ASA Annual Conference

Participation Type

Roundtable

Session Title

Bluegrass Music Heritage of Southwestern Ohio

Session Abstract or Summary

Thanks to a confluence of factors, the Cincinnati-Dayton region played a unique and consistent role in fostering bluegrass music from its inception in the late 1940s. Appalachian migrants provided local audiences, while radio stations, independent record labels, and studios disseminated bluegrass throughout the region and around the country. The result has been not only vitally important music, but a rich, distinctive social and cultural history that can shed much light on its origin and development.

This roundtable showcases the Bluegrass Music Heritage of Southwestern Ohio project. Over the past year it has drawn upon resources, expertise, and experiences of scholars, archivists, artists, and musicians. Its mission is to preserve, present, and promote southwestern Ohio’s rich bluegrass heritage, making it freely accessible to both the public and researchers. Public programs featured nine separate talks and presentations, exploring such diverse topics as Appalachian migration, the roles of radio, live performance venues and recording studios, bluegrass and urban Appalachian identity, recording and radio history, notable venues, and amateur bluegrass gatherings. A concert and discussion of southwestern Ohio bluegrass and featured Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers with the legendary Bobby Osborne. An illustrated panel exhibition has traveled the country from Xenia, Ohio to Raleigh, North Carolina, and can be enjoyed at this year’s ASA. Panelists will reflect on their collaborative experiences, discuss the project’s legacy (including permanent digital and archival resources), and consider its public impact and significance. The project is sponsored by Miami University Appalachian Studies in partnership with the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Greene County Public Library, and the Smith Library of Regional History.

About the Presenter

Matthew SmithFollow
Fred Bartenstein, University of DaytonFollow
Curtis W. Ellison, Miami University - HamiltonFollow

Presentation #1 Title

Bluegrass Music Heritage of Southwestern Ohio

Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary

Roundtable discussion exploring the impact of urban Appalachian migration in southwestern Ohio and the legacy of the region's bluegrass heritage. Participants Matthew Smith, Fred Bartenstein, and Curt Ellison will reflect on their experiences with the Bluegrass Music Heritage of Southwest Ohio, a public history project to preserve, present, and promote the bluegrass legacy of southwestern Ohio.

At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1

Matthew Smith is a Visiting Assistant Professor of History and Appalachian Studies at Miami University Hamilton. As webmaster for the Bluegrass Music Heritage of Southwestern Ohio he designed the website www.swohiobluegrass.com, featuring hundreds of bluegrass articles by project participant Russell "Mac" McDivitt.

At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2

Fred Bartenstein, a native of Virginia and resident of Yellow Springs, Ohio, has performed many roles in bluegrass and country music, including magazine editor, broadcaster, musician, festival emcee, talent director, and scholar. He is co-author of The Bluegrass Hall of Fame (2014) and editor of Josh Graves: Bluegrass Bluesman (2012), Roots Music: Collected Writings of Joe Wilson (2017), and Lucky Joe’s Namesake: The Extraordinary Life and Observations of Joe Wilson (2017). He currently teaches country and bluegrass music history at the University of Dayton.

At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3

Curtis Ellison is Professor of History Emeritus and Director of Miami University Appalachian Studies. A native Appalachian born and raised in Alabama, Ellison's publications include Country Music Culture: From Hard Times to Heaven (University Press of Mississippi, 1995), and the official history Miami University, 1809-2009: Bicentennial Perspectives (Miami University Press, 2009).

At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4

Brian Powers is a Reference Librarian for the Genealogy and Local History Department at the Public Library of Cincinnati. In 2009 his book, A King Records Scrapbook, was nominated for Best Research on a Record Label by the Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC). He has made many presentations on the both the R & B and Country music recorded at King including one at the International Country Music Conference in Nashville. In 2017, Brian curated a vinyl exhibit called The Mountains are Calling : The History of Bluegrass Music in Southwestern Ohio.

Conference Subthemes

Migration