Southern Music
Exhibit: Sounds of the South
Referenced Sounds
The Andy Griffith Show aired in the 1960s and focused on life in the small town of Mayberry, North Carolina. Mayberry was based on the North Carolina town of Mount Airy. The show focuses on the life of Mayberry’s sheriff, Andy Griffith, and his deputy, Barney Fife. The show is quintessentially southern and allowed America to hear the true southern accents and see the idea of “southern hospitality” on television.
The show’s theme song, “The Fishin’ Hole,” was written by Earle Hagen and Herbert Spencer. The song is well-recognized because of its signature “whistling,” which was also done by Hagan. The sonic experience projected by the song’s tune portrays the lightheartedness and familial significance that were deeply embedded in the episodes.
Boogie Woogie was born in Harrison County, Texas, sometime in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is a distinctive blend of blues riffs, jazz rythms, and the sound of the trains which ran through Harrison County.
Originally, Boogie Woogie was much closer to blues than it was to jazz, focusing on simplistic riffs and relatively simple melodies. Eventually, however, it began to shift to more jazzy improvisation. This piece, a selection from Omar Shariff’s Homecoming concert, highlights both the blues riffs and improvisation that characterize the genre.
A somewhat unsuspected sound of the South, this rugby chant can regularly be heard echoing around the home of British rugby, Twickenham Stadium. The chant itself is the repeated refrain of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, a negro spiritual written by Chocotaw freedman Wallace Willis and first recorded by the Fisk Jubilee Singers back in 1909. It is as sound which has been heard at the majority of England based international rugby matches since 1988 when a group of Benedictine schoolboys started singing the song at an international match against Australia. Various charted releases of the chant were released in the UK during the nineties, and to this day this sound of the South is the defining sound of British rugby.
This ballad was performed by Dellie Chandler Norton, an Appalachian ballad singer. She was essential to passing the English ballads to the next generation. Dellie lived in Madison County, North Carolina, deep in the Appalachian Mountains by the Tennessee border. Dellie’s location in the mountains is exactly the type of place discussed in Benjamin Filene's book, Romancing the Folk, a rural area where these ballads had been maintained and preserved among the generations of Appalachian people. For more information about Dellie Chandler Norton, visit http://www.visitmadisoncounty.com/who-we-are/traditional-music-heritage/the-wallins/dellie-chandler-norton-lloyd-chandler/ This song, “Early, Early in the Spring” was recorded by the Lomaxes in 1982, when Dellie was approximately 84 years old. Today, Dellie’s gift of ballad singing lives on in her granddaughter Denise Norton O’Sullivan and Debbie Chandler.
The following recording comes from the CD "Negro Prison Blues and Songs" by Alan Lomax. It is an excerpt of a work song sung by African American inmates in the Mississippi Penitentiary system during the 1930’s. This improvisational style was an important feature of 17th to 19th century African-American music. Orginally sung by Southern slaves, work songs were used to express faith, hopes, and sorrows, while raising worker morale and providing a sense of unity in the midst of monotonous daily labor. In this particular recording, the sounds of the axe landing on the log is incoporated into the song itself to create a unique, distinguished rhythm. Although no longer as prevalent, this genre of music left its mark on the South by influencing gospel, blues, and eventually even jazz.
Delta blues was one of the earliest styles of blues music. Originating in Mississippi, this subsection was considered particularly soulful and introspective. The instrumentation was simple, typically featuring a slide guitar and a harmonica. This type of blues was extremely popular in the Southern culture, particularly among African-Americans, who used it as an outlet to express their struggles. The improvisational nature and emotional sound also made it a favorite in salons and minstrel shows. Although no longer as popular, the distinct style of delta blues influenced numerous other genres, including jazz, pop, and even rock. The following recording is an excerpt from the song “Cross Road Blues” written by the famous delta blues musician, Robert Johnson.
The song “Oh, My Lord” from the movie Glory is an example of a negro spiritual. In the black soldiers’ song, they show elements of African-American music such as the religious theme, the rhythm, and the call-and-response style. In the south, starting in the period of slavery, these types of songs became common, and is thus significant to the growth of African-American music that we discussed in class. Thus overall, this music displays elements of their culture and had a widespread influence in the south. As old as this type of music is, it has not changed much over time. Even today, such songs are sung in black churches and continue to be an important part of black history.
The Duke University Chapel was completed in 1932, and its 50-bell carillon has played on Duke's West Campus ever since. The timeless sound of the Chapel bells is not unique to the South, but their sound is arguably the key sonic feature of one of the South's preeminent research universities. Though Duke has changed since the 1930s, the sound of the bells that reverberate across its campus has mostly remained constant.
The South is often referred to as the "Bible Belt" because of the region's high religiosity compared to other parts of the U.S. The doxology was sung in Christian services before the founding of the United States, so this hymn of praise has endured through several centuries in the South. Though there are divisions between the various denominations of Protestantism, many of them continue to sing the doxology, as heard in this excerpt from the Trinity United Methodist Church's Sunday morning service. The church's organ was constructed in 1924, so the sound of this particular doxology has likely remained constant since then.
