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55-590: Each summer, the Kentucky Theatre hosts a Summer Classics series, showing a different classic film each Wednesday throughout the summer. Most films in the series are paired as one-night double-features or shown with an accompanying cartoon. These also include performances by organists part of the Bluegrass Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society, which include classic and modern pieces and

110-540: A distinct musical form developed from elements of old-time music and traditional music in the Appalachian region of the United States . The Appalachian region was where many Scottish American immigrants settled, bringing with them the musical traditions of their homelands. Hence the sounds of jigs and reels , especially as played on the fiddle, were innate to the developing style. Black musicians, meanwhile, brought

165-483: A double-broadcast event attended by 2,000 fans at the Dublin Convention Center. The Ireland broadcast celebrated Kentucky bluegrass as presented by Irish bluegrass artists. This broadcast was also presented as a special broadcast on DISH TV Network. This added 14 million USA television homes to the public broadcast of this show. The WoodSongs broadcast was also taken to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, to celebrate

220-629: A fiddle. Many older bluegrass songs come directly from the British Isles . Several Appalachian bluegrass ballads, such as " Pretty Saro ", " Pretty Polly ", " Cuckoo Bird ", and " House Carpenter ", come from England and preserve the English ballad tradition both melodically and lyrically. Some bluegrass fiddle songs popular in Appalachia, such as "Leather Britches" and "Soldier's Joy", have Scottish roots. The dance tune " Cumberland Gap " may be derived from

275-413: A genre within the post-war country/western-music industry, a period of time characterized now as the golden era or wellspring of "traditional bluegrass". From its earliest days, bluegrass has been recorded and performed by professional and amateur musicians alike. Although amateur bluegrass musicians and trends such as "parking-lot picking" are too important to be ignored, it is touring musicians who have set

330-539: A platform to express themselves and surround themselves with the music community. Johnathon also created the WoodSongs Front Porch Association (501-c-3). The members are called SONGFARMERS, with over 56 community chapters from Hawaii to Florida, Arkansas to Vermont. A TV documentary about the community driven project aired on the RFD-TV Network. All but some of the oldest shows are archived on

385-656: A second screen for the Kentucky. The State was a long-time venue for the Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour which now plays at the Lyric theater. In 2000, the Kentucky and its manager Fred Mills found themselves embroiled in controversy over the showing of an X-rated film entitled Disco Dolls in Hot Skin . Undercover officers confiscated the film and Mills was charged with distributing obscene material. The theater filed suit and

440-458: A sing-along before the show. Following extensive damage in 1987, from a fire in an adjacent restaurant, the theater was closed. Over the next five years, a number of renovations were conducted and the grand reopening was held on April 11, 1992. In the late 1990s, the city renovated and reopened the adjoining theater. It is referred to informally as the State Theatre , although it is operated as

495-571: A small studio that had a sitting place for only 20 people. It was recorded on a cassette tape that had to be turned over halfway through the broadcast, and was picked up by one radio station, WRVG in Georgetown, Kentucky . In 1999 WoodSongs moved to a 150-seat room at the Lexington Public Library. After selling out 50 shows in a row, the broadcast was moved in 2000 to the Kentucky Theatre, where it stayed until January 2013 when it moved to

550-480: A solo on top of the guitar during breaks , guitarists may also provide these solos on occasion. The instrument originates from eighteenth century Spain, but there were no American-made models until the C.F. Martin Company started to manufacture them in the 1830s. The guitar is now most commonly played with a style referred to as flatpicking , unlike the style of early bluegrass guitarists such as Lester Flatt , who used

605-412: A thumb pick and finger pick . Bassists almost always play pizzicato , occasionally adopting the "slap-style" to accentuate the beat. A bluegrass bass line is generally a rhythmic alternation between the root and fifth of each chord , with occasional walking bass excursions. Instrumentation has been a continuing topic of debate. Traditional bluegrass performers believe the "correct" instrumentation

