As an avid bluegrass enthusiasts and one interested in numeous facets of bluegrass music I'm always reading a couple bluegrass, country music, or other traditional music books and routinely doing research for a potential bluegrass article. Consequently I come across some very interesting information that doesn't warrant a full article but makes great conversation. I hope you enjoy the bluegrass trivia. If you have any trivia to offer please send them to the webmaster.

Influential Cats In Bluegrass Music

Arthel Lane Watson, considered one of American’s most influential acoustic guitarists and folk/bluegrass singers - better known as “Doc” Watson - at age 11 began playing his first stringed instrument; the banjo. This was made possible with a significant contribution from his grandmother’s cat. You see, grandma’s kitty became the banjo’s drum. Doc claimed the cat was old and ill and that his brother humanely put it out of its misery. I know there’s gotta’ be a Banjo player joke here somewhere but I’ll quell my yearning; I have a lot of respect for cats.

Ancient Tones

You may have heard the term in bluegrass music; Ancient Tones, probably from a bluegrass album of this name recorded by Ricky Skaggs with his band Kentucky Thunder - released January 26, 1999. What you may not know it that ancient tones is actually a technique used by old-time fiddle players to extend the tonal range of their instruments when playing unaccompanied. They would play a lower root note particularly loud and let it resonate while they rapidly played a series of melody notes. This created a rich harmonious arrangement of notes referred to as ancient tones.

From a musical perspective this tonal approach may relate back over a thousand years to frequencies associated with the Ancient Solfeggio Scale thought to facilitate vibratory healing and higher states of awareness; many in the form of Gregorian Chants. So, if you listen to some questionable fiddle music that seems to hurt your ears – give the vibratory healing time to kick in. Chances are, you haven’t reached your higher state of awareness yet.

Bill Monroe’s First Choice

Did you know that the mandolin was not Bill Monroe’s first choice of instruments to learn as a young boy – it was the fiddle. As a matter of fact it wasn’t even his second choice which was the guitar. By default young Bill, the future father of Bluegrass, was told to play the mandolin. Being the youngest of six children in a family band he was pretty low in the pecking order (or picking order if you will) and didn’t have much to say about it. His older brothers also made him play with only four strings instead of the traditional mandolin’s eight strings because they didn’t want little brother playing too loud.

Devil’s Box

There was a time, back in the ol’ days in parts of rural Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky, when the fiddle was considered the Devil’s Box because it was considered, by the virtuous folks, sinful to play as it was associated with drinking and rowdy revelry. There have been since old worn fiddles discovered within the walls and remains of long forgotten log cabins; placed there by those newly saved fiddlers who couldn’t bear to destroy their precious heirlooms, but nevertheless gave them up. Think about this the next time you hear a spirited fiddle rendition of Devil’s Dream or Hell Among the Yearlings.

Jerry Garcia

Did you know that Jerry Garcia, of the infamous Grateful Dead psychedelic band of the sixties, had a Bluegrass band called Old and In the Way? The original band included Jerry Garcia (banjo), David Grisman (mandolin), Peter Rowan (guitar),John Kahn (acoustic bass) and Vassar Clements (fiddle). Three albums came out of the group; Old and In the Way (1975), That High Lonesome Sound (1997), and Breakdown (1997). All of these albums came from live recordings that were produced in October 1973. The group only existed for one year; 1973. Here is a famous Jerry Garcia quote: “Truth is something you stumble into when you think you're going someplace else.”

Lester Flat G Run

Did you know? When guitarist Lester Flatt joined Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys in 1944, replacing Clyde Moody, he had to make some adjustments to the rapid pace of several of the band’s arrangements. Lester’s style used more open chords and bass runs than his sidemen predecessors. These bass runs helped him catch up between phrases. One such bass run was used in nearly every song Lester and Bill performed – the infamous G run; commonly referred to by today’s bluegrass guitar pickers as the Lester Flatt G run.

Rattlesnake Tales

It was not uncommon for old-time stringed instrument players to place rattlesnake tails inside the resonating portions of their stringed instruments; the most common being the fiddle. The players claimed it enhanced the sound resonance. Rattlesnakes will shed their skin up to four times a year adding a new rattle section each time. So, if you every got the impression a fiddler player was a little snake-bit; ask him to shake his fiddle to hear if it rattles.

Stanley Bothers First Hit

What was the Stanley Brothers first hit? Interestingly enough it was not a duet sung by both bothers. It was sung by Carter Stanley and Darrell (Pee Wee) Lambert entitled “Little Glass of Wine” that was released in March of 1948. Brother Ralph was on the flip-side with his banjo and vocal rendition of “Little Maggie”.