Bluegrass Music detour

If it's the weekend and you're in the car with us, you're likely listening to bluegrass on the radio.  Because every Saturday and Sunday, we turn our Sirius XM dial to (currently) channel 77, home of the Bluegrass Junction.  

I'll admit, I wasn't a fan of bluegrass music as a kid or even young adult, but I did love country music.   It wasn't quite as "twangy" as the banjo would make bluegrass.  DH was the opposite; he liked bluegrass but country wasn't quite his thing.  As I've grown older and my musical interests have expanded, I've come to appreciate the sounds and talents of bluegrass musicians.  Have you seen their fingers fly?  Their bows soar? 

I was never quite sure about what distinguishes bluegrass music from country, besides the featuring of the banjo.  A quick internet search tells me that a traditional bluegrass band consists of a fiddle, a banjo, a mandolin, an upright bass, and a guitar.  Other instruments might include a dobro, a steel guitar, and a harmonica.  A country music band will often have the addition of drums, electric guitars, keyboards, and even accordions.

While learning about bluegrass music, I came across an article about the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky.  Owensboro is considered the birthplace of bluegrass music and for a time was the home of Bill Monroe.  Monroe is considered the grandfather of Bluegrass Music.  If you aren't familiar with him, check out this YouTube to get your feet tapping.

We hadn't planned to go through Owensboro on our trip, but it's just a 30 minute detour plus time to check out the museum.  The museum is closed on Mondays, but we'll be there on a Tuesday [quick double check of the itinerary to confirm].  DH's brother and sister-in-law used to live in Owensboro, and when we would visit, we would often get BBQ from a local BBQ restaurant.  If they are still open, we'll have to get some to go as we plan to be at their place later than evening!  

When we're not listening to Bluegrass, chances are I've tuned into Radio Margaritaville.  I'm still reeling a bit from Jimmy Buffett passing away earlier this month.  So much of his music has played as a soundtrack to my life, so it's only appropriate to include his ode to the mandolin as part of this blog entry.  Here's Jimmy Buffett's song, Something So Feminine about a Mandolin, from his album Songs You Don't Know by Heart.

What about you?  What gets your feet tapping? What kind of music would you detour for?  What's been the soundtrack of your life?

~ Cindy D.