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660-466: A worldwide audience as a result of its frequent use in the movie "Bonnie and Clyde". But the functionally similar old-time music genre was long-established and widely recorded in the period of the film's events and later CD was released. Ralph Stanley commented about the origins of the genre and its name. 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

715-667: A worldwide level including J.D. Crowe, Ben Sollee, Homer Ledford, Dale Ann Bradley , EXILE and The McLain Family Band . The broadcast stage is open to artists of all genres, from all regions, all economic and ethnic backgrounds. Michael Johnathon started the WoodSongs CoffeeHouse Association which has over 90 concert stages nationwide. The purpose of the WoodSongs CoffeeHouse is to encourage local participation by regional musicians and artists, and to give them

770-649: Is a common name given in America for the grass of the Poa genus, the most famous being Kentucky bluegrass . A large region in central Kentucky is sometimes called the Bluegrass region (although this region is west of the hills of Kentucky). Exactly when the word "bluegrass" was adopted is not certain, but is believed to be in the late 1950s. It was derived from the name of the seminal Blue Grass Boys band, formed in 1939 with Bill Monroe as its leader. Due to this lineage, Bill Monroe

825-431: Is a live audience celebration of grassroots artists and music. Old song are very deep and attractive. The WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour is an all-volunteer-run nonbusiness organization and is a worldwide multimedia celebration of grassroots music filmed in front of live audience. WoodSongs is a one-hour musical conversation focusing on the artists and their music. The WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour began in 1998 in

880-510: Is especially typified in tunes called breakdowns . This is in contrast to old-time music , where all instrumentalists play the melody together, or one instrument carries the lead throughout while the others provide accompaniment. Breakdowns are often characterized by rapid tempos and unusual instrumental dexterity, and sometimes by complex chord changes . The violin (also known as the fiddle ), five-string banjo , guitar , mandolin , and upright bass ( string bass ) are often joined by

935-691: Is frequently referred to as the "father of bluegrass". The bluegrass style of music dates from the mid-1940s. In 1948, the Stanley Brothers recorded the traditional song " Molly and Tenbrooks " in the Blue Grass Boys' style, arguably the point in time that bluegrass emerged as a distinct musical form. Monroe's 1946 to 1948 band, which featured guitarist Lester Flatt , banjoist Earl Scruggs , fiddler Chubby Wise and bassist Howard Watts (also known as "Cedric Rainwater") – sometimes called "the original bluegrass band" – created

990-460: Is that used by Bill Monroe's band, the Blue Grass Boys (guitar, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and bass). Departures from the traditional instrumentation have included dobro, accordion , harmonica , piano , autoharp , drums , electric guitar , and electric versions of other common bluegrass instruments, resulting in what has been referred to as "new grass." Despite this debate, even Monroe himself

1045-904: The Telluride Bluegrass Festival , RockyGrass in Lyons, Colorado, and MerleFest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina began to attract acts from outside the bluegrass tradition, merging the bluegrass community with other popular music scenes across America. Following the death of Jerry Garcia , who began his career playing bluegrass, and the dissolution of the Grateful Dead , the blossoming " jam band " scene that followed in their wake embraced and included many groups that performed progressive bluegrass styles that included extended, exploratory musical improvisation , often called "jamgrass." This style began to define many such acts whose popularity has grown into

1100-426: The key of G , and a I-IV-V chord pattern is common. In traditional bluegrass, instrumental breaks are typically short and played between sections of a song, conventionally originating as a variation on the song's melody. Also common are breakdowns, an instrumental form that features a series of breaks, each played by a different instrument. Particularly since the 1990s, a number of younger groups have attempted to revive

1155-541: The resonator guitar (also referred to as a Dobro ) and (occasionally) harmonica or Jew's harp . This instrumentation originated in rural dance bands and is the basis on which the earliest bluegrass bands were formed. The fiddle, made by Italians and first used in sixteenth century Europe, was one of the first instruments to be brought into America. It became popular due to its small size and versatility. Fiddles are also used in country , classical , cajun , and old time music. Banjos were brought to America through

