Soundcheck

Country Music Originals: The Legends and the Lost

When Country Wasn't Cool

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Long before Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson, a cadre of small-town preachers, hell-raisers, cowboys and blind men were among the first to record what we now know as country music. Today: a look at the evolution of the genre and its unsung heroes. Plus: Grammy nominated banjoist Tony Trischka brings bluegrass to our studio.

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A Bluegrass Original

Tony Trischka says he didn’t choose to play the banjo -- it chose him. But during his 40-year career, he’s inspired a generation of bluegrass musicians to pick up the instrument. On his Grammy nominated CD Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular, he collaborates with banjoists ranging from Bela Fleck to comedian Steve Martin.

Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular on Amazon.com

Country Music Pioneers

The hard-luck, God-fearing country music of the 1920s and ‘30s is the ancestor of today’s polished Nashville sound. The new book Country Music Originals: The Legends and the Lost charts the genre’s family tree, from big names like Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family to lesser-known musicians (whose stories the book tells for the first time). We talk with author and historian Tony Russell.