Bluegrass

Bluegrass. Popular instrumental/vocal music, originating in the south-eastern US during the years following the Second World War. It is considered a genre of country music but also shares its traditions and modern audience with folk music. The term "bluegrass" came into use in the mid-1950s and was coined after Bill Monroe's pioneering band, the Blue Grass Boys (named for the Kentucky regional grass species). Bluegrass is played by small groups of singers who accompany themselves on acoustic instruments - variously, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, dobro, and double bass. Instrumental facility is typically virtuosic; lead and harmony singing, high-pitched.

Watch a video of Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys perform one of their earlier tunes, "Blue Moon of Kentucky." From the Bluegrass Library’s channel on YouTube.

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Bluegrass Bands
1950s-60s

Bluegrass, like country music, was first heard in Canada via recordings, radio broadcasts and concert performances by US musicians. By the mid-1950s it was played by Canadians in the eastern and central regions of the country (eg, by Montreal mandolinist Ron Scott who, with Bobby Hill and the Rank Band, recorded "When the Bees Are in the Hive" for Sparton in 1957); and by Toronto's York County Boys (including, at times, Al Cherny), who made the LP Blue Grass Jamboree for Arc in 1959.

Other early Canadian bluegrass groups and musicians included Vic Mullen's Birch Mountain Boys (who comprised Angus Walker and, unusual in bluegrass, two black musicians, Harry Cromwell and Brent Williams) and brothers Bill, Larry, and Ken Boutilier in Halifax; the Bluegrass Mountaineers in St John's; the Southern Ramblers and Bob Fuller and the Mountain Strings in Montreal; and Humphrey and the Dumptrucks in Saskatoon - all active during the 1960s.

1970s-2000s

Bluegrass enjoyed particular popularity in Canada during the 1970s and the early 1980s. Bands of note in this period included Cody, Cross Country Grass, the Dixie Flyers, Grassworks, the Humber River Valley Boys, Station Road, Streets & Hills, and Whiskey Jack in southern Ontario; Bluegrass 4 and Mountain Meadow in Moncton; Ladies' Choice Bluegrass Band in Halifax; and the White River Bluegrass Band in Montreal. The progressive "newgrass" style that flourished in the late 1970s was represented in Canada by Big Redd Ford of Aurora, Ont.

Among the bands to emerge during the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s were Acoustic Horizon (Newcastle, NB); Barley Wik (Victoria, BC); the Blackwell Bluegrass Project (Ont); Bluegrass Diamonds (NB); Endless Train (Man); the Foggy Hogtown Boys (Toronto); Foxtail (Ont); Hard Ryde (Ont); Hometown Bluegrass (Ont); Hungry Hill (northwestern Canada); Jerusalem Ridge (Edmonton); Knee Deep (Sask); Leavin' Train (Ottawa); Lone Tree Road (Sask); McDonald Bluegrass (Callander, Ont); New Cumberland (Ont); Northern Sons (Ottawa); the Rocky Mountain Bluegrass Boys (Abbotsford, BC); and Trad'badour (Quebec).

Instrumentalists
Individuals to enjoy renown for their skills have included the banjo players Frank Doody, Denis LePage, John Saunders, Chris Stevens, David Talbot, and Buddy Weston; the mandolinists Duck Donald and Randy Hill; the guitarists Smiley Bates, Doug DeBoer, Richard Gulley, and Slavek Hanzlick; the dobro guitarists Guy Carpenter, Amon Savoie, Gordon DeVries, and Chris Barkley; the fiddlers Roly LaPierre, Claude LePrieur, Gordon Stobbe, and J.J. Guy; and the multi-instrumentalists Vic Mullen (banjo, fiddle); Eddy Poirier (guitar, fiddle); and Raymond Legere (mandolin, fiddle, guitar). Legere and the harmonica player Mike Stevens also have worked with groups in the US.

Festivals, Organizations, Publications, Awards
Bluegrass has remained an avocation for most Canadian players and many of their recordings have been self-produced, although the record labels Banff, Boot, London, Marathon, Rodeo, Snocan, and Woodshed were active in the field. Bluegrass has been largely promoted by clubs of fans and musicians. Festivals, generally held in rural settings, proliferated during the 1970s and 1980s, and have included the long-running Nova Scotia Bluegrass & Oldtime Music Festival (established in 1972 in Hardwoodlands County and latterly based at Ardoise and Kempt Shore), Bluegrass Canada (1973-98, Carlisle, Ont), and the Blueberry Bluegrass and Country Music Society Festival (1985-, Stony Plain, Alta), among others in Denbigh, Tottenham, Trout Creek, Palmer Rapids, and Woodstock, Ont; Chetwynd, Coombs, McKenzie, and Sooke River, BC; Boggy Creek, Man; Memramcook Valley, NB; Haines Junction, Yukon; and elsewhere. Bluegrass is also heard at many Canadian folk, gospel, country, and roots music festivals.

