Grandpa’s Music is Alive and Well: A Struggle for Identity in Country Music
Bill C. Malone opens his 2010 book Country Music, U.S.A., stating that country music “defies precise definition, and no term (not even ‘country’) has ever successfully encapsulated its essence” (Malone 2010, 1). In the past century, the ‘country music’ genre has comprised several different sub-genres, including hillbilly, old-time,
Changing Tradition: A History of Grand Ole Opry General Managers
Country music in America has long marketed towards and embodied an eclectic blend of common folk: typically, southern, lower-class, God-fearing, hard-working, blue-collar white men, found in Appalachian homes and hollers scattered well beneath the Mason-Dixon line. From the earliest decades of the twentieth century, families across the United States would
Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Still Shouting
Her message was heavenly, but her guitar conjured up the devil's music. Sister Rosetta Tharpe sang gospel, but when she plugged in, pure rock and roll came pouring out. She laid the groundwork and lit the pathway for generations of rockers. Chuck Berry incorporated some of her licks.
Your 50 Favorite Albums of 2017
One of the most surprising elements of the results of this year's annual ND Year-End Readers Poll was the number of artists who wouldn't necessarily fall into the category of roots music. No Depression readers, you lifted Ryan Adams — who hasn't felt like Americana
Phoebe Bridgers on Sexting and Loneliness
While Phoebe Bridgers' songs are blue contemplations about broken relationships, loneliness and death, they also remind us that sadness and joy can coexist in the same melody, and that hope and despair stem from similar conflicting premises of existence.
“I hate you for what you did. And I miss
Black 47's Larry Kirwan on Getting Political and Learning from Cyndi Lauper
Many Americans have had strong reactions to the Trump presidency. Larry Kirwan’s reaction may be one of the strongest — and most creative.
Kirwan, the former lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist of Black 47, tells me he was influenced by a “great poem,” W.B. Yeats’ “The Second Coming,” when