American Roots Overview
Leadbelly-The House of the Rising Sun is a traditional folk song that originated from New Orleans. The song tells a life gone wrong in New Orleans. Like many of the classic folk ballads, it is unknown who composed the piece. Musicologists speculate that it could be based on the tradition of broadside ballads. In the video a guitarist accompanies a singer and the piece definitely sounds like a New Orleans folk song, the chord progressions is some type of a blues.
Woodie Guthrie-This Land is Your Land is one of the United States most famous folk songs, and in fact, Guthrie composed this piece himself. The melody in the song is very similar to Oh, My Loving Brother, a Baptist gospel hymn that was recorded by the Carter Family. Guthrie used the same verses and melodies for his own composition. Despite it being very similar, the melodic structure is different from the Carter Family's song. Guthrie composed This Land is Your Land in 1940.
Hank Williams-Hey, Good Lookin' was written by Williams in 1951 and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. He only spent 20 minutes on a plane writing the entire piece for one of his friends, Jimmy Dickens. When Williams recorded the song he was backed with fiddler, electric, steel, and rhythmic guitarist, a bassist, and a pianist.
*Blue Grass, Gospel, and Zydeco are three major forms of American Roots music. Bluegrass music is a related genre of country music, and it is heavily influenced by the music of Appalachia. It has mixed roots of Irish, English, and Scottish, and was eventually influenced by the music of African Americans through incorporations of jazz elements. The song Stand With Me is taken at a relatively fast tempo with two guitarists playing and signing together. Gospel music is a genre of Christian music. It usually has dominant vocals and christian lyrics. In the video, the song is a sub-genre of Gospel music; traditional black gospel. This sub-genre of gospel incorporates African American roots and elements of jazz into it. Down by the Riverside has a fast tempo with call and responses in the choir. There is a solo singer and a electric guitarists improvises over the chorus at one given moment of the piece. Zydeco is a music style that blends rhythm and blues, blues, and music native to the people of Louisiana. The interesting thing about this style of music is the unusual instruments that are used; it is typical for Zydeco music to have piano accordion accompanied by a washboard for rhythmical purposes. The piece Tighten Up Zydeco has those instruments used, a fast tempo, improvisation, and a jazz style like a blues or rhythm and blues piece.
Episode One: When First Unto This Country
1)American Roots songs are like a story because they state a situation or a problem and the narrator tells you how he feels about it and how it sometimes ends up.
2)Europeans and Africans brought old folk songs to the Americas to help them remember the people and the land they left behind. Some folk songs that have lasted for generations include Amazing Grace, Turkey in the Straw,
3)There are quite a few themes that American Roots music has; certain themes can be found in sub genres and styles of American Roots music. For instance, many blues pieces deal with the hard times slaves had to endure, or ballads might have themes of love, hate, fear, etc.
4)These themes still remain relevant today with the hope of history not repeating itself. Also, some of these themes like racism are very prevalent in society today.
Episode Two: This Land is Your Land
1)It would allow white audiences to hear black audiences and circumvent segregation. For the first time it gave black musicians to expose their music and culture to audiences in the thousands.
2)It may have been a great surprise to hear black music on the radio. The radio got around the limits of segregation so it may have been nice for African Americans to hear their music being celebrated on radio.
3)Practically any form of popular music that was influenced by the blues: rock n' roll, jazz, rhythm and blues.
4)A lot of music that is avant-garde may not be featured on mainstream radio because it could be considered unorthodox by mass audiences.
Episode Three: The Times They are A-Changin'
1)Gospel music a genre of Christian music that originated in the South during the late 1930s. From there many sub genres of gospel branched out, such as African American gospel. You would most likely hear gospel music in a African American Church or in the South.
2)Gospel music is filled with energetic jazz rhythms, religious themes, and teachings about life. Gospel has way of taking and uplifting people to another place, the music acknowledges the frustrations and hardships of life and soothes those issues.
