Today, as if we've reached some point of true coalescence, we use broader names—roots music, maybe, or Americana.
All of which could lead us to suppose that a given maker of the haunting, heart-touching, dance-necessitating, smile-inducing music (or combinations thereof) that comes out of this region sits down with his or her guitar or banjo or fiddle (or most any other instrument), and says well, here comes a tune with just the right doses of bluegrass, swing and maybe a touch of rock to fit the Americana mold.
It is no such thing, of course, whether you're such current-day practitioners as Darrell Scott or Dolly Parton, Dwight Yoakam or Kathy Mattea. Yes, there's some sense of form to begin with, same as with the poet or the painter, but the process is slow, individual, note-by-note and phrase-by-phrase, the musician likely alone in a room with an instrument and a piece of paper with a pencil on top of it.
Still, and again as with poets and painters, we who listen have a yen to gather and classify, to find links (from Scruggs to Skaggs, say, or from Parton to Krauss), and thus gain an even deeper level of appreciation for music we love.
Which brings the questions:
1. Where did it all start? Well, perhaps not "start" in the sense of Britis -ballad or African-banjo roots, bur when did it begin to come to full form?
2. Who are the "most influential," the "truly seminal" among the popular musicians born in the Southern Appalachians? Or, more precisely, born in the mountain coverage area of this magazine?
That's not only a geographically arbitrary exercise, but also a somewhat subjective one. Nonetheless, with advice and input from other music lovers, we've compiled a top 12, presented here in chronological order based on birthdate. Again, not going back to "primitive" roots, but rather only to full-form practitioners, which places our starting point with people born in the late 19th century.
1. The Carter Family (A.P., 1891-1960; Sara 1898-1979; Maybelle 1909-1978), Scott/Russell counties, Virginia. Husband-and-wife A.P. and Sara, and Sara's first cousin (married to A.P.'s brother) were a major part of country music's "big bang" - the 1927 Victor recording sessions in Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia, which featured Maybelle's bass-strings-lead guitar playing and the close harmonies that would influence countless musicians who followed, not least of which Bill Monroe and the Kingston Trio. The Carters battled family strife and financial hardship for much of their recording career, which is nonetheless filled with beautiful melodies, harmonies and sentiments.
Signature recording. The Carter Family: 1927-1934. Five-CD box set (JSP) with more than 125 tunes, including their most famous, "Wildwood Flower" and "Keep on the Sunny Side."
2. Arthel "Doc" Watson, 1923-May, 2012, Deep Gap, North Carolina. Sightless by age 1, Watson taught himself the guitar, and did not see his career take firm hold until the folk revival of the 1960s put him before large and appreciative audiences. His guitar flatpicking style influenced several generations of players. Watson's annual roots music festival Merlefest—named in honor of his late son and held in Wilkesboro, North Carolina—has since 1988 been among the richest of "traditional-plus" (Watson's phrase) music festivals in the nation.
Signature recording: "Legacy," 2002 two-disk CD (High Windy) featuring songs and interviews.
3. The Louvin (nee Loudermilk) Brothers. (Ira, 1924-1965; Charlie, 1927-2011, Section, Alabama. Their repertoire, sung with close harmony adopted by the Everly Brothers and the Byrds among others, ranged from exclusively gospel early on to commercial country in the later years. Their career was shortened by the death-by-drunk-driver passing in 1965 of the hardliving, tempestuous Ira. A 2003 tribute album features versions of their songs by Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, Vince Gill and others.
Signature recording: 'The Essential Louvin Brothers, 1955-1964," 2006, Raven.
4. Chet Atkins, 1924-2001, Luttrell, Tennessee. His significant career as a record producer is of course dwarfed by a prowess on the guitar that won him nine Country Music Association instrumentalist of the year awards as well as 14 Grammys, including three with protege Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fame. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of 2002. His 50-year discography ('52-'02) is so rich and varied as to preclude picking a single recording: Go here to try to make a choice: misterguitar.us/discography.
