In order to understand the history of the banjo, and the history of bluegrass music, we need to move beyond the narrative we've inherited, beyond generalizations that bluegrass is mostly derived from a Scotch-Irish tradition with influences from Africa. It is actually a complex Creole music that comes from multiple cultures.
Interpretation
Understanding bluegrass music requires looking beyond simplified narratives to appreciate its diverse cultural influences.
Rhiannon Giddens highlights the need to recognize the multifaceted origins of bluegrass music, which is often mistakenly attributed solely to Scotch-Irish roots and African influences. Instead, she argues that bluegrass is a Creole music form, shaped by the interplay of various cultural traditions, calling for a deeper exploration of its historic narrative.
In practice
In a lecture about the evolution of American music, this quote could serve to emphasize the importance of understanding diverse cultural influences.
When I first heard the minstrel banjo - I played a gourd first - I almost lost my mind. I was like, Oh, my god. And then I went to Africa, to the Gambia, and studied the akonting, which is an ancestor of the banjo, and just that connection to me was just immense.
I've been getting interested in reimagining folk songs and writing songs that should have existed but didn't, particularly around the Civil War when black voices were muted and only allowed particular channels.
I think it's important that everybody has access to music, and not just people who live in cities or who can afford to drive to the nearest city.
The question is not how do we get diversity into bluegrass, but how do we get diversity back into bluegrass?
When I think about country music, I think about America.
I don't have a favorite song that I've written. But I do have a favorite song: 'Always on My Mind,' the Willie Nelson version. If I could sing it like he do, I would sing it every night. I like the story it tells.
I don't care where the Cure is placed in the pantheon of rock. I don't care if we're perceived as relevant. We're never worried how we fit in. I don't even want to fit in.
Michael Jackson carried urban America and eventually American society on his vocal cords for a good 25 to 30 years before even hip-hop became the vox populi of America, and then as an adult he shattered racial barriers.
People do dismiss ambient music, don't they? They call it 'easy listening,' as if to suggest that it should be hard to listen to.
It was stumbling on to really the bible of the blues, you know, and a very powerful drug to be introduced to us and I absorbed it totally, and it changed my complete outlook on music.
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