Bluegrass Music's Curly Seckler

One great addition to Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs' Foggy Mountain Boys occurred in 1949, with the addition of a mandolin player and tenor singer named Curly Seckler. Seckler would remain with Flatt & Scruggs until 1962. During this time, they recorded well over 100 songs and many still consider the 1950's Flatt/Seckler duets to be some of the best bluegrass music performances ever. Here is a video that I wanted to share, that which I do not own, that will give an idea.

Bluegrass Music and Martha White

Bluegrass music's Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys were hired by Martha White in 1953. At the onset, this bluegrass band was pretty much unknown. This would soon change as they were hired to travel across the southern U.S. in the "Martha White Bluegrass Express" to promote the company's flour and cornmeal. The "Worlds's Greatest Flour Peddlers" performed at many local concerts, on Nashville's early morning radio show and as hosts of the Flatt and Scruggs television program - all sponsored by Martha White. With all this came increasing popularity which took them to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry and on to Carnegie Hall. "Goodness Gracious!!" I don't own video.

Bluegrass Music - Cedric Rainwater

Howard Watts, mostly known by his stage name Cedric Rainwater, replaced "Cousin Wilbur" Wesbrooks as the bass player in Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in 1944. Fiddle player Chubby Wise had introduced Cedric Rainwater to Bill Monroe; as the two had played together in Florida before moving to Nashville, TN. Watts would leave and rejoin Bill Monroe several times over the next four years; although he would continue to play on all of Monroe's recordings during this time. He sang bass and baritone harmonies, along with playing the bass. These recordings were dated 2/13/1945, 9/16 & 9/17/1946, 10/27 & 10/28/1947 and 7/6/1951....which included the classic bluegrass music lineup of Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Chubby Wise, Cedric Rainwater and Bill Monroe. Cedric Rainwater left Bill Monroe in 1948 to join the newly formed group of Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys. He stayed with this group until 1950. He would go on to perform in country music with Hank Williams, Ray Price, Hank Snow, Ferlin Husky and also the "King" of bluegrass music Jimmy Martin.

What do you think?

One of the most well-known bluegrass music lead singers is Lester Flatt. You can ask alot of bluegrass music lovers who their favorite singers are and it's a safe bet to say that you will hear the name Lester Flatt more often than not. I found a video that I wanted to share with you. I don't own this video. I'm only sharing it with you. After listening to it, you can decide for yourself. Lester Flatt is on my list. Lester is joined in this video with another bluegrass great, Mac Wiseman.

Why I like Bluegrass Music

I have been talking about bluegrass music but I hadn't got around to telling why I'm such a fan of this genre of music. I would have to say that alot of it came from me actually growing up around the music. I have an uncle and aunt who formed a bluegrass music band in the late 1980's. This band that I'm talking about is known as Big Country Bluegrass. I can remember many times as a kid going to the local fire department on a Saturday night and listening to them with my grandparents. As the years passed, this small local band made their way from this local fire department in the late 1980's all the way to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry in July 1999. They earned this honor by winning the 100th anniversary Martha White jingle contest. Big Country Bluegrass is often nominated for various SPBGMA awards. That story reminded me of a story that was told in a very popular song that Big Country Bluegrass recorded a couple of years ago. This song, entitled The Boys in Hats & Ties" was written by Tom T. and "Miss Dixie" Hall; along with Don Rigsby. This song plays tribute to the "who's who" of traditional bluegrass music: Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs, Carter and Ralph Stanley....all whom paved the way for bluegrass music. The original idea for this song come up with in a conversation between Miss Dixie and Don Rigsby. Miss Dixie had stated that: “Don was considering doing a concept album of super-tradition, a salute to the boys who wore the hats and ties. That in itself was a magic title and it ended up being basically the true tale of Tom T. as a child being taken to see Earl and Lester!” If you listen close, you will hear a "hint" of the Martha White jingle that took Big Country Bluegrass to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. As for me, since back in my childhood, I have been a bluegrass music enthusiast. Although I can't play any instruments or hold a tune in a bucket, there's something about that high lonesome sound and tight instrumentation that trips my trigger. Until next time.... (Videos do not belong to me..only for entertainment purposes)

