Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 9.02 Urban Appalachians
Presentation #1 Title
Sounds Like Home: Bluegrass Music in Cincinnati
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This paper is part of a larger dissertation project that examines bluegrass music in the urban setting. The paper will look at the post-World War II growth of the Appalachian migrant community in Cincinnati and the bluegrass music culture that developed around the migrants, folk enthusiasts, advocates, and college students. The urban setting provided a unique opportunity for the music to grow and reach a wider audience with recording companies, radio programs, and as this paper will show, a vibrant community scene that allowed strong national connections to emerge as well. Cincinnati was an important locale for the emergence of the music on the national scene generally for a number of reasons. Its large migrant population proved central to the emergence and popularity of King Records and supported the work of other music sales within the city. High powered radio stations like WLW and WPFB in nearby Middletown broadcast bluegrass music around the region, connecting migrants and listeners at home in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia. Furthermore, a strong embrace of the new musical culture developed through urban advocacy organizations and the folk-music revival in the 1950s and 1960s. At the same time, questions emerged about the authenticity of “mountain music” being played in the city. The urban audience and scene allowed for greater experimentation in bluegrass music, but also a commitment to its roots that allowed for both variation and tradition to exist side by side, and in some cases together at the same time.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
I am in my third year of PhD work in American History at the University of Cincinnati. My dissertation will explore the development of bluegrass music in Cincinnati, Baltimore, and Washington D.C. in the post-World War II era.
Sounds Like Home: Bluegrass Music in Cincinnati
This paper is part of a larger dissertation project that examines bluegrass music in the urban setting. The paper will look at the post-World War II growth of the Appalachian migrant community in Cincinnati and the bluegrass music culture that developed around the migrants, folk enthusiasts, advocates, and college students. The urban setting provided a unique opportunity for the music to grow and reach a wider audience with recording companies, radio programs, and as this paper will show, a vibrant community scene that allowed strong national connections to emerge as well. Cincinnati was an important locale for the emergence of the music on the national scene generally for a number of reasons. Its large migrant population proved central to the emergence and popularity of King Records and supported the work of other music sales within the city. High powered radio stations like WLW and WPFB in nearby Middletown broadcast bluegrass music around the region, connecting migrants and listeners at home in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia. Furthermore, a strong embrace of the new musical culture developed through urban advocacy organizations and the folk-music revival in the 1950s and 1960s. At the same time, questions emerged about the authenticity of “mountain music” being played in the city. The urban audience and scene allowed for greater experimentation in bluegrass music, but also a commitment to its roots that allowed for both variation and tradition to exist side by side, and in some cases together at the same time.
