BLUEGRASS GENERATIONS

Principal Research: Fred Bartenstein

Research Assistance: Mary Jo Leet Ed Renner

Admin. Assistance: Kelly SkidmoreSeptember 9, 2005 www.FredBartenstein.com725 Wright Street, Yellow Springs, OH 45387

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders…and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

Hebrews 12:1-2

“Hey, let’s hear it for Lester Flatt. Joe Stuart and Pete Rowan, Mac Wiseman and Melvin Goins. Stoney Cooper and Earl Snead, bluegrass music is what we need.”

“Tater Tate and Alan Munde,” John Hartford, 1976

Project goals:

• Create a database of not less than 500 professional bluegrass artists, whose recordings have had national distribution.

• Propose a classification of generations.

• Explore interesting patterns.

Data collected for 680 artists

• Name & nickname(s)• Year of birth• State of birth• Year of death• Gender• Year of first and last

commercial recording• Primary instrument

• Primary vocal part• Member of the Blue

Grass Boys?• Primary other

recording genre• Band leader?• Sources of information

Primary sources of information:

• Bluegrass Bios 2005 (Wayne Rice)

• America’s Music: Bluegrass (Barry Willis)

• All Music Guide website (allmusic.com)

• Bluegrass Discography website (ibiblio.org/hillwilliam/ BGdiscography)

• Century of Country website (countryworks. com/artist_full.asp)

• Blue Grass Boys website (//doodah.net/bgb/)

• Country Music Records (Tony Russell)

• Country Music Sources (Meade, Spottswood & Meade)

• Fred Bartenstein database of 9,000+ songs for broadcast

Potential sources of error

• Incorrect information (some guesses)

• Incomplete information (missing artists, particularly in later generations, US bias)

• Interpretation

Generation 0 - The Ancestors examples (of 30):

• Dock Boggs• A.P. & Sara Carter• Grayson & Whitter• Uncle Dave Macon• J.E. Mainer • Sam & Kirk McGee• Charlie Poole• Jimmie Rodgers• E.V. & Hattie Stoneman• Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith

• Born 1868-1900

• Recorded 1922-1980

• Born in the South

• Preserved & updated 19th century music

• Major contributors to bluegrass repertoire

• Played fiddle, guitar, banjo, slide guitar

Generation 1 - The Pioneers examples (of 118):• Roy Acuff• Bill & Earl Bolick• Maybelle Carter• Flatt & Scruggs• Wade Mainer• Bill & Charlie Monroe• Molly O’Day• Carl Story• Doc Watson• Bob Wills

• Born 1901-1924

• Recorded 1927-on

• Born in Appalachia

• Professional country music entertainers

• Created bluegrass vocal & instrumental styles

• Played guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, bass

Generation 2 - The Builders examples (of 200):

• Country Gentlemen 1&2• J.D. Crowe• Hazel Dickens• Jimmy Martin• Del McCoury• Jim & Jesse McReynolds• Bob & Sonny Osborne• Don Reno & Red Smiley• Classic Seldom Scene• Carter & Ralph Stanley• Mac Wiseman

• Born 1925-1941

• Recorded 1941-on

• Rural to urban migrants

• 23% Blue Grass Boys

• Fleshed out & explored within classic parameters

• First to be called “bluegrass”

• Initiated bluegrass festivals

Generation 3 - The Innovators examples (of 246):

• Sam Bush• Rodney Dillard• Jerry Douglas• Bela Fleck• Hot Rize• Doyle Lawson• Laurie Lewis• Tony Rice• Skaggs & Whitley• Larry Sparks• Rhonda Vincent

• Born 1942-1962

• Recorded 1953-on

• Broadest geographic origins

• Grew up with rock

• Took music to new directions & audiences

• Fewest fiddlers

• Largest generation (baby boomers)

Generation 4 - The Conservators examples (of 69):

• Mike Bub• Sidney & Suzanne Cox• Stuart Duncan• Rob Ickes• Alison Krauss• Rob & Ron McCoury• Russell Moore• Kenny & Valerie Smith• Adam Steffey• Ronnie Stewart• Dan Tyminski

• Born 1963-1976

• Recorded 1976-on

• 59% from the South

• Grew up with festivals

• 3% Blue Grass Boys, 9% Quicksilver

• Returned to classic patterns & repertoire

• Much smaller generation (baby bust)

Generation 5 - The Explorers examples (of 17):

• Chapmans (except Bill)• Michael Cleveland• Ryan Holladay• Sierra Hull• Andy Leftwich• Nickel Creek• Brandon Rickman• Ralph Stanley II• Josh Williams• Gabe Witcher

• Born 1977-1992

• Recorded 1989-on

• 59% CA, CO, TN

• Oldest now only 28

• Appear to echo some characteristics of Gen 0: 41% fiddlers, reinterpret music for a new century

• Data base is thin; generalizations are shaky

When were they actively recording?

