To add to the excitement of Raleigh’s first International Bluegrass Music Association annual World of Bluegrass convention in September, the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh will feature an exhibit case in the lobby, an outdoor celebration with live bluegrass, seven programs, and an open jam session to get everyone in the spirit. The museum will be as busy as fingers flying on a banjo!
From Friday, Aug. 30, through Sunday, Oct. 27, the exhibit case “Turn the Radio On”: Carolina Bluegrass will show that bluegrass music has its roots in the Carolinas as much as anywhere else. “Turn the Radio On” highlights the early years of bluegrass in North Carolina during the golden age of radio in the 1930s and 1940s. In addition, learn about Tar Heel musicians and see instruments that include George Shuffler’s 1941 Gibson J-45 guitar and Jim Shumate’s fiddle. “North Carolina’s traditional string bands and musicians in the 1930s helped establish and refine bluegrass music as it is known today,” says Exhibit Curator Katie Edwards. “As radios became more affordable and popular in the mid-1930s, the state’s bluegrass sound spread to outside audiences and created its place in history.”
Among the North Carolinians highlighted in the exhibit case are:
● Earl Scruggs, one of the most influential banjo players of all time who is famous for popularizing the three-finger style of banjo picking;
● George Shuffler, who developed his own style called cross-picking, which helped transform the guitar to a lead instrument in the bluegrass genre; and
● Jim Shumate, who played the fiddle with the Blue Ridge Boys, the Blue Grass Boys, and the Foggy Mountain Boys and spent several years on the Grand Ole Opry.
Bluegrass music is often associated with Kentucky’s Bill Monroe, who is considered the father of the genre. While Monroe popularized bluegrass during the 1940s, Tar Heel musicians helped to create and define it. In the 1930s Bill Monroe and Charlie Monroe, known as the Monroe Brothers, performed the “country” style throughout the South. When Bill, a mandolin player, added the banjo-playing talent of Scruggs in 1945, the bluegrass sound was born. Bluegrass was ready to go mainstream just as North Carolina radio stations began broadcasting across the state. In “Turn the Radio On,” songbooks, posters and advertised products help tell the story of bluegrass radio programs such as “Dixie Jamboree,” “Carolina Hayride” and “Crazy Barn Dance.” Bluegrass programs drew more fans in 1933, when WBT in Charlotte became a 50,000-watt Clear-Channel station that broadcast from “Maine to Miami” on a clear night.
Come see “Turn the Radio On,” and plan to attend the museum’s outdoor celebration, programs and open jam session. Join the excitement as Raleigh opens its doors to the World of Bluegrass convention.
Sept. 14 3-6 p.m. Bluegrass in the Garden Saturday. Enjoy live bluegrass, featuring Blue52 and the Phillips Family Band, during this outdoor celebration along Bicentennial Plaza, located in front of the N.C. Museum of History. These programs will take place throughout the week of the World of Bluegrass convention, which occurs Sept. 24 through 28.
Sept. 24 1-3 p.m. North Carolina Is the Banjo State. The program is presented by Bob Carlin.
Tuesday, Sept. 24 5-7 p.m. Bluegrass in North Carolina. The program is presented by Tommy Edwards. Bluegrass Music: How North Carolinians Have Contributed
Wednesday Sept. 25 1-3 p.m. The program is presented by Art Menius. The Earl Scruggs Center: Music and Stories From the American South
Wednesday Sept. 25 5-7 p.m. The Story of Bluegrass and Raleigh’s Contribution
Thursday, Sept. 26 1-3 p.m. The program is presented by Ron Raxter. Open Bluegrass Jam Session
Thursday, Sept. 26 5-7:30 p.m. *Topic TBD*
Friday, Sept. 27 1-3 p.m. The program is presented by Wayne Martin. Gibson, Scruggs and the Three-Finger Style
Friday, Sept. 27 5-7 p.m. The program is presented by Jim Mills, a leading authority on early bluegrass banjos.
For more information about the Museum of History, call 919-807-7900 or access ncmuseumofhistory.org or Facebook.