Bluegrass Music - Chubby Wise

Robert Russell "Chubby" Wise (October 2, 1915 - January 6, 1996) began playing fiddle at age 15. He started out by playing locally around the Jacksonville, Florida area. In 1938, Chubby Wise joined the Jubilee Hillbillies and began playing for bluegrass music pioneer Bill Monroe in 1942. He would continue playing in Monroe's band through 1948. After leaving Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, he played with Clyde Moody in 1948-49. Wise would also play with Flatt & Scruggs, Connie B. Gay and the York Brothers. Chubby Wise would become a member of Hank Snow's Rainbow Ranch Boys in 1954. He remained with Hank Snow until 1970. Along with this, he worked as a session musician with Red Allen and Mac Wiseman, among others.

Bluegrass Music - A little interesting note!

In 1938, after breaking up with brother Charlie Monroe, Bill Monroe formed his own band. He named is band the. Bill joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1939. He remained a member until his death in 1996. For over 50 years, being a Blue Grass Boy was a crowning achievement for many musicians. Many of the Blue Grass Boys would go on to form their own bands. Some notable mentions would be: The Stanley Brothers, The Osborne Brothers and Flatt & Scruggs. List of Blue Grass Boys

Traditional Bluegrass Music

One might wonder what exactly defines traditional bluegrass music. As is the case with country music, bluegrass music's sound and style has changed since Bill Monroe first recorded "Blue Moon of Kentucky" alongside Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. Most think of two types when thinking of bluegrass. It's either traditional or progressive. I am personally very much partial to the sounds of traditonal bluegrass music. You can call me old-fashioned I guess. The progressive style of bluegrass music is just too "jazzy" for my taste and I love the "High Lonesome Sound" that just isn't heard in today's progressive bluegrass music. Traditional bluegrass musicians usually play folk songs on acoustic instruments. They may use their instruments in different ways. A couple of examples of this could be using two fiddles or maybe playing "claw-hammer" banjo. But, they still keep that tradtional sound! The guitar rarely will take the lead in traditional bluegrass music except for the bluegrass gospel songs. Most traditional bluegrass musicians won't even consider the newer "progressive" bluegrass music to be "real" bluegrass.

Bluegrass Music Song of the Year

B642CB6S542X At the 23rd Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards held on September 27, 2012, Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice won Single of the Year honors with "A Far Cry From Lester & Earl."

The Father of Bluegrass Music

Bluegrass Music - J.D. Crowe

Bluegrass band leader and banjo player, J.D. Crowe, first became known during his four years of playing with Jimmy Martin during the 1950's. Born in Lexington, Kentucky on August 27, 1937, Crowe was offered a position with Jimmy Martin and his Sunny Mountain Boys in the mid 1950's. His first recordings with the Sunny Mountain Boys were cut on December 1, 1956 and his last on August 17, 1960. J.D. Crowe recorded a total of 33 songs on Decca Records with Jimmy Martin. J.D. Crowe formed the Kentucky Mountain Boys in the 1960's. They mainly performed around the area of Lexington, Kentucky. Crowe changed the name of his band to The New South in the early 1970's. Since then, J.D. Crowe and The New South has been widely considered one of the most influential bands in bluegrass music. Many famous musicians, including Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Douglas, Doyle Lawson and Tony Rice have been a part of The New South.

Bluegrass Music -- John Duffey

John Duffey may be a name that some bluegrass music fans don't recognize. Duffey was a Washington, DC based bluegrass music innovator. John Duffey founded two very influential bluegrass bands. The Country Gentleman and The Seldom Scene. Duffey was the son of a singer at the Metropolitan Opera. He possessed the ability of shifting his singing voice from a tenor to falsetto unnoticeably. His voice coupled with the baritone of The Country Gentlemen's Charlie Waller created a sound like no other in bluegrass music. Duffey was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 1996.

