BLUEGRASS GENERATIONS

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BLUEGRASS GENERATIONS

• Principal Research Fred Bartenstein
• Research Assistance Mary Jo Leet
  Ed Renner
• Admin. Assistance Kelly Skidmore

September 9, 2005 www.FredBartenstein.com 725
Wright Street, Yellow Springs, OH 45387
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• Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a
  great cloud
• of witnesses, let us throw off everything that
  hindersand
• let us run with perseverance the race marked
  out for us.
• Hebrews 121-2

Hey, lets 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
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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.

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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

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Primary sources of information

• Bluegrass Bios 2005 (Wayne Rice)
• Americas Music Bluegrass (Barry Willis)
• All Music Guide website (allmusic.com)
• Bluegrass Discography website (ibiblio.org/hillwil
  liam/ 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

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Potential sources of error

• Incorrect information
  (some guesses)
• Incomplete information
  (missing artists, particularly in later
  generations, US bias)
• Interpretation

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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

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Generation 1 - The Pioneers

• examples (of 118)
• Roy Acuff
• Bill Earl Bolick
• Maybelle Carter
• Flatt Scruggs
• Wade Mainer
• Bill Charlie Monroe
• Molly ODay
• Carl Story
• Doc Watson
• Bob Wills

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Generation 2 - The Builders

• examples (of 200)
• Country Gentlemen 12
• 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

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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

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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

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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

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When were they actively recording?
32 27 25
25 23 17 Med.Age
1927 1946 1959
1978 1991 1998 1st Rec
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What other genres did they record?
(30) (56)
(61) (174) (73)
(281) Total (680)
1927 1946 1959
1978 1991 1998 median 1st rec
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Born in 5 years beginning
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12 years old in 5 years beginning
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What happened in the peak years for 12-year-olds?
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What happened in the trough years for
12-year-olds?
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1st recorded in 5 years beginning
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What happened in the peak yearsfor first
recording?
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What happened in the troughyears for first
recording?
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Where were they born?
(40) (52) (66) (496)
1927 1946 1959
1978 1991 1998 median 1st
rec
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What states did they come from?
Overall- 56
1927 1946 1959 1978
1991 1998 median 1st rec
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Primary instrument (overall )
(198) (157) (105) (97) (82) (20) (21)
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Overall (instrument )
Builders
Pioneers
Ancestors
Innovators
Conservators
Explorers
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How many were women?
(605) (75)
Overall- 11
1927 1946 1959
1978 1991 1998 median 1st rec
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Did they play in the Blue Grass Boys?
Overall- 11
1927 1946 1959 1978 1991
1998 median 1st rec
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How many were band leaders?
Overall- 33
1927 1946 1959 1978 1991
1998 median 1st rec
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How many were prodigies (1st recording younger
than 18) or late bloomers (after 40)?
median 1st rec 1927 1946
1959 1978 1991 1998
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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.

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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

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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 Monroes 1940-1942 Bluebirds
• were released.
• - among guitar players who were 10-15 in the
• first flush of bluegrass lead guitar,
  1960-1969.