3)Sister Rosetta Tharpe is well known for her amazing singing and guitar playing. She did controversial actions like playing sacred music in night clubs, something that the Church frowned upon at the time. Mahalia Jackson was an amazing gospel singer as well, but she didn't play the guitar, and also performed a lot more for mass audiences: stadiums, broadcasts, shows, etc.
4)Tharpe was denounced by some people in the religious community because she would play religious music in night clubs, something that was very unorthodox at the time.
Episode Four: All My Children of the Sun
1)Any music that expresses the thoughts, feelings, or ideas different to another person or group might be considered dangerous because it might express thoughts or values that differ from another's own.
2)Music can express unique values and highlight expressions and beliefs that no other group or culture may have.
3)The government essentially banned Native American dances and music in the late 1830s because they wanted to do everything they could do to eradicate Native American culture since they were racists.
4)The revival of Native American music started to fuse with different musical styles from other cultures. In the 1960s, Native American music began blending with other American Roots like country and folk song music.
American Roots Music Research
1) It was really interesting reading the dialogue of the eight American Roots musicians' interviews. One of the reoccurring themes I noticed in several of the interviews was that the musicians were exposed to a plethora of different musical styles and genres as children. American Roots music is the fusion of many different cultures. Willie Nelson described that he listened to Mexican music, polkas and waltzes from Czechoslovakians, blues from the Blacks, and gospel from going to church. James Cotton worked on farms and would sign blues with his friends, and would sneak into clubs to listen to Rock n' Roll giants like Elvis Presley and Ruth Brown. What is intriguing about this is that a lot of the music styles that the musicians listened to as children can be heard in their music. For instance, Bela Fleck grew up listening to Earl Scruggs, Charlie Parker, Chick Corea, etc, and he gives performances that have various styles of jazz fusion, rock, bluegrass, and Irish balladry.
2) Artists: EPISODE ONE
1. Marty Stuart
2. Bernice Johnson-
Reagon
3. Ricky Skaggs
4. Robert Mirabal
5. Doc Watson
6. Rufus Thomas
7. Bascom Lamar
Lunsford
8. Bonnie Raitt
9. The Fisk Jubilee
Singers
10. Mavis Staples
11. Ralph Stanley
12. Doyle Lawson
13. Quicksilver
14. Arlo Guthrie
15. Mamie Smith
16. Bessie Smith
17. Fiddlin' John Carson
18. The Carter Family
19. Gillian Welch
20. The Whites
21. Jimmie Rodgers
22. Merle Haggard
23. Robert Johnson
24. Son House
25. Keb' Mo'
26. Robbie Robertson
27. Keith Richards
28. Albert Ammons and
Pete Johnson
29. Joe Falcon and
Cleoma Breaux
Falcon
30. Whistler's Jug Band
31. Lydia Mendoza
32. Douglas B. Green
33. Uncle Dave Macon
34. Mike Seeger
35. Sam Phillips
36. DeFord Bailey
37. Roy Acuff
38. Thomas A. Dorsey
EPISODE TWO
1. Douglas B. Green
2. Pete Seeger
3. Ken Maynard
4. Gene Autry
5. Bob Wills
6. Ray Benson of
Asleep at the Wheel
7. Willie Nelson
8. John Lomax
9. Bonnie Raitt
10. Alan Lomax
11. Huddie Ledbetter
(Lead Belly)
12. Woody Guthrie
13. Arlo Guthrie
14. Marty Stuart
15. Ricky Skaggs
16. Mike Seeger
17. Bill Monroe
18. Earl Scruggs
19. Doc Watson
20. Bela Fleck
21. Flatt and Scruggs
22. Merle Travis
23. Kitty Wells
24. Ernest Tubb
25. Lefty Frizzell
26. Hank Williams