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1210-478: The 1930s and mid-1940s. However, the term "bluegrass" did not appear formally to describe the music until the late 1950s and did not appear in Music Index until 1965. The first entry in Music Index mentioning "bluegrass music" directed the reader to "see Country Music; Hillbilly Music". Music Index maintained this listing for bluegrass music until 1986. The first time bluegrass music had its own entries in Music Index

1265-463: The 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States . The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys . Like mainstream country music , it largely developed out of old-time music , though in contrast to country, it is traditionally played exclusively on acoustic instruments and also kept its roots in traditional English, Scottish and Irish ballads and dance tunes , as well as incorporating blues and jazz . It

1320-727: The 21st century, such as Leftover Salmon , The String Cheese Incident , Yonder Mountain String Band , The Infamous Stringdusters , Railroad Earth , Greensky Bluegrass and Billy Strings . In recent years, groups like the Punch Brothers , the Jon Stickley Trio and Nickel Creek have developed a new form of progressive bluegrass which includes highly arranged pieces resembling contemporary classical music played on bluegrass instruments. These bands feature complicated rhythms, chord schemes, and harmonics combined with improvised solos. At

1375-466: The 540-seat Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center . By 2005 WoodSongs was being aired on 320 radio stations, and on 509 radio stations across North America and Internationally by 2013. The radio program is available to both noncommercial and commercial radio stations, one of the few widely distributed radio programs in the United States to be offered to both types of stations. This does not include

1430-534: The African slave trade. They began receiving attention from white Americans when minstrel shows incorporated the banjo as part of their acts. The " clawhammer ", or two finger style playing, was popular before the Civil War. Now, however, banjo players use mainly the three-finger picking style made popular by banjoists such as Earl Scruggs . Guitars are used primarily for rhythmic purposes. Other instruments may provide

1485-648: The WoodSongs intern program, which allows students to participate in the set up of nationally broadcast weekly productions. WoodSongs also has ongoing relationships and works closely with music teachers, private instructors, and local arts groups, as well as independent artists who add local performances in the lobby of the Lyric Theatre each night of the WoodSongs broadcast. WoodSongs has a long history of spotlighting and featuring Kentucky and Appalachian artists. They have presented well over 300 different Kentucky artists on

1540-470: The WoodSongs website and can be watched for free. The University of Kentucky is the host of the global WoodSongs archive. This archive is administered by Professor Ron Pen at the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music. DZWR also streams archived episodes of this program every Saturday night. Bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in

1595-593: The addition of the American Forces Network which broadcasts it in 173 nations, to over 1 million listeners worldwide, and every US Naval ship at sea. In Kentucky, KET (Kentucky Educational Television) (PBS) public television airs the show several times a week. It is distributed to public television stations by the National Educational Telecommunications Association. Commercial cable/satellite network RFD-TV also carries

1650-519: The baritone part sung in the normal range of that voice; E.P. Tullock [aka Cousin Jake] normally providing the part, though at times it was handled by Curly Seckler). Bluegrass tunes often take the form of narratives on the everyday lives of the people whence the music came. Aside from laments about loves lost, interpersonal tensions and unwanted changes to the region (e.g., the visible effects of mountaintop coal mining ), bluegrass vocals frequently reference

1705-412: 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.' Traditional bluegrass emphasizes the traditional elements and form of the genre as laid out by Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys band in

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1760-508: The borders of the United States and become an internationally appreciated art form. Bluegrass associations now exist worldwide. One such association, the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) was formed in 1985 and presents annual awards. In 2012, the critically acclaimed Dutch -language Belgian film, The Broken Circle Breakdown , featured Flemish musicians performing Bluegrass music central to

1815-542: The company's request. In September 2021, the Mayor recommended that the management contract be given to the Friends of the Kentucky Theatre, a non-profit 501(c)(3). In January 2022, the theater reopened under the direction of the Friends of the Kentucky Theatre. Woodsongs The WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour is a radio program created, produced, and hosted by folk singer Michael Johnathon . WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour

