appalachian music

APPALACHIAN MUSICTIANS ANDSINGERSAND THE SONGS THEY WRITE Growing up in Appalachia and around its music hasmade a great impact on my life. I can remember, as ifit were yesterday sitting on grandpa's front porch withmy family singing along with Hillbilly songs on theradio. Along with entertaining the music eased thetensions of living a meager existence in Appalachia. By relating with these song writers and the stories inthere songs we somehow find our life less tedious andmore bearable. Most country and gospel Appalachiansong writers find the words to there songs in the dayto day experiences of there lives. One of the most prominent and popular types ofmusic to come out of the Appalachian region is gospelmusic. Writing about the religious experiences onefelt at the alter or the hope of seeing a lost familymember in the here after has been the subject of manyAppalachian gospel song. Singers and song writers likeTennessee Ernie Ford and Ernest Tub have left us withjoy in our harts and tears in our eyes. Singing andlistening to songs like The Old Rugged Cross hascarried over from generation to generation inAppalachia. Another branch of Appalachian music that encirclearound religion is bluegrass. One of the best knownBluegrass artists (Bill Monroe)Known also as the fatherof bluegrass music, dedicated a portion of everyperformance to a gospel bluegrass harmony number. Bluegrass became popular in the region for a number ofreasons. Not the least of which was the inexpensivenessof home made instruments.(Ergood and Kuhre 189) Therelatively small size made the instruments easilytransported from home to home. The variance of topics in Appalachian music cannot be numbered. The subject of a song can be anythingfrom the pine trees on the highest mountain to the coolwater in the stream at the bottom of the lowest holleror any thing in between. Anything seen heard or feltmight have a song written about it. Another brand ofAppalachian music honky tonk music was made popular bya man named Hiram (Hank) Williams. Songs aboutcheating harts and Honky Tonkin might no have beenpopular with the churches, but they were with theAppalachian workers in the city bars that couldn't bedown home with there loved ones. Hank Williams,although not mentioned in our text had a high pitchedpining sound that was common among Appalachian singers. Blue grass instruments carried over into this style ofAppalachian music. Hillbilly as it is referred to inslang terms also known as country and western or justcountry as it is referred to today is one of the mostpopular styles of music. Many of today's top countryartists got their start in churches or at familygatherings with the old standard gospel and bluegrasssongs like In The Pines or The Circle Be Unbroken. Thetext mentioned Dolly Parton's song Coat Of Many Colorsand Loretta Lyne's Coal Miners Daughter for includingthere Heritage in the songs(Ergood and Kuhre 189). There are many Nationally known Appalachian Songwriters musicians and singers today. Gospel,bluegrass, country and western or rock whatever thestyle of music it has some origins in Appalachia. MostAppalachians have been surrounded in the music sincebirth. In some Appalachian families, like theStonemans every member of the family has a role in theperformance. Although these singers and song writersand many more lesser known and those from times gone byalso. Those not heard of yet have many differencesthere will always be to common bonds. ThereAppalachian style of singing about the land that theylove. . APPALACHIAN MUSICTIANS ANDSINGERSAND THE SONGS THEY WRITE Growing up in Appalachia and around its music hasmade a great impact. Appalachian music that encirclearound religion is bluegrass. One of the best knownBluegrass artists (Bill Monroe)Known also as the fatherof bluegrass music, dedicated