Sounds Like Home: Bluegrass Music and Appalachian Migration in American Cities, 1945-1980

246 Pages·2016·1.26 MB·English

Sounds
 Like
 Home:

 Bluegrass
 Music
 and
 Appalachian
 Migration
 in
 American

Cities,
 1945-­‐1980

A
 Dissertation
 submitted
 to
 the

Graduate
 School
 of
 the
 University
 of
 Cincinnati

in
 partial
 fulfillment
 of
 the
 requirements
 of
 the
 degree
 of

Doctor
 of
 Philosophy

in
 the
 Department
 of
 History

of
 the
 College
 of
 Arts
 and
 Sciences

By

Nathan
 McGee

M.A.,
 University
 of
 Cincinnati,
 2011

B.A.,
 Eastern
 Kentucky
 University,
 2006

Committee
 Chair:

 David
 Stradling

  i
Abstract

Sounds
 Like
 Home:

 Bluegrass
 Music
 and
 Appalachian
 Migration
 in

American
 Cities,
 1945-­1980

By
 Nathan
 McGee

Bluegrass
 music
 has
 long
 had
 strong
 associations
 with
 rural
 America
 and
 the

Appalachian
 mountains
 in
 particular.

 The
 music
 itself,
 while
 often
 based
 on
 an

idealized
 vision
 of
 rural
 America,
 developed
 in
 the
 urban
 milieu
 of
 the
 post
 World

War
 II
 era.

 White
 Appalachians
 joined
 millions
 of
 other
 southerners
 in
 flooding

north
 into
 urban
 cities
 in
 the
 20th
 century.

 They
 brought
 with
 them
 some
 general

cultural
 traits
 that
 often
 became
 exacerbated
 in
 the
 urban
 communities
 they
 joined.

In
 short,
 as
 mountain
 migrants
 came
 north
 they
 often
 became
 more
 “southern”
 and

more
 “Appalachian”
 as
 these
 character
 traits
 became
 identified
 by
 various
 urban

groups.

 When
 migrants
 settled
 in
 cities,
 musical
 communities
 emerged
 that

provided
 a
 sort
 of
 uplift
 for
 migrants
 and
 became
 a
 cultural
 marker
 for
 Appalachian-­‐
ness
 in
 many
 instances.

  This
 process
 did
 not
 develop
 in
 a
 vacuum,
 but
 rather
 the
 identification
 of
 the

music
 with
 Appalachia
 became
 often
 a
 conscious
 choice
 by
 musicians,
 fans,

reformers,
 and
 general
 residents
 in
 the
 urban
 communities.

 Cities
 like
 Cincinnati

and
 Dayton,
 Ohio,
 Baltimore,
 Maryland,
 and
 Washington
 D.C.
 all
 struggled
 to
 come
 to

grips
 with
 what
 it
 mean
 to
 have
 these
 new
 mountain
 folk
 living
 in
 their
 midst.

 The

first
 exposure
 to
 Appalachian
 identity
 for
 many
 urban
 residents
 occurred
 through

the
 musical
 sounds
 associated
 with
 the
 mountains.

 In
 the
 midst
 of
 backlash
 against

Appalachian
 culture,
 migrant
 communities
 continued
 to
 develop
 their
 own
 culture

  ii
and
 lifestyles
 in
 the
 cities.

 Cities
 became
 bluegrass
 laboratories
 where
 migrants
 and

musical
 enthusiasts
 from
 around
 the
 country
 met
 and
 mingled
 in
 new
 settings.

 As

the
 music
 grew
 in
 popularity,
 fans
 and
 musicians
 alike
 both
 consciously
 and

unconsciously
 pushed
 the
 music
 back
 into
 the
 mountains
 and
 developed
 it
 as
 an

Appalachian
 sound.

  This
 dissertation
 examines
 how
 this
 process
 occurred
 in
 these
 cities.

 The

intermingling
 of
 urban
 reform
 work,
 musical
 performance,
 migration,
 and
 an

interest
 in
 the
 broad
 “folk”
 led
 by
 a
 younger
 generation
 all
 helped
 develop
 the

popularity
 of
 the
 music.

 The
 renewed
 interest
 in
 the
 mountain
 “folk”
 generally
 and

the
 idea
 of
 Appalachia
 specifically
 developed
 within
 the
 broader
 folk
 revival
 of
 the

1960s.