Bluegrass Music - The Osborne Brothers

Nobody can talk about BLUEGRASS music without mentioning the Osborne Brothers. They were a very popular act in the 1960's and 1970's. They were best known for their 1968 song, "Rocky Top", named after a mountain in Tennessee and written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant.

Although the Osborne Brothers were born in Hyden, Kentucky, they spent their childhood near Dayton, Ohio where they first began experiencing entertainment. Sonny Osborne went to work for Bill Monroe after Bobby was drafted into the military in 1952. When Bobby Osborne returned from service in 1953, they brothers teamed up with Jimmy Martin and performed at radio stations WJR in Detroit, Michigan and WROL in Knoxville, Tennesee. In their only recording session together with Jimmy Martin, they recorded six songs for RCA Victor. This occurred on Nov. 16, 1954. In late 1955, the Osbornes left Jimmy Martin and performed with Charlie Baily until Christmas of the same year. They returned to Dayton in 1956 and played with guitarist Enos Johnson. Johnson left and then the Osbornes hired fiddler Art Stamper and guitarist Red Allen to form their new group, the Osborne Brothers and Red Allen.

This newly formed group recorded for Gateway Records in February and March of 1956. In the spring of '56, Tommy Sutton, a local disc jockey helped the Osborne Brothers get a contract with MGM. The new group consisted of Red Allen on guitar, Tommy Jackson and Art Stamper on fiddles, and Ernie Newton on bass. Their first released single for MGM was "Ruby Are You Mad", marked the first time that twin banjos were used on a bluegrass music recording. Red Allen left the group in the spring of 1958.

The Osborne Brothers became known in bluegrass music with their tight vocal harmonies and virtuostic instrumentation. Their "high lead' vocals became their signature sound and during the '60's, they started a controversy among the bluegrass music purists for using electronic and percussion instruments in their music.

In 1960, the Osborne Brothers became the first bluegrass music group to perform at a college campus when they performed at Antioch College. In 1963, they switched to Decca Records and their hit "Rocky Top" sold 85,000 copies within two weeks. On August 8, 1964, they were inducted as members of the Grand Ole Opry and in 1973, became the first bluegrass music band to perform at the White House.

Bluegrass Music - Mac Wiseman

Mac Wiseman was sometimes known as the Voice with a Heart. This bearded, Virginia born bluegrass singer is a major legend in the bluegrass music ranks. He began his musical career and a guitarist for the country singer Molly O'Day. After Flatt and Scruggs left the Bluegrass Boys, he became a guitarist for the Foggy Mountain Boys and later played with Bill Monroe & The Bluegrass Boys. He later became popular as a solo artist after a performance at the Louisiana Hayride.

During the folk revival in the 1960s, Mac Wiseman had successful concerts at the Carnegie Hall and Hollywood Bowl.

He joined producers Randall Franks and Alan Autry for the In the Heat of the Night (TV Series) cast CD “Christmas Time’s A Comin’” performing "Christmas Time's A Comin'" with the cast on the CD released on Sonlite and MGM/UA for one of the most popular Christmas releases of 1991 and 1992 with Southern retailers.

In 1993 he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor. His substantial girth and light tenor voice gave rise to the quip that "Mac Wiseman sings like Gene Vincent looks, and looks like Ernest Tubb sings."

The King of Bluegrass Music

In 1949, a man by the name of Jimmy Martin knew of Mac Wiseman's departure from Bill Monroe & The Bluegrass Boys. Martin, also known as the "King of Bluegrass", sneaked backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and began picking his guitar. He was overheard by banjo player Rudy Lyle who brought Martin foward and introduced him to Bill Monroe. Martin proceeded to sing two songs with the Bluegrass Boys and was hiared on the spot as guitarist and lead vocalist.

