The music we typically think of as bluegrass can be traced back to the 1600s, as immigrants from Ireland, Scotland, and England brought a particular style of music to the United States. As the settlers spread out across the countryside, they started writing songs about their daily lives, and these songs (which more often than not reflected life on the farm or in the hills) eventually were called country, hillbilly, or mountain music. As the music developed, it blended elements from gospel and blues music prominent among those in the Mississippi Delta region originating from Africa.

Most people today trace what we know today as bluegrass music first truly taking the stages of the United States on one of two dates. The first date was in 1939 when Bill Monroe and his band first appeared on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. Monroe was inspired by the musical stylings of his mother, his uncle, and Arnold Schultz, the son of a former slave who developed a particular style of guitar picking. After the band appeared on the stage, they became one of the most popular touring acts to emerge from WSM Studios in Nashville.

The second date of origin, and the more widely accepted one, was in December of 1945 when Earl Scruggs joined Monroe’s band. Scruggs played a particular three-fingered style on the banjo, and after joining the band, he played with them at the Ryman Auditorium, where there is even a historical marker from the Tennessee Historical Commission designating the place and date as the “birth of bluegrass.” Scruggs would eventually create his own band with fellow guitarist Lester Flatt, and that band was influential in introducing bluegrass to a wider audience across the United States through their performances.

In the 1960s, the concept of the bluegrass festival was first introduced, with the first weekend-long festival held in Fincastle, Virginia, in 1965. With the increased availability of traditional music recordings and bluegrass festivals across the country, bluegrass became more popular than ever, and its influence has now spread across the entire world.

Special thanks to the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation for providing the information for this article.

Here are the listings of live music! Check it out and support your local musicians.

Canyon Tavern

Friday, November 18 at 5 p.m. - Karaoke with PJ the DJ

Saturday, November 19 at 5 p.m. - Rick Lobato

Friday, November 25 at 5 p.m. - Mark Kuban

Saturday, November 26 at 5 p.m. - Greg Green

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Coalcreekcanyontavern

Location: 32138 Highway 72,

Coal Creek Canyon.

Phone: 303-642-3180

Caribou Room

Friday, November 18 at 8 p.m. - Vince Herman Band

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecaribouroom/

Website: https://www.thecaribouroom.com/

Location: 55 Indian Peaks Drive, Nederland.

Phone: 303-258-3637

Covered Wagon

Every Thursday at 7 p.m. - Karaoke

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coveredwagonrestaurantsaloon/

Website: https://www.coveredwagonrestaurant.com/

Location: 15 East 1st Street, Nederland.

Phone: 303-258-7578

Gold Hill Inn

Friday, November 18 at 8:30 p.m. - Jake Leg

Saturday, November 19 at 7 p.m. - Cup-a-jo

Friday, November 25 at 8 p.m. - Jeremy Mohney Band

Sunday, November 27 at 7 p.m. - Kate Farmer and Friends

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoldHillInn/

Website: goldhillinn.com

Email: cfinn@goldhillinn.com; bfinn@goldhillinn.com

Location: 401 Main Street, Gold Hill.

Phone: 303-443-6461

Howlin Wind Brewing

Saturday, November 19 at 5 p.m. - Fast Floyd

Saturday, November 26 at 4 p.m. - Copper Children

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/howlinwindbrewing

Website: https://www.howlinwindbrewing.com/

Location: 51 A Main Street, Rollinsville.

Phone: 309-825-5245

Jamestown Mercantile

Thursday, November 17 at 7 p.m. - SummerHawk

Friday, November 18 at 7 p.m. - Sturtz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamestown.mercantile/

Website: https://www.jamestownmercantile.com/

Location: 108 Main Street, Jamestown.

Phone: 303-442-5847

Knotted Root Brewing

Every Sunday at 4 p.m. - Jazz Sundays with Black Dog

Website: https://www.knottedrootbrewing.com/home

Location: 250 N. Caribou Street, Nederland.

Phone: 720-248-7129

Millsite Inn

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/millsiteinn.moyer

Website: https://millsiteinn.wixsite.com/millsiteinn

Email: millsiteinn@gmail.com

Location: 44365 Highway 72, Ward

Phone: 720-547-9438

Ned’s Cafe

Every Thursday at 10 p.m. - Dam Jam Every Sunday at 7 p.m. - Karaoke

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eatatneds/

Website: https://www.eatatneds.com/

Location: 121 N. Jefferson Street, Nederland.

Phone: 303-258-0614

Very Nice Brewing Company

Friday, November 18 at 6 p.m. - A Human Named David

Saturday, November 19 at 5 p.m. - Bruce Lish and Ryan Benthall

Sunday, November 27 at 5 p.m. - Grant Livingston

Did we miss you?

Want to submit your music listing in the Peak to Peak area? Do you have updates to your business? Please call 303-810- 5409 or email info@themountainear.com to be included in the next edition.