Additional bluegrass organizations and festivals have emerged in virtually all parts of Canada, including the Yukon Bluegrass Music Society; BC Bluegrass; the Victoria Bluegrass Association; the Foothills Bluegrass Music Society (1987- ) and the Northern Bluegrass Circle Music Society (Alta); the Northern Lights Bluegrass and Old Tyme Music Society (Sask); the Manitoba Old Tyme & Bluegrass Society; the Thames Valley Bluegrass Music Association; the Ottawa Valley Bluegrass Music Association (Ont); the PEI Bluegrass & Old Time Society (1985- ); and Nova Scotia's South Shore Bluegrass Music Association (1985- ).

Publications

Canadian publications devoted to bluegrass have included the Toronto Area Bluegrass Committee newsletter Bluegrass Breakdown (Toronto 1968-80); the bi-monthly Canadian Bluegrass Review (Waterdown, Ont, 1978-87); and Bluegrass Canada (Kamloops, BC, 1989-2000). The musicologist Neil V. Rosenberg (a member of Crooked Stovepipe in St John's) wrote the comprehensive Bluegrass: A History (Urbana, Ill, 1985).

Awards

The Canadian Bluegrass Review organized the Canadian National Bluegrass Awards in 1979, dividing them into central and eastern divisions in 1985. With the publication's demise, the central division continued under the aegis of the Northern Bluegrass Committee in Burlington, Ont (sponsoring the Central Canadian Bluegrass Awards), and the eastern division under the auspices of the Downeast Bluegrass and Oldtime Music Society in Lantz, NS (sponsoring the Eastern Canada Bluegrass Awards). The East Coast Music Awards has also presented awards for bluegrass, and in 2002 introduced a showcase stage for bluegrass performers.

Author Revised: Durrell Bowman

Bibliography

Buttenham, Pat. "The Bluegrass Canada Story," Canadian Bluegrass Review, Dec-Jan, Feb-Mar 1979

Rosenberg, Neil V. "Canadian bluegrass albums: a preliminary list," Bluegrass Canada Magazine, vol 1, Jan-Feb, Mar-Apr 1991

Bluegrass: A History (Urbana, Ill, 1985)

Wilburn, Gene. Northern Journey: A Guide to Canadian Folk Music on CD (Teeswater 1995)

McIntosh, Mary. "Blue roots: . . . ," Telegraph-Journal (St John), 17 Feb 2006

Rosenberg, Neil and Thomas Goldsmith eds. The Bluegrass Reader (Urbana, Ill, 2006)

Penguin Eggs: Canada's Folk, Roots and World Music Magazine (various issues)

Links to Other Sites
CJTM: Canadian Journal for Traditional Music
Access a vast archive of full text articles from previous issues of the CJTM. A great information source about traditional music in Canada.

Penguin Eggs
Check out Penguin Eggs magazine for current news about Canada’s folk scene. Features sample articles and music reviews.

The Nova Scotia Country Music Hall Of Fame
This website honours outstanding Canadian country and bluegrass musicians, fiddlers and builders.

Silent Lion
Enjoy a selection of mellow music clips from Silent Lion, the duet of John and Barbiel Saunders. A distinctive blend of bluegrass, Spanish, Celtic, medieval and folk melodies.

Stony Plain Records
The website for legendary recording company Stony Plain Records, home of the blues, classic R&B, folk, country, bluegrass, rock and roll, and music that "defies categorization." Click on "Releases" for music clips from selected recordings.

Whiskey Jack
The website for the popular Canadian bluegrass band Whiskey Jack. Features a brief history of the band and many online music clips.

Museum of Canadian Music
An extensive information source about Canadian music and musicians. Features performer profiles, music clips, podcasts, and more.

Hard Ryde
Listen to some lively bluegrass tunes by the Hard Ryde band. Their site also offers band bios, a discography, and the latest tour dates.

Downeast Bluegrass & Oldtime Music Society
The website for an organization dedicated to promoting bluegrass and oldtime music in Eastern Canada. Check out the latest news about the Annual Nova Scotia Bluegrass & Oldtime Music Festival.

Dr. Neil Rosenberg
A profile of Dr. Neil Rosenberg, Professor Emeritus, Department of Folkore, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Bill Monroe & the Bluegrass Boys - Blue Moon of Kentucky
Watch a video of Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys perform one of their earlier tunes, "Blue Moon of Kentucky." From the Bluegrass Library’s channel on YouTube.

Northern Lights Bluegrass and Old Tyme Music Society
The website for the Northern Lights Bluegrass and Old Tyme Music Society, an organization devoted to traditional instrumental and vocal music in Saskatchewan. Features news and information about performers appearing at their annual festival.

The Ottawa Valley Bluegrass Music Association
Check out the latest news about local concerts and festivals at the website for the Ottawa Valley Bluegrass Music Association.

The Dixie Flyers
The website for Canadian bluegrass band The Dixie Flyers. Check out the latest news and videos of their performances.

Newfoundland bluegrass legend Rex Yetman dies
A CBC News obituary for Rex Yetman, bluegrass pioneer and legend in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mandolin Man
Jamestown's York County Boy Rex Yetman recalls the pioneer days of Bluegrass. From thepacket.ca.

The York County Boys
A brief profile of pioneer Canadian bluegrass group the York County Boys. From the website "Five Bucks On By-Tor."