27. Sonny Boy
Williamson
28. Robert Lockwood
Junior
29. James Cotton
30. B.B. King
31. Rufus Thomas
32. Sam Phillips
33. Howlin' Wolf
34. Elvis Presley
EPISODE THREE
1. Keb' Mo'
2. Marshall Chess
3. Muddy Waters
4. BB. King
5. Bonnie Raitt
6. Rufus Thomas
7. James Cotton
8. Willie Dixon
9. Buddy Guy
10. Hubert Sumlin
11. Keith Richards
12. Flaco Jimenez
13. Willie Nelson
14. The Soul Stirrers
15. Sister Rosetta
Tharpe
16. Mahalia Jackson
17. Clara Ward Singers
18. The Staple Singers
19. Robbie Robertson
20. Marty Stuart
21. The Weavers
22. Peter Yarrow
23. The Kingston Trio
24. The New Lost
City Ramblers
25. John Cohen
26. Mike Seeger
27. Peter, Paul,
and Mary
28. Bob Dylan
29. Clarence Ashley
30. Doc Watson
31. Mississippi
John Hurt
32. The Freedom Singers
33. The Paul Butterfield
Blues Band
34. Sam Lay
EPISODE FOUR
1. Ann Savoy
2. Marc Savoy
3. Dennis McGee
4. The Balfa Brothers
5. Steve Riley
6. Clifton Chenier
7. Narciso Martinez
8. Valerio Longoria
9. Flaco Jimenez
10. Little Joe
Hernandez
11. Mingo Saldivar
12. Floyd Red Crow
Westerman
13. Robbie Robertson
14. R. Carlos Nakai
15. Robert Mirabal
16. Bela Fleck and
the Flecktones
17. Edwin Hawkins
18. Kirk Franklin
19. Bernice Johnson-
Reagon
20. Gillian Welch
21. Ralph Stanley
22. Ricky Skaggs
23. Earl Scruggs
24. James Cotton
Songs: EPISODE ONE
Opening Sequence
"My Blue Ridge Cabin Home" Opening Sequence performed by
Jay Ungar and Molly Mason.
"Turkey in the Straw" performed at a fiddler's convention
"Dinah" performed by Louis Armstrong
"Doggett's Gap" performed by Bascom Lamar Lunsford
"Mary, Don't You Weep" performed by Georgia field hands
"Home on the Range" performed by Jules Allen
The Fisk Jubilee Singers
"Rockin Jerusalem" performed by the Fisk Jubilee Singers
"Steal Away" performed by the Princely Players
"Joshua Fit de Battle" performed by the Fisk Jubilee Singers
James D. Vaughn and the Beginnings of Southern Gospel
"Amazing Grace" performed by a group of Shape Note singers
"Where the Shades of Love Lie Deep"
performed by Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver
The First Recording of Vaudeville Blues and Hillbilly Music
"Lonesome Blues" performed by Louis Armstrong
"Crazy Blues" performed by Mamie Smith
"St. Louis Blues" performed by Bessie Smith
"Will the Circle Be Unbroken" performed by the Carter Family
"Old Joe Clark" performed by Fiddlin John Carson
"Wildwood Flower" performed by the Carter Family
"Keep on the Sunnyside" performed by the Whites
"Waiting for a Train" performed by Jimmie Rodgers
"Never No Mo Blues" performed by Doc Watson
"In the Jailhouse Now" performed by Jimmie Rodgers
Country and Delta Blues
"Henry" performed by Keb' Mo'
"Death Letter Blues" performed by Son House
"John the Revelator" performed by Son House
"Love in Vain Blues" performed by Keb' Mo'
"Love in Vain Blues" performed by Robert Johnson
"Crossroad Blues" performed by Robert Johnson
"Boogie Woogie Dream" performed by Pete Johnson and Albert Ammons
"Foldin' Bed" performed by Whistler's Jug Band
The First Recording of Cajun and Tejano Music
"Mal Hombre" performed by Lydia Mendoza
The Influence of Radio and the Grand Ole Opry
"Take Me Back to That Old Carolina Home" performed by Uncle Dave Macon
"Fox Chase" performed by DeFord Bailey
"Great Speckled Bird" performed by Roy Acuff
"Hillbilly Fever" performed by Roy Acuff
The Father of Gospel Music
"It's Tight Like That" performed by Tampa Red and Georgia Tom
"He's Blessing Me" performed by
The National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses
"If You See My Savior" performed by Thomas A. Dorsey
