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> A shitty thing about standard histories of rock and roll – ones that tell us that the music is half country and western, half rhythm and blues – is that they

> A shitty thing about standard histories of rock and roll – ones that tell us that the music is half country and western, half rhythm and blues – is that they always slight jazz Kind-of. Thing is, "country and western" as a genre can itself be seen as "one half traditional folk, one half jazz." The "father of country music," Jimmie Rodgers, was a vaudeville performer/hobo who knew the traditional songs from the railroad workers, but who aspired to be a jazz performer. The result was a fusion of "hillbilly music" and jazz. He even worked with Louie Armstrong in 1930: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BFbY9Vw8DM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BFbY9Vw8DM Western Swing would spring up a few years later, which is clearly part-jazz just looking at its name, and would remain popular through the 1940s. This was the "country and western" that Elvis was listening to. If you check out some of the tracks from the 40s, the electric guitar solos are eerily pre-rock-and-roll, see 2:05 in this recording from around 1946: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aChNp0ePdMg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aChNp0ePdMg

gtani 11y ago
these guys (prominent mando players) are talking about Chuck Berry's possible roots in bluegrass/Bill Monroe's recordings at 0:50 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftxl5tzIfXE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftxl5tzIfXE
- Nav_Panel 11y ago
  A demo one of my professors used to show was: Bob Wills (damn, that pedal steel...): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFef08YZ6qk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFef08YZ6qk Chuck Berry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RAfxiyMKAk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RAfxiyMKAk Wikipedia cites Wills' 1938 recording as the source, but it's fun to have the video. I totally believe Berry referenced Bill Monroe, I mean, Elvis' Blue Moon of Kentucky is a direct cover of a Bill Monroe tune. It's also thought that Scotty Moore's guitar style on Elvis' early singles was influenced heavily by Merle Travis' playing style ("Travis Picking" also see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8vOTKMqzw4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8vOTKMqzw4).
ArkyBeagle 11y ago
Jimmie Rodgers is dang near more just blues than anything else. Commercial C&W ( is there any other kind? ) has always been a melting pot, much to the contrary of its self-image. And don't forget Woody Guthrie - the folkies claim him, but he left a big imprint on especially California, although there's no telling how far it travelled. Past a certain date, most of the musicians in Nashville had a pretty strong jazz background. By the time Hank Garland was doing sessions, it slipped into the foreground. Most Nashville stalwarts recorded a jazz album or two, especially the steel players. Buddy Emmons had a really interesting relationship with Lenny Breau. Bob Wills melded more styles together than you'd think possible at the time, and in places where there was strong Jim Crow. He was a giant and a legend.
- Nav_Panel 11y ago
  > Most Nashville stalwarts recorded a jazz album or two, especially the steel players. Buddy Emmons... I love this, I bought a copy of Emmons' Steel Guitar Jazz a few years ago and it's a fantastic album. I wish there was more expansion/experimentation in that vein -- are you aware of any other steel guitar jazz albums worth checking out? > Bob Wills melded more styles together than you'd think possible at the time, and in places where there was strong Jim Crow. He was a giant and a legend. I'm a HUGE fan of Bob Wills. My most listened to artist on last.fm by a mile, I've spent a lot of time with his Tiffany Transcriptions. I remember thinking about how his music was very close to some ideal of what music "should" sound like -- energetic, uplifting, exciting, danceable, diverse, improvisational, and most of all, fun. I love the rest of the western swing gang: Milton Brown, Hank Penny, Spade Cooley, Tex Williams, but Bob Wills really was the King.
  - ArkyBeagle 11y ago
    > are you aware of any other steel guitar jazz albums worth checking out? Yes! Anything by Maurice Anderson, an awful lot of Curly Chalker, some of Lloyd Green... This is a pitifully incomplete list... They are of course hard to find. There is always the Steel Guitar Forum. > ... Bob Wills really was the King. Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa used to have these... ten foot high face shots of Bob on the walls. Put a lump in my throat just looking at 'em. FWIW, Leon Macauliffe taught/(teaches?) steel at Rogers State outside Tulsa. Take it away, Leon...

gtani 11y ago

these guys (prominent mando players) are talking about Chuck Berry's possible roots in bluegrass/Bill Monroe's recordings at 0:50 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftxl5tzIfXE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftxl5tzIfXE

Nav_Panel 11y ago
A demo one of my professors used to show was: Bob Wills (damn, that pedal steel...): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFef08YZ6qk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFef08YZ6qk Chuck Berry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RAfxiyMKAk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RAfxiyMKAk Wikipedia cites Wills' 1938 recording as the source, but it's fun to have the video. I totally believe Berry referenced Bill Monroe, I mean, Elvis' Blue Moon of Kentucky is a direct cover of a Bill Monroe tune. It's also thought that Scotty Moore's guitar style on Elvis' early singles was influenced heavily by Merle Travis' playing style ("Travis Picking" also see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8vOTKMqzw4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8vOTKMqzw4).

ArkyBeagle 11y ago

Jimmie Rodgers is dang near more just blues than anything else. Commercial C&W ( is there any other kind? ) has always been a melting pot, much to the contrary of its self-image. And don't forget Woody Guthrie - the folkies claim him, but he left a big imprint on especially California, although there's no telling how far it travelled. Past a certain date, most of the musicians in Nashville had a pretty strong jazz background. By the time Hank Garland was doing sessions, it slipped into the foreground. Most Nashville stalwarts recorded a jazz album or two, especially the steel players. Buddy Emmons had a really interesting relationship with Lenny Breau. Bob Wills melded more styles together than you'd think possible at the time, and in places where there was strong Jim Crow. He was a giant and a legend.

Nav_Panel 11y ago
> Most Nashville stalwarts recorded a jazz album or two, especially the steel players. Buddy Emmons... I love this, I bought a copy of Emmons' Steel Guitar Jazz a few years ago and it's a fantastic album. I wish there was more expansion/experimentation in that vein -- are you aware of any other steel guitar jazz albums worth checking out? > Bob Wills melded more styles together than you'd think possible at the time, and in places where there was strong Jim Crow. He was a giant and a legend. I'm a HUGE fan of Bob Wills. My most listened to artist on last.fm by a mile, I've spent a lot of time with his Tiffany Transcriptions. I remember thinking about how his music was very close to some ideal of what music "should" sound like -- energetic, uplifting, exciting, danceable, diverse, improvisational, and most of all, fun. I love the rest of the western swing gang: Milton Brown, Hank Penny, Spade Cooley, Tex Williams, but Bob Wills really was the King.
- ArkyBeagle 11y ago
  > are you aware of any other steel guitar jazz albums worth checking out? Yes! Anything by Maurice Anderson, an awful lot of Curly Chalker, some of Lloyd Green... This is a pitifully incomplete list... They are of course hard to find. There is always the Steel Guitar Forum. > ... Bob Wills really was the King. Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa used to have these... ten foot high face shots of Bob on the walls. Put a lump in my throat just looking at 'em. FWIW, Leon Macauliffe taught/(teaches?) steel at Rogers State outside Tulsa. Take it away, Leon...