Country Quizzin’: Bluegrass
April 8, 2009
Well done, everybody! Top 5 scores:
9/9 – Sam G., Paul Dennis
8.5/9 – pselby
8/9 – Russ, BLL
7.5/9 – Jordan Stacey
7/9 – Michael
And Top 5 cumulative scores so far…
17 – Sam G.
16.5 – pselby
15 – Paul Dennis
14.5 – Jordan Stacey, Mike K.
14 – Russ
And there’s still a lot of room for change. Study up for rockabilly week!
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This month’s investigations into various sub-genres and musical relatives of country music continues today with a quiz on important matters in bluegrass.
The usual fare:
1. No cheating.
2. You have until 10 pm EST to answer.
3. Everyone’s comments but yours will be invisible until 10:30, at which time the comments, answers and quiz results will be revealed.
4. If you do not know an answer, you may earn partial credit for whatever you do know or for amusing me with a funny non-answer (and I find almost anything funny, so sky’s the limit).
I hope you’ve studied up!
Now:
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For each prompt, identify the artist in question and any other information requested.
1. Let’s get the big one out of the way. This artist is widely regarded as the father of bluegrass – he’s so important, in fact, that the genre was named after his band, the Blue Grass Boys. Who is he, and what instrument did he mainly play in that band?
Bill Monroe, mandolin
2. Speaking of the Blue Grass Boys, this artist got his start playing rhythm guitar in the group. He’s still going strong today, having just contributed to a well-accepted compilation work addressing wealth, poverty and greed.
Del McCoury (compilation is Moneyland, check it out)
3. When Sam Bush and company first formed this group, they were criticized for their apparent lack 70of reverence for tradition. However, the group would go on to become the premiere outfit in progressive bluegrass and even score a few chart entries, the highest of which later went onto become an even bigger hit as a cover.
New Grass Revival (song is “Callin’ Baton Rouge”)
4. In recent years, these two female mainstream country stars have won massive critical acclaim and tasteful fan love by re-exploring their upbringings in old-time Appalachian music.
I accepted any combination of Dolly Parton, Kathy Mattea and Patty Loveless
5. The legendary artist, who also got his start in the Blue Grass Boys, is the one most commonly associated with the signature three-finger rolling style of banjo in bluegrass, although he would be the fist to admit the inspiration came from others even further before him.
Earl Scruggs
6. This artist got his start as a member of the Clinch Mountain Boys, conceived and played all the mandolin arrangements on Emmylou Harris’ essential Roses in the Snow, and is credited with kick-starting the neo-tradtionalist movement of the 80’s with #1 country hits like “Cryin’ My Heart Out Over You” and “I Don’t Care” before returning to bluegrass alongside his/her awesomely-named band.
Ricky Skaggs
7. This one’s a definite toughie. This solo artist was of the first generation of major bluegrass players, and he composed everyone’s favorite song to cover: “Orange Blossom Special.”
I accepted either alleged author: Chubby Wise or Erwin Rouse
8. This piovtal 70’s album paired a huge ensemble of bluegrass and traditional country legends with a young, hippie-ish country rock outfit, bringing the magic of roots music to a whole new generation. I’ve mentioned it in a quiz before.
Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (I gave full credit if you mentioned either)
9. The O Brother,Where Art Thou sountrack constitutes one of the biggest commercial victories in history for bluegrass / old-time folk music, as it singlehandedly spurred an interest in such music among people who may have never heard it otherwise. Name 5 artists who contributed to this hugely important compilation.
Any combination of Dan Tyminski, Ralph Stanley, The Peasalls, Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, John Hartford, Norman Blake, The Cox Family, The Whites, etc.
Category: Country Quizzin'
Tags: Alison Krauss Emmylou Harris, Bill Monroe, Chubby Wise, Del McCoury, Dolly Parton, Earl Scruggs, Erwin Rouse, Kathy Mattea, New Grass Revival, O Brother Where Art Thou, Patty Loveless, Ralph Stanley, Ricky Skaggs, The Cox Family, The Whites
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1. Bill Monroe (mandolin)
2. Del McCoury
3. New Grass Revival
4. Patty Loveless and Kathy Mattea
5. Earl Scruggs
6. Ricky Skaggs
7.
8. Will the Circle Be Unbroken (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
9. Alison Krauss, Dan Tyminski, Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris, The Stanley Bros
1. Bill Monroe – mandolin
2. Del McCoury
3. New Grass Revival (“Callin’ Baton Rouge”)
4. Dolly Parton, Patty Loveless
5. Earl Scruggs
6. Ricky Skaggs
7. Chubby Wise (he claimed co-authorship with Erwin T. Rouse, but the claim is questionable)
8. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
9. Dan Tyminski (sang “Man of Constant Sorrow”),Ralph Stanley, Peasall Sisters, Harry “Mac” McClintock, John Hartford, The Fairfield Four,The Whites plus a bunch more
1. Bill Monroe, and i think he played the mandolin.
3. NewGrass Revival
4. Patty Loveless and Kathy Mattea
6. Ricky Skaggs
8. Will the Circle be Unbroken?”
9. Allison Krauss, Dan Tymanski, Ralph Stanley, The Soggy Bottom Boys, Gillian Welsh
Don’t know as much about bluegrass as I probably should, but here goes…
1. Bill Monroe
2. Doyle Lawson
3. New Grass Revival
4. Kathy Mattea and Patty Loveless
5. Earl Scruggs
6. Ricky Skaggs
7. Jimmy Martin
8. “Will the Cirle Be Unbroken” Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
9. Ralph Stanley (“O Death”), Allison Krauss, Dan Tyminski
1. Bill Monroe and he played Mandolin
2. Lester Flatt
3. New Grass Revival (the song was Callin’ Baton Rouge I believe)
4. Patty Loveless and Kathy Mattea
5. Earl Scruggs
6. The Awesome Ricky Scaggs
7. Not sure on this one though my Grandfather plays it all the time…I think the guy’s name started with E…something Like Erwin or something.