 These
 developments
 provided
 a
 mechanism
 for
 a
 new
 generation
 of

musicians
 and
 revivalists
 to
 tie
 themselves
 to
 a
 sometimes-­‐fictive
 past.

 This
 work

shows
 how
 bluegrass
 music
 operated
 at
 the
 center
 of
 these
 developments
 and

became
 a
 predominately
 urban
 genre
 of
 music
 despite
 the
 rural
 associations.

 My

work
 follows
 in
 the
 tradition
 of
 examinations
 of
 Appalachian
 history,
 in
 particular

the
 relationship
 between
 the
 idea
 and
 the
 reality
 of
 the
 “peculiar”
 American
 region.

  iii
iv
Acknowledgements

Crafting
 a
 dissertation
 can
 be
 a
 daunting
 and
 occasionally
 lonely
 process.

 I

have
 been
 fortunate
 for
 support
 and
 assistance
 from
 various
 people
 in
 all
 my
 walks

of
 life
 on
 the
 journey
 to
 crafting
 this
 work.

 This
 dissertation
 would
 not
 have
 been

possible
 without
 the
 continued
 verbal,
 spiritual
 and
 financial
 aid
 from
 family,

friends,
 colleagues,
 archivists
 and
 librarians,
 professors,
 and
 mentors.

 I
 am
 lucky
 to

have
 such
 wide-­‐ranging
 support
 from
 so
 many
 people
 and
 institutions
 along
 the

way
 and
 this
 work
 is
 a
 testament
 to
 their
 involvement
 to
 this
 whole
 process.

  David
 Stradling
 has
 been
 essential
 to
 the
 writing
 and
 editing
 process.

 I
 am

blessed
 to
 have
 a
 fantastic
 historian,
 ideal
 mentor,
 and
 good
 friend
 to
 help
 guide
 this

work
 from
 its
 infancy.

 His
 advice
 and
 commentary
 provided
 the
 push
 the
 work

needed
 as
 it
 developed
 and
 always
 lent
 a
 helping
 word
 of
 advice
 when
 I
 felt
 stuck.

An
 act
 of
 serendipity
 placed
 me
 on
 a
 panel
 with
 Curtis
 Ellison
 at
 an
 Appalachian

Studies
 Conference
 in
 Johnson
 City,
 Tennessee
 when
 the
 idea
 for
 this
 dissertation

was
 first
 coming
 to
 fruition.

 Dr.
 Ellison
 provided
 helpful
 feedback
 from
 that

moment
 forward
 and
 has
 been
 a
 strong
 advocate
 for
 this
 work
 ever
 since.

 His

insights
 have
 helped
 me
 think
 about
 the
 subject
 of
 this
 dissertation
 in
 new
 ways.

Thanks
 are
 also
 due
 to
 Tracy
 Teslow
 and
 Wayne
 Durrill
 for
 serving
 on
 this

committee,
 pushing
 the
 claims
 the
 work
 makes,
 and
 for
 all
 the
 insights
 you
 provided

during
 my
 time
 at
 UC.

  Outside
 of
 the
 committee,
 a
 number
 of
 scholars
 at
 both
 Eastern
 Kentucky

University
 and
 the
 University
 of
 Cincinnati
 helped
 provide
 some
 of
 the
 spiritual
 and

intellectual
 foundation
 for
 this
 work.

 As
 an
 undergraduate
 at
 EKU,
 Tom
 Appleton

  v
first
 taught
 me
 the
 value
 in
 studying
 Kentucky
 history
 in
 particular
 and
 the
 rich
 past

the
 bluegrass
 state
 has
 to
 offer.

 The
 faculty
 of
 the
 History
 Department
 and
 the

Honors
 Program
 there
 also
 molded
 my
 young
 mind
 and
 pushed
 the
 boundaries
 of

what
 I
 knew
 I
 was
 capable
 of.

 Willard
 Sutherland
 taught
 my
 first
 graduate
 school

class
 at
 UC
 and
 his
 influence
 on
 my
 thinking
 about
 history
 has
 come
 to
 bear
 in
 all
 my

work.

 What
 became
 this
 project
 was
 born
 in
 the
 wonderful
 graduate
 research

seminars
 at
 UC
 and
 the
 guidance
 of
 Maura
 O’Connor,
 Sigrun
 Haude,
 and
 Steve
 Porter

all
 helped
 craft
 my
 work
 in
 exciting
 and
 useful
 ways.