When Jimmy Martin and Bill Monroe's voices met, it became known as the "High Lonesome Sound". But Martin's high-strung personality inevitably clashed with Bill Monroe's stubborn temperament. He left the Bluegrass Boys and went to work for the Osborne Brothers until he formed his own band, "The Sunny Mountain Boys", in 1955. The lineup in his band consisted of the likes of J.D. Crowe and "Big" Paul Williams. The Sunny Mountain Boys became known as "Good 'n Country" among the bluegrass crowd with their simple harmonies, catchy melodies and strong rythm guitar playing by Jimmy Martin. Martin had credited himself with developing the "G" Run, and widely used guitar lick in bluegrass music. However, other evidence clearly showed Lester Flatt doing this run on his guitar when he performed with the Bluegrass Boys years earlier.

Martin was famous as a dangerously unpredictable but highly entertaining stage presence. He freely acknowledged his problems with drinking and volatile mood swings, which kept him from realizing his life-long dream of joining the Grand Ole Opry.

Bluegrass Music -- The Foggy Mountain Boys

One of the most influential bands in the history of bluegrass music would have to be Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys. Both Flatt and Scruggs had previously played for Bill Monroe before deciding to start their own band, The Foggy Mountain Boys. The Foggy Mountain boys were influential through the 1940's, 1950's, and 1960's. With Scruggs on banjo along with Flatt on rythmn guitar and vocals gave the Foggy Mountain Boys a very distinctive sound that won them many fans. They even became members of the Grand Ole Opry in 1955. Combining the solid vocals of Lester Flatt, the unique sound of Earl Scruggs on banjo and the many other extraordinary musicians, it's hard to argue the fact that the Foggy Mountain Boys was a band that helped bring bluegrass music to international prominence.

The Foggy Mountain Boys was well remembered for their Martha White segment at the Grand Ole Opry along with their exposure on TV. The sitcom, "The Beverly Hillbillies", helped Flatt & Scruggs become famous with their playing of "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" which was the first bluegrass song to hit #1 in the Country Music Charts. In 1967, the use of the "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" in the movie Bonnie and Clyde furthered their exposure and gained them many new fans. This would make the "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" the best known of all bluegrass music instrumentals.

Bill Monroe & The "Original Bluegrass Band"

A big development occurred in Bill Monroe'sBlue Grass Boys band in 1945 with the addition of Earl Scruggs to play banjo. Scruggs played the banjo with a distinctive three-finger picking style that caused an immediate sensation among Opry audiences. At this time, the band also featuerd singer/guitarist Lester Flatt, Chubby Wise on fiddle, and Howard Watts on bass. Watts was also known as "Cedric Rainwater".

These characterized all the elements of bluegrass music today with the breakneck tempos, vocal harmony arrangements that were sophisticated, and impressived instrument proficiency demonstrated in "breaks" or solos on the banjo, fiddle, and mandolin. At this time in his career, Bill Monroehad purchased the 1923 Gibson F5 "Lloyd Loar" mandolin that became his trademark instrument.

The 28 songs that the original bluegrass band recorded became classics. Some of them were: Blue Grass Breakdown, Toy Heart, Little Cabin Home on the Hill, and Monroe's most famous: Blue Moon of Kentucky. Several gospel songs were credited to the "Blue Grass Quartet" which featured four-part vocal arrangements accompanied by mandolin and guitar.

Both Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs left the band in 1948 to form their own group, the Foggy Mountain Boys, and Monroe regrouped with Rudy Lyle on banjo and Jimmy Martin on guitar. This group is what most consider to be the "high lonesome" version of the Blue Grass Boys. Other great fiddlers of this era were "Red" Taylor, Vassar Clements, and Bobby Hicks.

Bill Monroe

The Early Life of Bill Monroe

William Smith “Bill” Monroe was born on September 13, 1911, near Rosine, Kentucky on his family’s farm. He was the youngest of eight children born to James Buchanan “Buck” Monroe and Malissa Vandiver Monroe. Malissa and her brother, Pendleton “Pen” Vandiver were both musically inclined, so therefore, Bill Monroe grew up playing music at home. His older brothers Charlie and Birch played the guitar and fiddle so that left Monroe to play the smaller and less desirable mandolin.

