Full Description
With an influx of Appalachian migrants who came looking for work in the 1940s and 1950s, Baltimore found itself populated by some extraordinary mountain musicians and was for a brief time the center of the bluegrass world. Life in Baltimore for these musicians was not easy. There were missed opportunities, personal demons and always the up-hill battle with prejudice against their hillbilly origins. Based upon interviews with legendary players from the golden age of Baltimore bluegrass, this book provides the first in-depth coverage of this transplanted-roots music and its broader influence, detailing the struggles Appalachian musicians faced in a big city that viewed the music they made as the "poorest example of poor man's music."
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Preface 1
Introduction: "It was like meeting God" 5
1. "Hillbilly haven" 15
2. "Laughing with our banjos" 34
3. "A high octane explosion" 55
4. "Like ... standing in a sea breeze" 73
5. Not Even Gunfights Could Stop the Music 92
6. "Getting out there and playing for nothing" 110
7. "High on a Mountain" 132
8. "Imprinted on my musical DNA" 152
9. "The one thing they all had was talent" 174
10. "Bluegrass with funky Americana undertones" 195
Chapter Notes 213
Bibliography 223
Index 227