5. The Stanley Brothers (Carter, 1925-1966; Ralph, 1927--), Dickenson County, Virginia. After an early start on a musical career, both brothers served in World War II, and soon after returning took their cue from the likes of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, and began fronting their band, the Clinch Mountain Boys. Their early recordings--”I am Man of Constant Sorrow," "Pretty Polly" and "Molly and Tenbrooks"—remain classics of their just-mountain-side-of-bluegrass style. The duo's career was stunted by Carter's death at age 41. Dr. Ralph has enjoyed a huge revival, spurred by his singing of "O Death" on the 2000 soundtrack for the film "O Brother Where Art Thou?"
Signature recording: "The Stanley Brothers: An Evening Long Ago" (Columbia; 20 songs from a session in Bristol in 1956).
6. Loretta Lynn, 1932--, Paintsville (Butcher Holler), Kentucky. Her gritty, coal-country style and subject matter in such songs as "Don't Come Home A Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)," "Coal Miner's Daughter" and "Rated X," among many others, were not only ahead of her time, but also helped render her the subject of an Academy Award-winning (Sissy Spacek, for her title role) movie before she turned 60.
Signature recording: "50th Anniversary Collection," 2010, Humphead Records.
7. Patsy Cline,1932-1963, Winchester, Virginia. Her aching, timeless renditions of songs like "Crazy" and "I Fall to Pieces" rank among the top tier for female vocalists of any popular genre. Her career—by the year of her death marked by unheard-of appearance fees, equally groundbreaking gold lame pants and a crossover into the pop charts—was tragically ended with a private plane crash when she was 30. Her lasting, iconic fame is perhaps as close to Elvis's as any female performer has come.
Signature recording: "The Definitive Collection," 2004, MCA.
8. Dolly Parton, 1946--, Sevierville, Tennessee. One of country music's biggest stars is also one of its most diverse and eclectic talents. Gifted as a singer, songwriter, performer, actress, businesswoman and personality ("It takes a lot of money to look this cheap"), Parton's artistic ties to the mountains are perhaps the strongest of any performer listed here. Her "My Tennessee Mountain Home" album (1973), for example, presents 11 Parton compositions deeply and personally tied to her "dirt-poor" childhood in the shadows of the Smokies, and her steps to move from it toward her girlhood dream of being a star.
Signature recording: Emblematic of an early-career creative crescendo, Sony Records in 2010 released a 3-CD set of the early-'70s albums "Tennessee Mountain Home," "Coat of Many Colors" and "Jolene."
9. Ricky Skaggs, 1954--, Cordell, Kentucky. The child prodigy who joined Bill Monroe onstage at age 6 with a mandolin has since navigated a rich and varied musical path, including stints with the bands of the Stanley Brothers and Emmy Lou Harris, and award-winning recordings in the country, gospel and bluegrass genres. His fusing of styles and various roots music subsets is perhaps without parallel, with one recent event perhaps as representative as any of his diverse talents and undertakings: entering the Gospel Music Hall of Fame with Aretha Franklin in August.
Signature recording (if only in the country context): "Country Gentleman: The Best of Ricky Skaggs" chronicles his country hits with Epic from 1981 to '91.
10. Dwight Yoakarn, 1956--, Pikeville, Kentucky. As perhaps the premier practitioner of "hip honky tonk," Yoakam, the lone big-hat entry on our list, brings a careful precision to his delightfully rockabilly song list, which includes his own compositions as well as classics from the songbooks of Elvis and the Everlys. His acting performance in "Sling Blade" is as indelibly etched in one viewer's mind as any movie role.
Signature recording: "The Very Best of Dwight Yoakam," 2004, Rhino/Reprise, presents 20 of the hits, including "Guitar, Cadillacs" and "Streets of Bakersfield."