and Sallie Martin
"Precious Lord" performed by Thomas A. Dorsey
"Precious Lord" performed by
The National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses
EPISODE TWO: THIS LAND WAS MADE FOR YOU AND ME
Opening Sequence:
"Lord, Lord" performed by Mamie Smith
"Boogie Woogie Dream" performed by Pete Johnson and Albert Ammons
Cowboys and Western Swing
"Tumbling Tumbleweeds" performed by Douglas B. Green
"Tumbling Tumbleweeds" performed by the Sons of the Pioneers
"Lay My Burden Down" performed by Turner Junior Johnson
Unknown title performed by Ken Maynard
"Back in the Saddle Again" performed by Gene Autry
"Silver Haired Daddy of Mine" performed by Gene Autry
A "breakdown" performed by Bob Wills
"Sitting on Top of the World" performed by Bob Wills
Early Folk Revival:
"Good Night Irene" performed by Lead Belly
"Pick a Bale of Cotton" performed by Lead Belly
"Gray Goose" performed by Lead Belly
"This Land is Your Land" performed by Woody Guthrie
"Blowin' Down the Road" performed by Woody Guthrie
"John Henry" performed by Woody Guthrie with
Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee
Bluegrass:
"John Henry" performed by Bill Monroe
"A Voice from on High" performed by Bill Monroe
"Sally Gooding'" performed by Earl Scruggs
"Rabbit in a Log" performed by Flatt and Scruggs
"Salty Dog Blues" performed by Flatt and Scruggs
"Earl's Breakdown" performed by Earl Scruggs (at Newport)
"Earl's Breakdown" performed by Earl Scruggs and friends
Country, Honky Tonk:
"Dark as a Dungeon" performed by Merle Travis
"Nine Pound Hammer" performed by Merle Travis
"If You've Got the Money, I've Got the Time" performed by Lefty Frizzell
"I'm Walking the Floor Over You" performed by Ernest Tubb
"Always Late With Your Kisses" performed by Lefty Frizzell
"I Want to Be With You Always" performed by Merle Haggard
"It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" performed by Kitty Wells
"Cold, Cold Heart" performed by Hank Williams
The Blues & Radio:
"Your Funeral and My Trial" performed by Sonny Boy Williamson
"Bye, Bye Bird" performed by Sonny Boy Williamson
"King Biscuit Time Theme" performed by James Cotton
"Take a Little Walk with Me" performed by Robert Lockwood Jr. with
James Cotton
"Sweet Little Angel" performed by B.B. King
"I'll Be Back Someday" performed by Howlin' Wolf
"I'll Never Let You Go Darlin'" performed by Elvis Presley
"That's All Right Mama" performed by Elvis Presley
"Blue Moon of Kentucky" performed by Elvis Presley
EPISODE THREE: THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN'
Opening Sequence:
"Foldin' Bed" performed by Whistler's Jug Band
"Foggy Mountain Breakdown" performed by Earl Scruggs
Electric Chicago and Urban Blues:
"Rollin' and Tumblin'" performed by Muddy Waters
"Rock Me" performed by Muddy Waters
"Got My Mojo Working" performed by Muddy Waters (with James Cotton)
"Shake for Me" performed by Howlin' Wolf
"I'm Ready" performed by Muddy Waters
"Three O' Clock Blues" performed by B.B. King
"How Blue Can You Get?" performed by B.B. King
"The Thrill is Gone" performed by B.B. King
Gospel's Golden Years:
"Do You Call that Religion?" performed by a quartet of oyster shuckers
"Blind Barnabus" performed by the Golden Gate Quartet
"Wade in the Water" performed by the Soul Stirrers
"Down By the Riverside" performed by Sister Rosetta Tharpe
"He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" performed by Mahalia Jackson
"Move on Up a Little Higher" performed by Mahalia Jackson
"Come on Children Let's Sing" performed by Mahalia Jackson
