Bluegrass Research Paper

“Today, many listeners think of bluegrass as an ancient mountain tradition that dates back to some primitive time in Appalachian history” (Neal, 127). However, bluegrass emerged after World War II, continuing to energize the world of country music through bluegrass artists such as Del McCoury and David Grisman (Neal, 127). Mandolinist, David Grisman and rhythm guitarist Del McCoury, first met each other while Del played banjo for infamous bluegrass artist, Bill Monroe in 1963 (Kang, 15). Over the years, the two continued to play together, eventually forming their show duet, Songs and Stories, featured on November 14, 2015 at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Memorial Hall. As a result, the duet of Del McCoury and David Grisman represent the traditional style

David employs a “highly intricate, harmonically advanced hybrid of acoustic bluegrass, folk, and jazz”, otherwise known as “Dawg Music” as noted in the concert (All Music). This style has served to revitalize the genre of bluegrass and add to its history while maintaining tradition but adding elements of folk and jazz to the genre as well. His attributions include 67 albums, five of which were Grammy-nominated, maintaining interest in the genre with these unique styles. Further, Grisman launched AcousticOasis.com in 2010, enabling the public to download acoustic music, furthering the longevity of bluegrass (Kang,

The duet represent the influence of Bill Monroe’s original band and are only a few of the many artists originating in the Monroe Brothers to attribute to bluegrass music and its identity within country music. Through their concert series, Del and David bring many artists back to life in their bluegrass covers of songs such as Hank Thompson’s “Wild Side of Life” and Bill Monroe’s 1946 “Toy Heart” to engage and inspire young and old audiences to constantly revitalize the genre while maintaining the genre as a vital presence in the modern world of country