1870-455: The definitive sound and instrumental configuration that remains a model to this day. By some arguments, while the Blue Grass Boys were the only band playing this music, it was just their unique sound; it could not be considered a musical style until other bands began performing in a similar fashion. In 1967, the banjo instrumental " Foggy Mountain Breakdown " by Flatt and Scruggs was introduced to

1925-549: The direction of the style. Radio stations dedicated to bluegrass have also proved influential in advancing the evolution of the style into distinctive subgenres. Bluegrass was initially included in the category of folk music and later changed to hillbilly . In 1948, bluegrass was placed under the country and western heading for radio airplay charting. All four of the seminal bluegrass authors - Artis, Price, Cantwell, and Rosenberg - described bluegrass music in detail as originating in style and form, in one form or another, between

1980-647: The exposure traditional bluegrass received alongside mainstream country music on radio and televised programs such as the Grand Ole Opry , a wave of young and not exclusively Southern musicians began replicating the genre's format on college campuses and in coffeehouses amidst the American folk music revival of the early 1960s. These artists often incorporated songs, elements and instruments from other popular genres, particularly rock and roll. Banjoist Earl Scruggs of Flatt and Scruggs had shown progressive tendencies since

2035-589: The film was returned. Mill's charges were dismissed upon arraignment, and the Lexington city council voted 11 to 4 against holding a review on the issue. The phrase "Defend the First Amendment" was put onto the marquee after the incident. In 2020, the Kentucky was shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government terminated the operating contract with The Kentucky Theatre Group, Inc. at

2090-401: The group's breakup in 1969. New Grass Revival began utilizing electric instrumentation alongside songs imported from other genres to great popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, and the term "newgrass" became synonymous with "progressive bluegrass". It continued to evolve though the '80s and '90s, moving closer to folk and rock in some quarters and closer to jazz in others, while festivals such as

2145-432: The group's earliest days, incorporating jazz-inspired banjo and bass duets and complex chord progressions that extended the genre's original rigid, conservative structure. In the late 1960s, Scruggs experimented on duets with saxophonist King Curtis and added songs by the likes of counterculture icon Bob Dylan to the group's repertoire, while bandmate Lester Flatt , a traditionalist , opposed these changes, resulting in

2200-513: The hardscrabble existence of living in Appalachia and other rural areas with modest financial resources. Some protest music has been composed in the bluegrass style, especially concerning the vicissitudes of the Appalachian coal mining industry . Railroading has also been a popular theme, with ballads such as " Wreck of the Old 97 " and "Nine Pound Hammer" (from the legend of John Henry ). Bluegrass as

2255-471: The high baritone above Ralph Stanley's tenor, both parts above Carter's lead vocal. This trio vocal arrangement was variously used by other groups as well; even Bill Monroe employed it in his 1950 recording of "When the Golden Leaves Begin to Fall'. In the 1960s, Flatt and Scruggs often added a fifth part to the traditional quartet parts on gospel songs, the extra part being a high baritone (doubling

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2310-563: The iconic banjo to Appalachia. Much later, in 1945, Earl Scruggs would develop a three-finger roll on the instrument which allowed a rapid-fire cascade of notes that could keep up with the driving tempo of the new bluegrass sound. Settlers from Britain and Ireland arrived in Appalachia during the 18th century and brought with them the musical traditions of their homelands. These traditions consisted primarily of English and Scottish ballads —which were essentially unaccompanied narrative—and dance music, such as reels , which were accompanied by

2365-475: The late 1940s. Traditional bluegrass musicians play folk songs, tunes with simple traditional chord progressions, exclusively on acoustic instruments , though it is common practice to amplify acoustic instruments during stage performances before larger audiences. In most traditional bluegrass bands, the guitar rarely takes the lead, instead acting as a rhythm instrument, one notable exception being gospel-based songs . Melodies and lyrics tend to be simple, often in

