Tag Archives: bluegrass
Arnold Shultz: Black fiddling and bluegrass music
The first time I met Bill Monroe (regarded as the “Father of Bluegrass Music”) in May of 1963, he mentioned some of the people that influenced the development of the musical style that was later to be named after his … Continue reading
Wade Mainer, Laxatives, and the Grandfather of Bluegrass?
Wade told me once, that Bill Monroe asked him to play banjo for the Blue Grass Boys . . . this was before Stringbean. Wade turned him down. He explained to me that he didn’t want to become a sideman. Continue reading
A little more on microphones
“Recently, I was lucky enough to be loaned a pair of Sony C-37A mics from the early 1960s. They are tube condenser microphones, with special, custom-built power supplies, and their sound is truly magnificent. I’m having a wonderful time, trying out songs, tunes, and instruments in front of them.” Continue reading
Microphones and The Bluegrass Music
but what about microphones? When Bill traveled with his tent shows, you mention electric lights. What did he use to amplify his instruments? It is my impression that bluegrass was built around a microphone, and has been subsequently altered by the expansion of a single mic into a long, often forbidding, row of mics, monitors, etc. Continue reading
The Ash Grove: Old Time Hits the Big Time in Hollywood USA
Born in the midst of the unreality and meaninglessness of the commercial pop world, the Ash Grove soon became the refuge and breeding ground for people’s music. Continue reading