Author: Wayne Erbsen
By Wayne Erbsen There are many ways to close out a bluegrass show, but I always favor ending an evening’s entertainment with a rousing version of I’ll Fly Away. This song is the perfect choice because everybody knows it and they love to sing along. Recently, I started digging into the origins of I’ll Fly Away, and […]
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] by Wayne Erbsen [sayit] They didn’t call her Mother Maybelle for nuthin.’ Nope. In addition to being the mother of three girls (Helen, Valerie June, and Anita), Maybelle Carter certainly earned the title of Mother of Bluegrass Guitar. Starting in 1927, her lead and rhythm guitar playing laid the foundation that was built upon […]
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] [sayit]Bluegrass hero Lester Flatt had a lot to be proud of. One of his most lasting achievements was the G run that bears his name. You can hear this distinctive guitar run in practically every traditional bluegrass song that can be played on the guitar using a G shape chord. In its original form, […]
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] [sayit] If the “big bang theory” helps to explain the origin of the universe, perhaps “the big bang theory of bluegrass” will shed some light on the origin of the bluegrass music universe. First, let me say that there are two schools of thought as to the origins of bluegrass music. One has Bill […]
When we talk about the most popular bluegrass songs, “Nine Pound Hammer” nearly always floats to the top. Let’s follow the scent and try to sniff out the origins of this famous tune. After the Civil War, when able-bodied men were scarce, former slaves and convicts were conscripted to build tunnels and lay track in […]
In the early 1970s “Fox on the Run” was among the most requested bluegrass songs. Along with “Rocky Top,” a bluegrass band could scarcely play a show without fans yelling for “Rocky Top” or “Fox on the Run.” The song was written in 1968 by an Englishman named Tony Hazzard and first recorded as […]
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