 I
 would
 like
 to
 also
 recognize

John
 Alexander,
 Mark
 Lause,
 Chris
 Phillips,
 Tom
 Lorman,
 Wendy
 Kline,
 Fritz
 Casey-­‐
Leininger,
 and
 the
 influence
 their
 various
 teaching
 and
 writing
 styles
 had
 on
 my

own
 thoughts
 and
 work.

 The
 late
 Zane
 Miller
 provided
 encouraging
 words
 at
 a
 time

when
 I
 reached
 an
 academic
 crossroads
 and
 helped
 push
 my
 work
 forward
 as
 well.

Isaac
 Campos
 deserves
 recognition
 for
 his
 words
 of
 encouragement
 as
 I
 first
 set
 off

to
 write
 in
 earnest.

 I’m
 happy
 to
 say
 that
 starting
 at
 the
 beginning
 helped
 me
 reach

the
 end.

 I
 also
 need
 to
 thank
 Hope
 Earls
 for
 all
 that
 she
 did
 to
 aid
 my
 graduate

school
 career.

  Various
 outside
 groups
 and
 fellowships
 provided
 financial
 assistance,

without
 which
 my
 work
 would
 not
 have
 been
 possible.

 The
 Southern
 Appalachian

Archives
 at
 Berea
 College
 offered
 me
 a
 one-­‐month
 residency
 to
 perform
 a
 deep
 dive

into
 their
 rich
 and
 wonderful
 collection
 and
 helped
 cultivate
 my
 academic
 interests.

Shannon
 Wilson
 and
 Harry
 Rice
 provided
 great
 assistance
 to
 a
 young
 scholar
 who

was
 occasionally
 lost
 in
 the
 weeds
 of
 their
 collection.

 The
 archivists
 around
 the

country
 do
 much
 of
 the
 “dirty
 work”
 for
 others
 and
 without
 their
 behind
 the
 scenes

  vi
contributions
 are
 invaluable.

 The
 staff
 at
 the
 Enoch
 Pratt
 Free
 Public
 Library,
 the

Langsdale
 Library
 at
 the
 University
 of
 Baltimore
 and
 Kevin
 Grace
 and
 Suzanne

Maggard
 at
 the
 Blegen
 Library
 at
 UC
 provided
 important
 assistance.

 The
 staff
 at
 the

Frist
 Library
 and
 Archive
 at
 the
 Country
 Music
 Hall
 of
 Fame
 helps
 keep
 this
 kind
 of

research
 feasible
 and
 encourages
 new
 directions.

 A
 special
 thanks
 to
 John
 Rumble

for
 helping
 guide
 me
 through
 the
 collection
 and
 for
 encouraging
 me
 to
 do
 oral

history.

 Additional
 thanks
 are
 due
 to
 Michael
 Maloney
 and
 the
 members
 of
 the

Urban
 Appalachian
 Council
 and
 Cincinnati
 Human
 Relations
 Commission
 for
 their

trust
 in
 me
 to
 help
 organize
 much
 of
 their
 holdings.
 I
 received
 additional
 funding

along
 the
 way
 to
 help
 with
 my
 own
 research.

 Thanks
 to
 the
 Department
 of
 History

and
 Zane
 Miller
 and
 Roger
 Daniels
 for
 supporting
 graduate
 work.

 Thanks
 to
 the

Graduate
 Student
 Governance
 Association
 for
 continuing
 to
 fight
 for
 money
 for

graduate
 research
 at
 UC
 and
 providing
 various
 forms
 of
 assistance
 along
 the
 way.

  Graduate
 school
 maintained
 its
 collegiate
 feel
 thanks
 to
 the
 attitudes
 and

conversations
 of
 the
 group
 of
 individuals
 I
 am
 happy
 to
 call
 colleagues
 and
 friends.

The
 academic
 and
 social
 relationships
 I
 made
 with
 a
 number
 of
 people
 at
 UC
 made

my
 time
 there
 both
 memorable
 and
 enjoyable.

 Thanks
 to
 Matt
 Stanley,
 Jessica

Biddlestone,
 Charlie
 Lester,
 and
 Zach
 Garrison
 for
 taking
 a
 young
 graduate
 student

under
 your
 guiding
 wings.

