountain Special;" and an overall coherency and polish that other stylists lacked, which inspired imitation by newer generations of banjo pickers.

Biography

Scruggs was born in Flint Hill, North Carolina, to Georgia Lula Ruppe and George Elam Scruggs. Scruggs joined Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in late 1945 and his syncopated, three-finger picking style quickly became a sensation. In 1948 Scruggs and guitarist Lester Flatt left Monroe's band and formed the Foggy Mountain Boys. In 1969, Flatt and Scruggs broke up and Scruggs started a new band, the Earl Scruggs Revue, featuring several of his sons.

On September 24, 1962 singer Jerry Scoggins, Flatt, and Scruggs recorded "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" for the TV show The Beverly Hillbillies which was released October 12, 1962. The theme song became an immediate country music hit and was played at the beginning and end of each episode. Flatt and Scruggs appeared in several episodes as family friends of the Clampetts in the following years. In their first appearance, season 1 episode 20, they portray themselves in the show and perform both the theme song and "Pearl Pearl Pearl".

Flatt and Scruggs won a Grammy Award in 1969 for Scruggs' instrumental "Foggy Mountain Breakdown". They were inducted together into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1985. In 1989, Scruggs was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship. He was an inaugural inductee into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 1991. In 1992, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

In 1994, Scruggs teamed up with Randy Scruggs and Doc Watson to contribute the song "Keep on the Sunny Side" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Country produced by the Red Hot Organization.

In 2002 Scruggs won a second Grammy award for the 2001 recording of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown", which featured artists such as Steve Martin on 2nd banjo solo (Martin played the banjo tune on his 1970s stand-up comic acts), Vince Gill and Albert Lee on electric guitar solos, Paul Shaffer on piano, Leon Russell on organ, and Marty Stuart on mandolin. The album, Earl Scruggs and Friends, also featured artists such as John Fogerty, Elton John, Sting, Johnny Cash, Don Henley, Travis Tritt, Steve Martin and Billy Bob Thornton. Earl Scruggs and Friends (MCA Nashville, 2001).

On February 13, 2003, Scruggs received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That same year, he and Flatt were ranked #24 on CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music.

Scruggs' wife and manager Louise Scruggs died on February 2, 2006 at the age of 78 at Nashville, Tennessee's Baptist Hospital following a lengthy illness.

On September 13, 2006, Scruggs was honored at Turner Field in Atlanta as part of the pre-game show for an Atlanta Braves home game. Organizers (Banjo.com) set a world record for the most banjo players (239) playing one tune together (Scruggs' "Foggy Mountain Breakdown").

On February 10, 2008, Scruggs was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.

Legacy

As a young man, Bill Keith did a meticulous job of transcribing Scruggs' solos into both tablature and standard music notation for the book Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo, the best-selling banjo method in the world (according to Amazon.com). Keith went on to develop the more modern "melodic" style of banjo playing, laying the groundwork for Tony Trischka and Bela Fleck.

Bela Fleck names Earl Scruggs among his influences. He regards Scruggs as "certainly the best" banjo player of the three-finger style.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Guest singles

Music videos

DVDs

Earl Scruggs - His Family and Friends (2005)

:(Recorded 1969. Bob Dylan, The Byrds, Bill Monroe, Joan Baez et al.)

Private Sessions (2005)

The Bluegrass Legend (2006)

Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and Ricky Skaggs

The Three Pickers (2003)

Flatt and Scruggs

The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 1 (2007)

The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 2 (2007)

Footnotes

References

Rosenberg, Neil V. (1998). "Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 173–4.

Willis, Barry R. "Biography of Earl Scruggs." Retrieved October 5, 2008.

Lifetime Honors - National Medal of Arts

External links

Official Website

Interview with www.CountryMusicPride.com Interview with www.CountryMusicPride.com

at the Country Music Hall of Fame

on MCA Nashville

on Rounder Records

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Category:1924 births Category:Living people Category:American bluegrass musicians Category:International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor inductees Category:National Heritage Fellowship winners Category:United States National Medal of Arts recipients Category:Musicians from North Carolina Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Category:American country banjoists Category:People from Shelby, North Carolina