Country Blues

My background is in classical music but I grew up in Texas so Country Music has always been in the background. I'd heard all the names and I'm familiar with most of the music but I never really followed it or studied it. When I took over as the Rogers Public Library AV Librarian and I looked at our music collection I saw immediately that Country Music was an area that needed to be reworked so I did what I always do and went back to the beginning, guys like Jimmie Rogers, the Carter Family, Uncle Dave Macon, and Molly O'Day and Cumberland Mountain Folks. Listening to these guys it's easy to hear the folk-gospel roots of the "hillbilly music " that came from the middle south musical tradition. I've been fascinated, listening to the Maddox Brothers & Rose, Bob Wills, and Moon Mullican. These are the Country & Western Stars that added Swing and Boogie Woogie to Country Music. The Maddox Brothers & Rose added the Hawaiian guitar (electirc guitar) and it really jumped out at me. It had a Hawaiian feel to it but still blended in quite well. Then Roy Acuff and Ernest Tubbs took hillbilly Music and gave it personality that Made Country Music. All these influences merged making way for the Honky Tonk singers Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzel and their alter ego Kitty Wells. I'm hoping I can build a collection that people will listen to and hear where Country Music got its start, where it's been, and so that they can really appreciate where it's going.

Later.