 Thanks
 to
 Alyssa
 McClanahan,
 Vanessa
 de
 los
 Reyes,
 Bela

Kashyap,
 Angela
 Stiefbold,
 and
 Anne
 Steinert
 for
 your
 critical
 contributions
 to
 my

work
 and
 your
 friendship.

 My
 friendships
 outside
 of
 the
 world
 of
 academia
 helped

keep
 my
 work
 grounded.

 A
 special
 thanks
 my
 best
 friends
 since
 elementary
 school,

  vii
Andrew
 and
 Charlie,
 who
 have
 always
 encouraged
 my
 passions
 and
 provided
 the

good-­‐natured
 ribbing
 an
 academic
 often
 needs.

  The
 vibrant
 bluegrass
 music
 communities
 in
 the
 cities
 in
 which
 I
 worked
 and

researched
 also
 deserve
 recognition.

 Individuals
 invited
 me
 into
 their
 homes,
 their

places
 of
 work,
 and
 happily
 conversed
 with
 a
 stranger
 about
 their
 time
 in
 the
 music

industry
 and
 their
 lives
 generally.

 The
 continued
 passion
 for
 the
 playing
 of
 the

music,
 and
 their
 willingness
 to
 talk
 about
 it,
 was
 invaluable.

  My
 family
 has
 also
 helped
 make
 this
 journey
 a
 useful
 and
 fruitful
 venture.

 My

parents,
 John
 and
 Anita
 McGee,
 forced
 the
 sound
 of
 the
 banjo
 upon
 me
 as
 a
 boy
 and

encouraged
 bluegrass
 music
 to
 replicate
 in
 my
 DNA.

 I
 am
 blessed
 to
 have
 grown
 up

in
 a
 household
 filled
 with
 love
 and
 music
 and
 conversation
 that
 indulged
 my
 critical

thinking
 alongside
 my
 passion
 for
 folk
 music
 and
 history.

 My
 dad,
 in
 particular,

helped
 foster
 a
 love
 of
 bluegrass
 music
 at
 a
 time
 in
 my
 life
 when
 I
 was
 receptive
 to
 it

and
 encouraged
 me
 to
 pick
 up
 a
 guitar
 alongside
 my
 history
 books
 at
 a
 young
 age.

This
 certainly
 helped
 me
 find
 a
 path
 to
 mixing
 these
 two
 great
 interests.

 My

siblings,
 Ian,
 Robin,
 and
 Cassie
 have
 encouraged
 me
 along
 every
 step
 of
 my

academic
 journey
 as
 well.

  Most
 importantly,
 I
 must
 thank
 my
 wife,
 Samantha.

 She
 met
 me
 at
 a
 time

when
 I
 first
 had
 a
 notion
 of
 going
 to
 graduate
 school
 to
 pursue
 an
 advanced
 degree.

She
 has
 been
 a
 rock
 upon
 which
 this
 dissertation
 has
 been
 built
 ever
 since.

 Her

belief
 in
 me
 and
 my
 work
 never
 wavered,
 even
 at
 times
 when
 I
 occasionally
 doubted

myself.

 Without
 your
 love,
 support,
 encouragement,
 and
 help
 none
 of
 this
 would

have
 been
 possible.

 I
 am
 forever
 grateful
 for
 that
 undying
 confidence.

  viii
Table
 of
 Contents

Abstract

 ii

Acknowledgements

 v

Introduction

 1

Chapter
 One

  Bluegrass
 Roots:

 Radio
 and
 the
 Presentation
 of

  15

Early
 Country
 and
 Hillbilly
 Music

Chapter
 Two

  ‘Worse
 Than
 Being
 Hungry:’
 The
 Hillbilly
 Stereotype

  48

and
 Migrant
 Communities

Chapter
 Three
  Playing
 It
 By
 Ear:

 The
 Growth
 of
 Urban

  92

Bluegrass
 in
 the
 1950s

Chapter
 Four

  Homespun
 and
 Old-­‐Fashioned’
 Bluegrass:

  129

Constructing
 Urban
 Authenticity

Chapter
 Five

  “Our
 History
 is
 Music”:

 Appalachian
 Advocacy

  184

and
 Bluegrass
 Identity

Conclusion

  What’s
 New
 is
 Old
 Again

  223

Bibliography

  228

  ix