8. Will The Circle Be Unbroken by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
9 . Patty Griffin, Ralph Stanley, Alison Krauss, John Hartford, Dan Tyminski
1. Bill Monroe, mandolin
2. Del McCoury
3. New Grass Revival
4. Patty Loveless and Dolly Parton
5. Earl Scruggs
6. Ricky Skaggs
7. Chubby Wise?
8. Will The Circle Be Unbroken, by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
9. Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss, The Whites, John Hartford, Chris Thomas King
[...] Country Universe’s Dan Milliken chose bluegrass for the second quiz in the series of country m… [...]
Pretty basic…
1. Bill Monroe, mandolin
2. Del
3. New Grass Revival, subsequently renamed Newgrass Revival
4. Take your pick: Dolly Parton, Patty Loveless, Kathy Mattea; Lynn Anderson, Jeannie Kendall and Jeannie Seely also more-or-less fit the description.
5. Earl
6. Ricky
7. Well…the answer you’re looking for is Chubby Wise, but there’s considerable reason to believe that Ervin T. Rouse actually wrote the “Orange Blossom Special.”
8. Will The Circle Be Unbroken
9. Off the top of my head…Alison, Hartford, Norman Blake, Harley Allen, Pat Enright, Ron Block, Chris Sharp, Mike Compton, Barry Bales, Dan Tyminski, a bunch of prisoners, the Stanley Brothers, the Peasall Sisters, Emmylou, Gillian, The Whites, the actor dude who sang “In The Jailhouse Now,” Chris and Colin the blues guys…
1. Earl Scruggs
2. Del McCoury
3. New Grass Revival
4. Dolly Parton, Patty Loveless
5. Ralph Stanley
6. Ricky Skaggs
7.
8. Will the Circle Be Unbroken (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
9. Alison Krauss, Dan Tyminski/Soggy Bottom Boys, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, Ralph Stanley
Thanks Dan! :)
This was fairly easy for me.
1. Bill Monroe, mandolin
2 Del McCoury
3 New Grass Revival- the cover was Garth Brooks’ version of ‘Callin’ Baton Rouge’
4 Alison Krause & Rhonda Vincent
5 Earl Scruggs
6 Ricky Skaggs
7 Ervin Rouse ( I did look at a lp)
8 Will the Circle Be Unbroken- NGDB
9 Alison Krause, Ralph Stanley,Gillian Welch,The Whites, John Hartford
Actually having re-read the questions, I think 4 above may be wrong- maybe its Patty Loveless and Kathy Matea?
1. Bill Monroe
2.
3. New Grass Revival
4. Patty Loveless; Dolly Parton
5. ?
6. Ricky Skaggs
7. ?
8. Will The Circle Be Unbroken
9. Alison Krauss, Dan Tyminski, Gillian Welch
1. Bill Monroe…mandolin
2.
3. New Grass Revival
4. Dolly Parton and Patty Loveless?? (total guess here)
5. Earl Scruggs
6. Ricky Scaggs
7.
8.
9. Ralph Stanley, Alison Krauss, Gilian Welch, The Whites, Emmylou Harris
1. Bill Monroe, mandolin
2. John Rich
3. New Grass Revival
4. Alison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent
5. Earl Scruggs
6. Ricky Skaggs
7. Ervin Rouse
8. Old and in the Way
9. Alison Krauss, Ralph Stanley, Dan Tyminski, Gillian Welch, Norman Blake
1. Bill Monroe / mandolin
2.
3. Pure Prairie League?
4. Patty Loveless and Kathy Mattea? (this question was a bit confusing b/c it seems like it meant that they were a duo or something, unless I’m wrong)
5. Hmm… I bet I’m wrong… Earl Scruggs?
6. Ricky Skaggs?
7.
8. Sadly, I can’t recall…
9. Gillian Welch, Ralph Stanley, Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris?, and The Soggy Bottom Boys (Dan Tyminski)
1. Bill Monroe; mandolin
2. Del McCoury
3. New Grass Revival (“Calling Baton Rouge” covered by Garth)
4. Patty Loveless; Dolly Parton
5. Earl Scruggs
6. Ricky Skaggs
7. Uh….Uncle Dave Macon? Cousin Jody? Fatty Arbuckle? Steve Martin? A collaboration between Toby Keith, Pete Cooper, Ethan Hawke, and Kris Kristofferson? I DON’T KNOW!
8. Will The Circle Be Unbroken – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band et al
9. Allison Krauss; Dan Tyminski; Cox Family; The Whites; Ralph Stanley; Emmylou Harris (one extra in case Dan Tyminski and Allison Krauss don’t count separately)