"When the Saints Go Marching In" performed by the Clara Ward Singers
"Sit Down Servant" performed by the Staple Singers
Folk and Blues Revival:
"Good Night Irene" - The Weavers
"So Long, Been Good to Know Ya" - The Weavers
"Tom Dooley" - The Kingston Trio
"The Soldier and the Lady" performed by the New Lost City Ramblers
"If I Had a Hammer" performed by Peter, Paul and Mary
"A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" performed by Bob Dylan
"The Times They are A-Changin'" performed by Bob Dylan
"Cuckoo Bird" performed by Clarence Ashley
"Way Down Town" performed by Doc Watson
"Spike Driver Blues" performed by Mississippi John Hurt
"We Shall Overcome" performed by Odetta with The Freedom Singers
"Blowin' In the Wind" performed by Peter, Paul and Mary
"Juke" performed by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band
"Maggie's Farm" performed by Bob Dylan
"It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" performed by Bob Dylan
EPISODE FOUR: ALL MY CHILDREN OF THE SUN
Opening Sequence:
"The Times They are A-Changin'" performed by Bob Dylan
"We Shall Overcome" performed by Odetta and The Freedom Singers
Cajun & Zydeco:
"Dans La Louisianne" - Marc & Ann Savoy
"Port Arthur Blues" performed by the Balfa Brothers
"La Valse Criminelle" performed by the Balfa Brothers
"Zydeco Two-Step" performed by Clifton Chenier
"Two-Step d'Amede" performed by Marc Savoy
"I'm a Hog for You Baby" performed by Clifton Chenier
"Ossun Two-Step" performed by Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys
"La Valse de Mardi Gras" performed by the children of
the Basile Mardi Gras trail ride
Tejano:
"Rosalito" performed by Valerio Longoria with
Little Joe Hernandez and Mingo Saldivar
"Las Nubes/ The Clouds" performed by Little Joe y la Familia with
Valerio Longoria and Mingo Saldivar
"Ring of Fire" performed by Mingo Saldivar
"Sorry Boy" performed by Flaco Jimenez
Native American Pow Wow and Crossover:
Traditional Powwow Drumming performed by
Renzel Last Horse and his group
Traditional Powwow Drumming performed by
Nellie Two Bulls and Lakota children
"Wounded Knee" performed by Floyd Red Crow Westerman
"Enchantment Song" performed by R. Carlos Nakai
"Jesus Loves Me" performed by Everette Red Bear and
Sandor Iron Rope of the Native American Church
"The Dance" performed by Robert Mirabal
Century Wrap Up:
"Stomping Grounds" performed by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
"Oh Happy Day" performed by Edwin Hawkins with
the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses
"Stomp Remix" performed by Kirk Franklin
"Hoochie Coochie Man" performed by Billy Branch with
Pinetop Perkins, John Primer and Willie "Big Eye" Smith
"Mannish Boy" performed by Billy Branch with school kids
"Rock of Ages" performed by Gillian Welch
"Train on the Island" performed by the Old Crow Medicine Show
"Little Maggie" performed by Ralph Stanley
"Get Up John" performed by Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
"Worried Man Blues" performed by Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs,
James Cotton and Marc and Ann Savoy
3) Folk songs are one of the oldest category of eternal songs. Many of the ballads and folk songs known today were brought to the Americas from England, Ireland, and Scotland during the colonial period. In 1910, John Lenox published his first book, Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads, introduced western culture to a group of ballads and songs sung by cowboys. The European style of a ballad was incorporated with American culture in the early 20th century: a fusion of culture and music.