11. Kathy Mattea, 1959, South Charleston, West Virginia. Her gentle country-folk style has yielded major country hits like "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses," poignant ballads like "Where've You Been?" and socially conscious folk like her 2008 Grammy-winning album "Coal," a collection of 11 songs not only about black gold but also, in her words, "my place and my people."
Signature recording: "The Definitive Collection," 2006, Mercury Nashville, presents 20 hits.
12. Darrell Scott, 1959--, London, Kentucky. From the playful "Great Day to be Alive" to the somber "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive" (part of Kathy Mattea's "Coal” collection) and many musical places in between, the conscientious and ambitious Scott has not only pleased listeners with his own distinctively rich baritone versions of his work, but has also contributed his songs to hits for the likes of Travis Tritt, Brad Paisley, the Dixie Chicks and others. His work with West Virginian Tim O'Brien has yielded delightful live performances and a CD, "Real Time."
Signature recording: "Aloha from Nashville," 1997 Sugar Hill, showcases Scott's many sides.
1. Uncle Dave Macon, 1870-1952, born in Smartt Station, Tennessee. "The Dixie Dewdrop" is credited with being a primary bridge between 19th-century Vaudeville and 20th-century radio-based country music. His lively stage performance and banjo playing are captured on collections from several labels, including JSP and Smithsonian Folkways.
2. Bascom Lamar Lunsford, 1882-1973, born in Mars Hill, North Carolina. "The Minstrel of the Appalachians" was a performer of and lecturer on traditional music; his performances—most often on the banjo—are well represented on "Ballads, Banjo Tunes and Sacred Songs of Western North Carolina" (Smithsonian Folkways).
3. Clarence Ashley, 1895-1967, born in Bristol, Tennessee. Like many musicians of his era, his career was brought to a halt by the Depression, but he was rediscovered in the folk revival of the '60s. He played a clawhammer banjo style to carry tunes such as "Coo Coo Bird" and "House of the Rising Sun." Sample album: "Original Folkways Recordings of Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley, 1960-1962."
4. Roy Acuff, 1903-1992, born in Maynardville, Tennessee. "The King of Country Music" gained his primary fame as singer/fiddler for the Smoky Mountain Boys, and is remembered for songs with a religious influence such as "Great Speckled Bird." Columbia Records released his "Greatest Hits" album in 2007.
Well, our coverage area includes only the mountain regions of the nine states of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina and Alabama. And that's why these signature artists are not in our primary piece: Yes, they were born in one of our coverage-area states, but just not up in the mountains. They are listed in chronological order by year of birth.
1. Charlie Poole, 1892-1931, North Carolina. With his band, the North Carolina Ramblers, helped establish and define the fiddle/guitar/banjo string-band sound, playing primarily covers of the time's popular tunes. "The Essential Charlie Poole," 4-disc box, 2009. Also: Loudoun Wainwright Ill's "High Wide and Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project," 2009, 2nd Story Sound.
2. Bill Monroe, 1911-1996, Kentucky. "The Father of Bluegrass" saw his string-band roots (1929-'44) suddenly bear huge fruit with the 1945 addition of banjo picker Earl Scruggs and his three-finger style that dazzled audiences; a genre was born, its initial legend established. "The Essential Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys," 2-disc box, 1992.
3. Lester Flatt, 1914-1979, Tennessee; and 4. Earl Scruggs, 1924-March 2012, North Carolina. Their names became forever linked upon breaking from Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in 1948 and founding The Foggy Mountain Boys, soon to become known simply as Flatt & Scruggs, and reaching their height of fame with the 1962 "Ballad of Jed Clampett," for the TV show "The Beverly Hillbillies," and for 1969's Scruggs banjo instrumental "Foggy Mountain Breakdown." The two later split over creative differences, reconciling shortly before Flatt's death. One listener's favorite: "Flatt & Scruggs at Carnegie Hall," Columbia, 1962 (and the original 13-song record has since been put on CD with an additional 19 songs).
