Bluegrass Music: The 1990s-2000s
Historical context
Less is written about the development of bluegrass music in the 1990s and early 2000s. Bluegrass in the 1990s in some ways saw a continuation of what had happened in the 80s, with blending elements of popular music and culture with bluegrass instruments and musical sensibilities. Another sub genre emerged in the 1990s, colloquially known as “mash” or “mash grass”. In 2000, the Coen brothers’ film O Brother, Where Art Thou also sparked interest in the genre for many people who previously had not been familiar with it. Popular music and classical music continued to be an influence for bluegrass musicians in the early 2000s, reflecting generational trends.
This LibGuide ends with the early 2000s because as we get into more contemporary bluegrass, there are too many bands and players to list and there are more resources available for finding contemporary bluegrass recordings and other related materials.
Subject headings
"Bluegrass music -- 1991-2000"
Subject/author terms
"Krauss, Alison, 1971-" "Lonesome River Band" , "Thile, Chris" "Nickel Creek (Musical group)", "Infamous Stringdusters (Musical group)"
Additional musicians by instrument
Bands and band leaders: New Coon Creek Girls, Nashville Bluegrass Band, Rhonda Vincent, James King, Crooked Still, Blue Highway, Dale Ann Bradley, Kathy Kallick, Claire Lynch
Banjo: Allison Brown, Sammy Shelor, Noam Pikelny
Bass: Missy Raines, Mike Bubb, Greg Garrison
Dobro: Sally Van Meter
Fiddle: Jason Carter, Casey Driessen, Brittany Haas, Gabe Witcher, Billy Contreras, Michael Cleveland
Mandolin: Adam Steffey, Tom Rozum, Mike Compton, Sierra Hull
Guitar: Chris Eldridge, Josh Williams
Highlighted archival materials
- Becky Johnson Collection, 1970-2002This collection contains 5,000 items, mostly photographs taken at bluegrass festivals from the 1980s through the 2000s.
- Sugar Hill Records Collection, 1980s-2000sIncludes bluegrass artists such as Nickel Creek, Ricky Skaggs and Doc Watson
- D. Kent Thompson Collection, 1965-2020Suggested search terms: "bluegrass"
- Mark J. O'Donnell Collection, 1960-2018Suggested search terms: "bluegrass"
- Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum Collection, 1970-2019Search for date specific content in the finding aid. For example, "1995"
Audio
- Bluegrass class of 1990 : a Rounder Records sampler. byPublication Date: 1990
- Lonesome River Band carrying the tradition. byPublication Date: 1991
- Every time you say goodbye byPublication Date: 1992
- Shape of a tear byPublication Date: 2003
- Guest house byPublication Date: 2004
Reading
Bluegrass, Newgrass, Old-Time, and Americana Music by
Based on exclusive interviews with over 120 groundbreaking musicians, Craig Harris has crafted what feels like the first truly comprehensive history of bluegrass. His research and never-before-seen photos make Bluegrass a new authority on the genre's strongest influencers. It is arranged chronologically from Bill Monroe in 1927 to the Earls of Leicester today. Highlights include entertaining facts and anecdotes about Flatt & Scruggs, Del McCoury, Doc Watson, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and more. Casual readers and mountain-music buffs alike will come away with a rich understanding of the roots and evolution of this uniquely American sound.
ISBN: 9781455624010Publication Date: 2018-04-12
Country Music, U. S. A. by
Since its first publication in 1968, Bill C. Malone's Country Music, U.S.A. has won universal acclaim as the definitive history of American country music. Starting with the music's folk roots in the rural South, it traces country music from the early days of radio through the first decade of the twenty-first century. This third revised edition includes an extensive new chapter in which new coauthor Jocelyn R. Neal tracks developments in country music in the post-9/11 world, exploring the relationship between the current scene and the traditions from which the music emerged.
ISBN: 9780292723290Publication Date: 2010-11-01- In Seeking a Definition of Mash: Attitude in Musical Style by “Mash” is a term used to describe one of the most recent major style shifts in the iconic American string band music known as bluegrass. Beginning in the 1990s, the bluegrass sound began to evolve, and ‘mash’ worked its way into the genre as a descriptor of a certain sound. Though a handful of scholars have discussed the social stigmas of the style, no one yet has investigated the simple musical question about mash: what is it?Publication Date: 2021