-A handful of religious tunes became a permanent part of American roots. One of the best known standards is Amazing Grace, with lyrics penned by Englishman John Newton in 1779. The authorship of the melody is lost in history, but the Newton's text was adapted to the unknown melody in 1835. The piece is common repertoire for the church and has been featured constantly in films and military funerals.
-In the past, there has been traditional songs that have been very unknown except to a handful of people, which suddenly break out as a commercial hit. Some commercial hits include Worried Man Blues famed by the Carter Family, Corrine, Corina which gained popularity when Bob Wills and Milton Brown recorded it, and Goodnight, Irene a piece that The Weavers made a national best seller in the 1950s.
4) Producers: Jim Brown-Three time Emmy-award winning director Jim Brown has made some of the most popular programs and documentaries on American music in the past two decades. Brown has directed several projects for Columbia Records and Sony Music for over ten years, and recently has worked with Island and Polygram Records. He has also produced a large sum of home videos, records, and CDs related to these television programs. Some of his most well recognized works include: The Weavers: Wasn't That A Time! (Emmy Award and numerous international awards) which had a theatrical release by United Artists and was televised in 16 countries; In The Hank Williams Tradition (co-produced by The Country Music Foundation) for PBS; A Vision Shared: A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly, (Emmy and Ace Award nominations) for Showtime, televised in over 12 countries; Woody Guthrie: Hard Travelin' (Emmy nomination) for PBS; An Evening with Harry Belafonte and Friends for PBS (First Place International Film and Video Festival); In The Spotlight: Mary Chapin Carpenter for PBS, Child of Mine: Songs for Our Children (Ace Award Best Music Special) for the Disney Channel, Pete Seeger Family Concert (Parent's Choice Classic Award) for PBS, Songs of the Civil War (co-produced with Ken Burns) for PBS, We Shall Overcome (Emmy Award) for PBS, Musical Passage (Blue Ribbon American Film Festival) theatrical release by Films Inc., televised on PBS and ABC; Keeping the Music Alive for BRAVO; and American Guitar Heroes (in association with Alligator Records), The Playboy Channel.
Sam Pollard-Producer and editor Sam Pollard has served as the co-executive producer for several well known series and documentaries, including: I'll Make Me a World , A Vision Shared: A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly, We Shall Overcome and Child of Mine.
Jeff Rosen-For the past 12 years, Jeff Rosen has worked as a general manager for music publishing enterprises and Bob Dylan's business. During this time, him and Dylan have established a whole video library of music. Rosen has also produced He has served as a producer and a consultant for Paradise Music, Columbia Records, Sony Online Entertainment, the Jimi Hendrix Estate, Time Life Records, and Sony Online Entertainment. He has written articles which have appeared in Musician Magazine, High Times, and Spin. He was the associate producer for the documentary Sweet Home Chicago.
Board of Advisors: Barry Jean Ancelet, Robert Cantwell, John Cohen, Pete Daniel, David Evans, Benjamin Filene, Ray Funk, Peter Guralnick, Bess Lomax Hawes, Charlotte Heth, Alan Jabbour, Paul Kingsbury, Leon Litwack, Bill Malone, Manuel Pena, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Robert Santelli, Ann Allen Savoy, Anthony Seeger, Charles Wolfe, Kyle Young.
Filming Schedule: Southwest Louisiana, Dover, New Jersey, Putnam Valley, NY, The Delta, Memphis, Oxford, Virginia, Washington D.C, Nashville, Tejano, Austin, Texas, New Orleans, Arizona, Bar Harbor, Maine, New York City, Chicago, Newark, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Northern California, Taos, New Mexico, Hendersonville, Tennessee, Hillsdale, NY.
Pbs Roots Questions
1)American Roots music is now used to refer to a broad range of musical genres, which includes blues, zydeco, gospel, traditional country, tejano, and Native American pow-pow. It is music that was originally from European culture and fused with American traditions and culture.