050

100150200250300350400450500

19201925193019351940194519501955196019651970197519801985199019952000

Expl

Cons

Inno

Bldr

Pion

Ancr

32 27 25 25 23 17 Med.Age 1927 1946 1959 1978 1991 1998 1st Rec

What other genres did they record?

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Ancs Pion Bldr Inno Cons Expl

Rock

Gospel

Folk

Country

Old Time

None, D/K,Other

1927 1946 1959 1978 1991 1998 median 1st rec

(30)

(56)

(61)

(174)

(73)

(281)

Total (680)

Born in 5 years beginning…

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70 188518901895190019051910191519201925193019351940194519501955196019651970197519801985

12 years old in 5 years beginning…

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70 189719021907191219171922192719321937194219471952195719621967197219771982198719921997

What happened in the peak years for 12-year-olds?

1947-1951 “Golden Era” 70

1967-1971 Bonnie & Clyde, Early BGFs 69

1942-1946 1st & Classic Blue Grass Boys 61

What happened in the “trough” years for 12-year-olds?

1952-1956 Elvis, Rockabilly 41

1957-1961 Elvis, Doo-Wop 57

1962-1966 Beatles, Folk Boom 59

1st recorded in 5 years beginning…

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80 19201925193019351940194519501955196019651970197519801985199019952000

What happened in the peak yearsfor first recording?

1960-1964 Folk Era, Beverly Hillbillies 72

1970-1974 Deliverance, Early BGFs 68

1990-1994 CDs, Alison Krauss 68

1975-1979 Mature BGFs, Bicentennial 67

1945-1949 Golden Era, Pt. 1 66

1950-1954 Golden Era, Pt. 2 64

What happened in the “trough”years for first recording?

1985-1989 Heavy Metal, Retro Country 34

1955-1959 Elvis, Rockabilly 35

1965-1969 Psychedelia, Folk Era Ended 46

1980-1984 Pop Rock, Retro Country 48

Where were they born?

0

50

100

150

200

250

Ancr Pion Bldr Inno Cnsv Expl

West-6%

Northeast-8%

Midwest-10%

South-73%

1927 1946 1959 1978 1991 1998 median 1st rec

(40)

(52)

(66)

(496)

What states did they come from?

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Ancs67%

Pion80%

Bldr61%

Inno49%

Cons 54%

Expl 53%

NC-98

VA-82

TN-71

KY-66

WV-38

CA-29

1927 1946 1959 1978 1991 1998 median 1st rec

Overall-56%

Primary instrument (overall %)

Guitar-29%

Banjo-23%

Fiddle-15%

Mandolin-14%

Bass-12%

Dobro-3%

Other-3%

(198)

(157)

(105)

(97)

(82)

(20)

(21)

Overall (instrument %)Guitar-29%

Banjo-23%

Fiddle-15%

Mandolin-14%

Bass-12%

Dobro-3%

Other-3%

BuildersPioneersAncestors

Conservators Explorers

Innovators

How many were women?

0

50

100

150

200

250

Ancs7%

Pion10%

Bldr7%

Inno12%

Cons20%

Expl24%

Males

Females

1927 1946 1959 1978 1991 1998 median 1st rec

Overall-11%

(605)

(75)

Did they play in the Blue Grass Boys?

0

50

100

150

200

250

Ancs0%

Pion14%

Bldr23%

Inno5%

Cons3%

Expl0%

No

Yes

Overall-11%

1927 1946 1959 1978 1991 1998 median 1st rec

How many were band leaders?

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Ancs57%

Pion36%

Bldr40%

Inno29%

Cons12%

Expl18%

No

Yes

Overall-33%

1927 1946 1959 1978 1991 1998 median 1st rec

How many were prodigies (1st recording younger than 18) or late bloomers (after 40)?

0

5

10

15

20

25

Prodigies 0 4 13 21 6 11Late Bloomers 3 11 13 11 NA NA

Ancs Pion Bldr Inno Cons Expl

median 1st rec 1927 1946 1959 1978 1991 1998

Some observations

• Generations alternate between innovation and conservation.

• In lean times, artists arise from the bluegrass heartland (NC, VA, TN, KY, WV).

• Interest in bluegrass occurs in adolescence, followed by a 10-12 year apprenticeship, and a median recording career from ages 25 to 53.

• Long careers “crowd the market” as generations overlap.

• There is not one African-American or Hispanic in the database.

Some observations

• From 1936 to 1939, 28 banjo players were born. - 18% of all 157 banjo players in the database - 53% of all 54 musicians born in those 4 years - more than double the overall 23% rate of banjoists.

• These included: Eddie Adcock Bill Emerson Allen Shelton J.D. Crowe Walter Hensley Roni Stoneman

Doug Dillard Bill Keith Bobby Thompson Ben Eldridge Sonny Osborne Eric Weissberg

Some observations

• 12-17 years later, Earl Scruggs released his first seven banjo instrumentals.

• Similar but less pronounced concentrations occurred:

- among mandolin players who were 10-14 when Bill Monroe’s 1940-1942 Bluebirds were released.

- among guitar players who were 10-15 in the first flush of bluegrass lead guitar, 1960-1969.