Monroe’s mother died when he was only ten years old and his father passed six years later. Because his siblings had moved out of Rosine, Bill Monroe lived for two years with his uncle Pen Vandiver. He would often accompany his uncle to the local dances where Pen would play fiddle. This experience would later inspire Monroe to write one of his most famous compositions, “Uncle Pen”. Vandiver has been credited for giving Monroe “a repertoire of tunes that sank into Bill’s aurally trained memory and a sense of rhythm that seeped into his bones.”

In 1929, Monroe moved to Indiana to work in an oil refinery with his two brothers. The three of them, along with a friend Larry Moore, formed a musical group, the Monroe Brothers. Birch and Larry soon left the group so Bill and Charlie carried on as a duo. They eventually won spots playing live on radio stations in Indiana and later in Iowa, Nebraska, North and South Carolina from 1934 to 1936. RCA Victor signed the Monroe Brothers to a recording contract in 1936. They would score an immediate hit single with the gospel song “What Would You Give In Exchange For Your Soul?” and recorded 60 more tracks from 1936 to 1938.

When the Monroe Brothers disbanded in 1938, Bill formed The Kentuckians in Little Rock, Arkansas, but the group lasted just three months. Bill Monroe left Little Rock and headed for Atlanta, Georgia to form his first edition of the Blue Grass Boys with bassist Amos Green, singer/guitarist Cleo Davis, and fiddler Art Wooten. In 1939, he successfully auditioned for a regular spot on the Grand Ole Opry with a performance of Jimmie Rodgers’ Mule Skinner Blues. Monroe recorded that song along with seven others at his first recording session for RCA Victor in 1940. By this time, the Blue Grass Boys consisted of bassist Bill Wesbrooks, fiddler Tommy Magness, and singer/guitarist Clyde Moody.

At this point, Bill Monroe was still experimenting with the sound of his band. He seldom sang lead vocals and usually only sang high tenor harmonies as he had with the Monroe Brothers. In 1945, a recording session featured an accordion which was soon dropped. More important was that in 1942, Bill Monroe added David Akeman a.k.a. “Stringbean” to the Blue Grass Boys. “Stringbean” would play the banjo in mainly a primitive style and was rarely featured on instrumental solos.

Bill Monroe’s pre-1946 recordings represent the transitional phase between the string-band tradition and the innovation that would follow.

Bluegrass Music

Bluegrass music is a type of American roots music which is a sub-genre of country music. It also has its own roots in English, Scottish and Irish music. Bluegrass was inspired by the music of immigrants from the United Kingdom, as well as in Ireland; specifically among the Scots-Irish immigrants in Appalachia. It even links itself to jazz and blues. With bluegrass music, each instrument takes a turn playing the melody and improvising around it while the other instruments play accompaniment. The basic musical instruments used in bluegrass are the acoustic guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and the upright bass; also referred to as the "Dog House" bass.

Two things that make bluegrass music unique is that it relies mostly on acoustic instruments and a vocal harmony which may feature two, three, or four parts; which in turn, features a dissonant or modal sound in the highest voice. This style has been characterized as the "High Lonesome Sound". Many of the folks that grew up playing bluegrass music did so without electricity, hence the acoustic instruments. Many conservative country music people still frown upon the use of electrical instruments in bluegrass.

The term "BLUEGRASS" came from the "Father of Bluegrass" Bill Monroe and his "Blue Grass Boys". Monroe named his band in honor of his home state of Kentucky. No one person can be said to have 'invented' bluegrass music because it is a combination of country, old-time, jazz and ragtime. Bill Monroe formed his band, the Blue Grass Boys, in 1939; but it wasn't until 1945, when banjo great Earl Scruggs and his three-finger style playing joined, that bluegrass began to develop.

From 1946 to 1948, Bill Monroe's band featured, along with Scruggs on banjo, Lester Flatt on guitar, Chubby Wise on fiddle, and "Cedric Rainwater" (Howard Watts) on bass; while Monroe played mandolin. This group has been considered the "original bluegrass band" which created the instrumental configuration and definitive sound that remains a model for bluegrass music to this day.