Bluegrass

Bluegrass, with its keening-high vocal harmonies and lickety-spit, tickety-boo banjo, mandolin, and guitar interplay, has been a proud country tradition since Bill Monroe (aka the Father of Bluegrass), Flatt & Scruggs, and the Stanley Brothers forged their indelible sound. From these venerated pioneers to contemporary keepers of the bluegrass flame, here's its bedrock foundation. Now, follow your ears to the illicit still of high-grade bluegrass we call Next Steps.

Bluegrass sprang from pre World War II mountain songs that once rang across the Virginias, the Carolinas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia. It remained pure indigenous folk music for decades. These tales of death, revenge, and heartbreak held in webs of vocal harmonies have a lasting appeal redolent with backwoods history and the whiff of moonshine — check out "Lord Knows I've Been Drinking". You'll find much more off the beaten path, among our bluegrass Deep Cuts.

The blueprint for bluegrass that Bill Monroe drew up in the '40s was followed by countless acolytes during the early years and, even though he died in 1996, his sterling example continues to lead the way today. These recordings add depth and context to any serious exploration of the genre — Bela Fleck, for example, learned his banjo skills in the academic circles of New York and Boston, and has led the way in progressive bluegrass since the late '70s.

One of America's great traditional styles, bluegrass has too much swing, energy, and emotion to be relegated to history. The ballads can make strong men weep (there'll be tears at the hoe-down during "Crying My Heart Out Over You" by Bluegrass Invasion) and the breakdowns can make the lame start to dance (throw away that walking stick and crank up Earl Scruggs' "Foggy Mountain Breakdown", which you may recognise from the Bonnie and Clyde movie soundtrack). Covering a wide range of artists, from the pioneers to today's virtuosos, these tracks are your ticket to the musical arteries of the American South.