Southern Music

Music in the South can mean anything from country to hip-hop, but they all basically have the same roots. This week I think it would be interesting for each of us to pick a type of southern music and do some research about it (where it started, who sings/plays it, who listens to it, what part of the South is famous for it, etc.).

For some reason I've always been a fan of bluegrass. I grew up around family members that played and listened to it. Bluegrass is almost a mixture of all southern music. It has roots in Scottish, English, Welsh, and Irish traditional music, and it also contains some jazz and blues. It mostly uses acoustic stringed instruments and occasionally vocals. There are a few different types of bluegrass that have developed over the years: traditional, progressive ("newgrass"), and gospel. I'm sure most of you have seen O Brother, Where Art Thou? It's a really good example of bluegrass in modern media.
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Fun fact: Many people think that the Bluegrass Region in northern Kentucky is named for bluegrass music. It is actually named for the type of grass in the area.