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Audio transcripts for Alda SmithA type of country music ensemble that includes fiddle, banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin, and upright bass. Emerged in the early 1900s and was an important precursor to bluegrass. During the late 1800s, the Carolina Piedmont provided fertile ground for the cultivation of a string band tradition that combined Scots-Irish fiddle and balladry with African instruments like banjo and European guitar and mandolin. String band music was social music, played at dances, contests, and other community occasions. String band musicians were storytellers, performing songs of tragedy and revenge, love and friendship. Much of this music, whether blues or string band, has deep roots in both sacred and secular themes, creating dynamic music with emotional and personal meaning.
Today it is played primarily in circles where old-time country music remains popular, such as family picnics, square dances, fiddle conventions, and jam sessions. Rooted in British ballads and folk songs originally played on the fiddle in Britain. Country music has been aggressively marketed since the 1920s, developing numerous traditions within genre – honky tonk, western swing, and early rock and roll.
Content is provided by McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina.
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Audio transcripts for Alda SmithPhoto
The South Carolina Piedmont has often been referred to as “The textile center of the world.” Alda Smith’s musical heritage is woven from the influences that migrated throughout the Piedmont during...Audio
Riddle learned this tune from legendary Texas fiddler Eck Robertson. From the recording "Vernon & Ruth Riddle with John Fowler: Pickin' Partners String Band." 1999.Photo
Ashley Carder grew up in a home surrounded by music. His mother Shirley is a talented country singer and guitar player who performed often on regional radio in the 1960s and -70s. Carder’s extended...Audio
Charles CreswellAudio
Mill bands were the brass bands of the day and were later replaced by high school bandsAudio
Charles CreswellAudio
Buffalo. PRODUCED BY Hairy Toe Productions. 2005. Front cover artwork by Drew Deane. Recorded and mixed by John Fowler. Charles Summer - Fiddle & Vocal, Briggs Hamilton - Guitar, Nancy Hamilton - Bass...Audio
Waldrop talks about how brass bands came to play for square dances. Bands usually consisted of a fiddler, saxophone, trumpet, and trombones.Document
PRODUCED BY Hairy Toe Productions. 2005. Front cover artwork by Drew Deane. Recorded and mixed by John Fowler. Charles Summer - Fiddle & Vocal, Briggs Hamilton - Guitar, Nancy Hamilton - Bass, John...