5. Merle Travis, 1917 -1983, Kentucky. An accomplished songwriter and singer, Travis is remembered most for his rich, fluent guitar finger-picking style, a technique so revered that the likes of Doc Watson and Chet Atkins gave part of Merle Travis' name to their offspring. "Guitar Rags and a Too Fast Past," 1994, Bear Family Records, 5-disc box set.
6. Kitty Wells, 1919-July, 2012, Tennessee. Her 1952 hit, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" (recorded in response to the Hank Thompson hit "The Wild Side of Life"), began her as a pioneering female vocalist who with it became the first woman to reach number one on the country charts, and which started her on a minor string of "sin-based" hits. Her biggest song--"Making Believe"—has been recorded by countless artists. "The Queen of Country Music," 1994 Bear Family Records, 4-disc box set.
7. The Everly Brothers (Don, 1937--, and Phil, 1939--), Kentucky (Phil was born soon after the family moved to Chicago). For those of a certain age, the Everlys' hard-cut facial features, magic harmony and wonderful boy-girl songs (mostly from the songwriting team of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, but some by the brothers), made them idols in the late '50s and early '60s, when songs like "Bye Bye Love," "Wake Up, Little Susie" and" All I Have to Do Is Dream" were AM-radio hits. The brothers' well-chronicled split does not diminish an oeuvre that had strong influence on the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Bee Gees and many others. A 103-song Rhino Records compilation, "Heartaches and Harmonies," contains pretty much everything.
Well, old-time music is many things. It's different from bluegrass in that it's less performance-oriented—It's "music that people made in their houses, or in their communities," says Roberts-Gevalt, native to Connecticut and now based in Giles County, Virginia. It's music that tells stories, and in different textures--"the sound of a woman singing to her kids is a very different sound from a whole congregation singing lined-out hymns." But they are both old-time.
Roberts-Gevalt and producer/bass player Joe DeJarnette, a Madison County, Virginia, native now in Floyd, have released "The New Young Fogies," a 25-track CD of young people playing "old people's music."
And those tracks do encompass the divergent textures of old-time. Ballad singer Elizabeth LaPrelle lends her 20-somethinggoing-on-90-something voice to the musicas-storytelling "London's Bridge." Wife-and-husband Julie and Adrian Shepherd-Powell contribute "Flatwoods," pairing Adrian's fiddle with Julie's contagious dance percussion. Sarah Wood sings the old hymn "Wondrous Love" in a haunting lilt, accompanied by intricate banjo. "Brother Green" is in the voice of a dying Civil War soldier, emotionally wrenching, sung by Brett Ratliff. And the Buckstankle Boys' "Cacklin' Hen" cackles—literally.
The CD (a second volume is planned) is a follow-up to the Young Fogies project of the 1980s, produced by the late Ray Alden.
"Ray and I used to play music together, and I was teasing him, good-naturedly, that [the Young Fogies] aren't the young people anymore," says DeJarnette. "We should do another Young Fogies Project.
"And he said, 'that's a great idea-maybe we should produce it together."'
The project got backburnered-DeJarnette was on the road with the Wiyos for eight years, and Alden passed away in 2009.
DeJarnette and Roberts-Gevalt decided to revive the project.
"I feel that the music isas much about the place and the people that have played it before all of us," says Julie Shepherd-Powell, "as much as it is about the tunes."
She met her husband at the Tazewell Fiddler's Convention, and they now live in Big Stone Gap, Va., where she's finishing up a Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky. They have two children: Oliver, 11 months, and Nora, three years old, who's already learning; they come with them to the festivals.
"Nora has a little ukulele," says ShepherdPowell. "And she dances, whenever she gets a notion and the music is good."
Note: These archival articles are presented exactly as they appeared at the time of the issue in which they appeared. As such, all quotes, as well as references to temporal facts, artifacts and other items are contemporaneous to the date of original publication.