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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