Slack and Blue: An Appreciation of Bluegrass

I have a question: Are the people in bluegrass the kindest and most talented
musicians out there? And I will answer it: Yes.

I lost my cousin last November after his long and heroic struggle with cancer. In addition to giving the eulogy, which was one of the greatest honors of my life, I was asked to help find music for the post-service reception. My cousin loved bluegrass and I had to locate musicians quickly. I worked a couple of contacts from my network of songwriter friends. I was not prepared for how completely overwhelmed I would be by the humanity exhibited by the members of the bluegrass community. The fact that I was a perfect stranger with a last-minute request made their actions even more remarkable.

In response to my request, usually delivered by a friend of a friend, musicians from all over the country sent me contacts, made contact with other musicians on my behalf, sent me suggested songs, often with commentary and background notes on the various selections. In almost every case, the people who were doing this were people who play music as an avocation, a cherished sideline that has to be juggled in with the endless responsibilities of a day job and daily life.

Through that network of connections, I came across a supurb Richmond ensemble called The Slack Family. The reception took place in the restaurant where we last gathered to celebrate my cousin's birthday and what we believed was his recovery from cancer in June. Without that beautiful, ancient American music to purify and lift the atmosphere, it would have been impossible to walk in there. But as it was, people were invigorated as they entered that hall to greet friends and family members while the music that my cousin loved so much played in the background.

As someone who knows little about this kind of music, I was astonished by how technically demanding the bluegrass form is. Why don't people talk about bluegrass musicians in the same awe-struck terms used to describe, say, classical pianists, or violin virtuosi? Is it some regional prejudice that says mountain music is "simple"? Is it the archaic language of many of the lyrics? The accents? The hats? The legacy of the awful opening minutes in the film deliverance? Who knows.

As I say, I know almost nothing about this kind of music, but I have gone to the symphony all my life and the opera for most of my adult life. The bluegrass musicians whose work I sampled as I worked on those arrangements could easily occupy the same stages as any those musicians in terms of knowledge and craft. And it hardly needs to be said that in terms of kindness and humility, they far exceed many of their peers in other musical styles.