How Bluegrass Grew

If a couple of college students named Mike Seeger and Ralph Rinzler hadn’t prodded Bill Monroe out of his bluegrass depression-era funk, moments like this might never have happened.

As it was, Monroe transformed himself over the years into a benevolent-ish bluegrass patriarch, sharing his musical wisdom with the generations that followed during post-show jams and random yet momentous encounters.

What was a dying, regional musical style became a movement, paving the way for musical pyrotechnics like this.

The Del McCoury Band, featuring mandolinist, Ronnie McCoury, joins Marty Stuart for a blistering version of Bill Monroe’s “Rawhide”.

Somehow, everything about this video works together beautifully to deepen the meaning of the performance. The night, the time of year, the autumn-colored lights on the trees and, of course, Ronnie McCoury’s moving dedication, have a quiet, down-home loveliness about them.

From RockyGrass 2012, this is Béla Fleck and Friends – McCoury, guitarist Danny Paisley, and fiddler Jason Carter – turning the Rockies into their back porch with “Gone Home”.

Incidentally, Bill Carlisle, the composer of this number, has a performance of it on YouTube as well. I don’t care for his slick, NashVegas version, but he introduces it with an hilarious anecdote that I think you’ll enjoy. It’s about Carlisle’s introduction to The Grateful Dead, who also recorded the song.

This is some band! They got together for RockyGrass one year, and I wish they’d repeat the experiment, because it turned out to be something special.

That’s Béla Fleck on banjo, of course. From the Del McCoury Band, it’s Jason Carter on fiddle, Alan Bartram on bass, and Ronnie McCoury on mandolin. So far, so RockyGrass.

So, who’s the lead vocalist on guitar?

That’s Danny Paisley, whose father, Bob, led The Southern Grass for many years. I haven’t always been a fan of Danny Paisley; he has tended to place a raw vocal style above good musicianship and basic technique.

There’s no denying, however, that Paisley is trad with a capital T. He must have been working on his breath control and intonation while I wasn’t looking, because his performance here is immensely gratifying.

The song is a good ole good ‘un called “My Home’s Across the Blue Ridge Mountains”.

Another challenging Monroe instrumental? Why not? This one features mandolin maniacs, Marty Stuart and Ronnie McCoury with the Del McCoury Band. Here’s “Rawhide”.