Appalachian Music Essay, Research Paper
APPALACHIAN MUSICTIANS AND
SINGERS
AND THE SONGS THEY WRITE
Growing up in Appalachia and around its music has
made a great impact on my life. I can remember, as if
it were yesterday sitting on grandpa?s front porch with
my family singing along with Hillbilly songs on the
radio. Along with entertaining the music eased the
tensions of living a meager existence in Appalachia.
By relating with these song writers and the stories in
there songs we somehow find our life less tedious and
more bearable. Most country and gospel Appalachian
song writers find the words to there songs in the day
to day experiences of there lives.
One of the most prominent and popular types of
music to come out of the Appalachian region is gospel
music. Writing about the religious experiences one
felt at the alter or the hope of seeing a lost family
member in the here after has been the subject of many
Appalachian gospel song. Singers and song writers like
Tennessee Ernie Ford and Ernest Tub have left us with
joy in our harts and tears in our eyes. Singing and
listening to songs like The Old Rugged Cross has
carried over from generation to generation in
Appalachia.
Another branch of Appalachian music that encircle
around religion is bluegrass. One of the best known
Bluegrass artists (Bill Monroe)Known also as the father
of bluegrass music, dedicated a portion of every
performance to a gospel bluegrass harmony number.
Bluegrass became popular in the region for a number of
reasons. Not the least of which was the inexpensiveness
of home made instruments.(Ergood and Kuhre 189) The
relatively small size made the instruments easily
transported from home to home.
The variance of topics in Appalachian music can
not be numbered. The subject of a song can be anything
from the pine trees on the highest mountain to the cool
water in the stream at the bottom of the lowest holler
or any thing in between. Anything seen heard or felt
might have a song written about it. Another brand of
Appalachian music honky tonk music was made popular by
a man named Hiram (Hank) Williams. Songs about
cheating harts and Honky Tonkin might no have been
popular with the churches, but they were with the
Appalachian workers in the city bars that couldn?t be
down home with there loved ones. Hank Williams,
although not mentioned in our text had a high pitched
pining sound that was common among Appalachian singers.
Blue grass instruments carried over into this style of
Appalachian music. Hillbilly as it is referred to in
slang terms also known as country and western or just
country as it is referred to today is one of the most
popular styles of music. Many of today?s top country
artists got their start in churches or at family
gatherings with the old standard gospel and bluegrass
songs like In The Pines or The Circle Be Unbroken. The
text mentioned Dolly Parton?s song Coat Of Many Colors
and Loretta Lyne?s Coal Miners Daughter for including
there Heritage in the songs(Ergood and Kuhre 189).
There are many Nationally known Appalachian Song
writers musicians and singers today. Gospel,
bluegrass, country and western or rock whatever the
style of music it has some origins in Appalachia. Most
Appalachians have been surrounded in the music since
birth. In some Appalachian families, like the
Stonemans every member of the family has a role in the
performance. Although these singers and song writers
and many more lesser known and those from times gone by
also. Those not heard of yet have many differences
there will always be to common bonds. There
Appalachian style of singing about the land that they
love.
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