2)Roots draws on the lived experience of ordinary men and women who were often defined and limited by the cultural constructions of race, gender, and class. American Roots music is a means of reflection and identification of how Americans have struggled against oppressive social and economic environments.
3)Many of the major historical events in America have had a significant impact on the popularity and nature of American Roots music. A good example of this would be how the social and economic changes brought from WWII had a major effect on Blues and white Country music. Before the war, both genres had been rurally spread out and very popular to local audiences, but the major shift of technology in WWII allowed for mass media to capture and popularize these types of music.
4)Developments in literature have shaped the way roots music was mediated, viewed, and understood by American audiences. Literary movements such as "regionalism" and "naturalism" helped create an interest in rural America and the musical forms associated with it. The politics concerning labor in the South attracted the interest of "muckracking" writers like Upton Sinclair and helped raise the level of social consciousness about the problems inherent in industrial society at a time when folk songs were depicting the lives of working-class Americans.
Pbs Roots Instruments
1)The guitar can be considered as an archetypal instrument for American Roots music. The instrument didn't achieve its popularity until the 20th century for roots music, but it was popular amongst the European cultures; the Spaniards had quite a taste for the guitar. At the near end of the 19th century, the guitarist and singer Lead Belly discovered that an inexpensive Stella 12-string with steel strings was as loud as a piano. Companies like Sears-Roebuck began adding inexpensive guitars to their inventories, and were selling over 78,000 a year by the 1920s. Through the 1900s to the 1930s, a plethora of unique styles emerged for the guitar, such as Hawaiian, Bajo Sexto, etc. American Roots composers like B.B King, Son House, and Muddy Waters.
2)One of the oldest and most basic of instruments used in American Roots music is the fiddle. In 1736, fiddle contests were a common means of competition. Despite it being thought of primarily as a white instrument, the fiddle has many styles that were influenced from Ireland and Scotland. The fiddle gained popularity among blacks, as the most talented slaves would be sent up to New Orleans to perform standard dance tunes. Native Americans and Mexicans also developed important fiddle styles in the southwest.
3)The accordion exists in roots music in several forms. The design of the accordion was conceptualized and created on 1844, in England. During the late 1930s, Pee Wee King came from a heavily influenced background of polka music, and won fame with his accordion playing songs such as "The Tennessee Waltz". The accordion made its first appearance in the Acadian population of southern Louisiana, and the button accordion soon became an essential part of Cajun music. Polkas and waltz were the most popular styles that accordionists played during the civil war, but tejano musicians would combine the accordion with bajo sexto and produce original and innovative repertoire with it. Today, the accordion is still a quintessential instrument for Cajun and norteno music.
4)The banjo was the primary contribution to American culture from Africa. The instrument has been deemed as "the outstanding American contribution to the music of folklore", and its origins trace back to sub-saharan culture of the 13th century. As slaves brought the banjo to the New World, whites quickly picked up on learning how to play it. In the Appalachians, musicians crafted banjos out of groundhog skins and adapted their songs' to the instrument's harmonics. It soon became the main instrument for plantation melodies and minstrel shows. Once those forms of pieces had lost their popularity, the 5 string banjo became very popular with southern Whites. A large variety of styles were developed by musicians, some like Uncle Dave Macon could play up to 17 different styles.
5)In 1822, a german inventor named Christian Bauschmann created an experimental instrument with fifteen reeds which he dubbed as the "aura". Since there was an economic depression in Berlin at this time, Christian Messner sold auras at local fairs and carnivals, and many other German manufacturers caught onto the act as well. In 1857, Matthias Hohner figured how to mass produce the harmonica, and by 1977, the company was exporting over 700,000 harmonicas around the world. Americans became very fond of the harmonica; musicians began exploring unorthodox ways on playing the harmonica. For instance, Blues musicians would cup their hands over the harmonica to get a slurring effect with notes and white musicians liked to imitate the sounds of animals like the fox.
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