2420-522: The music of the Ozarks. Almost 1,000 fans sold out the auditorium as Ozark musicians of many backgrounds presented their music on a national broadcast. All artists and WoodSongs members are affiliated with the program on a volunteer basis. WoodSongs allows for community involvement and volunteer opportunities in many ways. In the Central Kentucky community, they involve regional schools and universities for

2475-418: The ordering and layering of vocal 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

2530-402: The previous bass note) or "swung" (played farther from the previous bass note). Notes are anticipated, in contrast to laid-back blues where notes are behind the beat; this creates the higher energy characteristic of bluegrass. In bluegrass, as in most forms of jazz, one or more instrumentalists take a turn playing the melody and improvising around it, while the others perform accompaniment ; this

2585-506: The same time, several popular indie folk and folk rock bands such as the Avett Brothers , Mumford & Sons and Trampled by Turtles have incorporated rhythmic elements and instrumentation from the bluegrass tradition into their popular music arrangements, as has the Branson -based band The Petersens . While originating in the United States, Bluegrass as a genre has expanded beyond

2640-530: The series. The WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour produces one show a week for 44 weeks a year every Monday evening at the Lyric Theatre in Lexington, Kentucky , and has produced over 750 broadcasts that have aired worldwide.There are some pakistani radio cahnnels given below. The WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour occasionally tours. In 2013 the program partnered with Alltech, Kentucky Tourism, Lexington Tourism, and Tourism Ireland to bring WoodSongs to Dublin, Ireland, for

2695-515: The sound and structure of traditional bluegrass, a trend that has been dubbed neo-traditional bluegrass. The group The Country Gentlemen is credited with starting the progressive bluegrass movement with their 1960 album Country Songs, Old and New , combining traditional ballads such as "The Little Sparrow," "Weeping Willow" and "Ellen Smith" with traditional bluegrass instrumentation and "bouncy" mandolin and banjo parts distinct from those of traditional players such as Monroe and Scruggs. Due to

2750-516: The standard melody line, sung by the female vocalist. However, by employing variants to the standard trio vocal arrangement, they were simply following a pattern existing since the early days of the genre. Both the Stanley Brothers and the Osborne Brothers employed the use of a high lead with the tenor and baritone below it. The Stanleys used this technique numerous times in their recordings for both Mercury and King records. This particular stack

2805-470: The tune that accompanies the Scottish ballad " Bonnie George Campbell ". The music now known as bluegrass was frequently used to accompany a rural dancing style known as buckdancing , flatfooting , or clogging . As the bluegrass sound spread to urban areas, listening to it for its own sake increased, especially after the advent of audio recording . In 1948, what would come to be known as bluegrass emerged as

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2860-433: Was further developed by musicians who played with Monroe, including 5-string banjo player Earl Scruggs and guitarist Lester Flatt . Bill Monroe once described bluegrass music as, "It's a part of Methodist , Holiness and Baptist traditions. It's blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound." Bluegrass features acoustic stringed instruments and emphasizes the off-beat . The off-beat can be "driven" (played close to

2915-604: Was in 1987. The topical and narrative themes of many bluegrass songs are highly reminiscent of folk music. Many songs that are widely considered to be bluegrass are in reality older works legitimately classified as folk or old-time music that are performed in the bluegrass style. The interplay between bluegrass and folk forms has been academically studied. Folklorist 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, festivals, and jams . "Bluegrass"

2970-407: Was known to experiment with instrumentation; he once even used a string orchestra, choir, and pre-recorded bird-song track. Apart from specific 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 ), a style described as the "high, lonesome sound." Commonly,

3025-661: Was most famously employed by the Osborne Brothers who first employed it during their time with MGM records in the latter half of the 1950s. This vocal arrangement would become the trademark of the Osbornes' sound with Bobby's high, clear voice at the top of the vocal stack. Additionally, the Stanley Brothers also utilized a high baritone part on several of their trios recorded for Columbia records during their time with that label (1949–1952). Mandolin player Pee Wee Lambert sang

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