This instrumental excerpt from "Long Hard Ride" by The Marshall Tucker Band featuring Charlie Daniels exemplifies classic southern rock as heard in the combination of traditional rock and roll instruments like electric guitars and drums with typical southern instruments like the banjo and fiddle. Though the electric guitar was invented in 1931, it wasn't popularized until the second half of the twentieth century with the rise of rock and roll. Consequently, the selection of instruments heard in this excerpt are characteristic of southern rock in the 1970s, and similar mixtures of electric and non-electric instruments continue to be used today.
The banjo’s most well-known music genre today, bluegrass, is a derivation of folk music that traces its roots back to traditional Appalachian music and the blues. The combination of ballad lyrics with stylistic elements blues and jazz created a unique genre of music that stands apart from other styles. The modern banjo itself actually originated in Africa and was brought to the American South by slaves. It was relatively unknown as an instrument until the early 1800s when a few musicians began to tour with it. In this age, the banjo was played with a variation of a strumming style. By the early 1900s, picking styles had become the most common but it was Earl Scruggs who truly revolutionized the banjo. Earl Scruggs was not only a pioneer of bluegrass but also of three-fingered banjo picking. Through quintessential songs such as “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” and “Cripple Creek” this prodigy made his showy style of banjo picking world renowned. Today, the banjo is symbolic of southern music and when we hear bluegrass, we hear the legacy of Earl Scruggs.
This excerpt from Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers’ “Sweet Sunny South” provides a perfect example of old-time string music played in the Appalachian style. Appalachian old-time string band music could be called a precursor to both modern country and bluegrass music. However, old-time string music is not best defined by its legacy but rather by its history. Initially these string bands borrowed many stylistic elements from English, Scottish, and Irish traditions, but later were influenced by African Americans when the banjo and its unique sliding tones became a critical component. By incorporating elements from various cultural groups in the Appalachia, this music became representative of the entire region and an iconic sound of the south. Even today, the blend of guitar, banjo, and fiddle in string-band music is unmistakable.
“Battle Hymn of the Republic” is the most famous rendition of the tune initially composed by William Steffe in 1856. The lyrics were written by Julia Ward Howe in 1861, and the song became a rallying cry for Union troops during the Civil War. The song is one of the most enduring and popular from the era of minstrel tunes, northern songs heavily influenced by the soulful music of southern slaves.
This particular performance was recorded by the Mormon Tabernacle choir, a religious choir based in Utah. Their powerful vocal style and strict adherence to the song’s original composition create an authentic southern feel to the recording.
Today jazz can be heard in waiting rooms, coffee shops, radio stations all across the United States, but this genre originally had its roots in the South. Jazz first arose in the 20th century in Southern African-American communities as a combination of traditional European harmonies and existing blues, ragtime, and minstrel tunes. In the past, it was predominantly used as dance music, but more laid back improvisational melodies have since then taken over. Over the years, numerous regional variants arose as jazz evolved into swing, bebop, and even fusion sub-genres. The following is a live recording of Jazz at the Mary Lou Center of Duke University. It features the alto saxophone and the trumpet in a call and response duet.
In this short clip, a sequence of Dolly Parton’s “Marry Me” is heard. Showcased in the original movie, Sweet Home Alabama, “Marry Me” was also apart of her own album “Little Sparrow.” Parton’s recognizable tone of voice has become an iconic sound for southern country music. After winning multiple Grammy’s for her original pieces, Dolly Parton has created an industry for herself, including her own theme park. Parton’s high heels and even higher hair strongly allude to southern sounds and southern music as a whole. Dolly Parton has developed her own iconic southern brand distinguishable by her captivating southern accent and tone of voice which are highlighted in this short clip.
Boogie Woogie was born in Harrison County, Texas, sometime in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is a distinctive blend of blues riffs, jazz rythms, and the sound of the trains which ran through Harrison County.
Originally, Boogie Woogie was much closer to blues than it was to jazz, focusing on simplistic riffs and relatively simple melodies. Eventually, however, it began to shift to more jazzy improvisation. This piece, a selection from Pine Top’s Boogie Woogie—the first song to ever use the name of the genre—highlights both the blues riffs and improvisation that characterize the genre.
“Run On for a Long Time” is the Blind Boys of Alabama’s rendition of the popular folk song “Run On.” The song has strong religious implications, warning sinners that their wrongdoings will eventually incur God’s wrath.
The Blind Boys of Alabama create an interesting gospel interpretation of the song. Featuring only a piano and the men’s vocals, the song is upbeat and happy despite the gravity of its message. The group’s performance represents a both a very traditionally southern interpretation and a very traditionally African-American version of a very popular folk song, reinforcing longstanding ideas of the race line in southern music - that certaing genres (such as gospel, blues, or jazz) are inherently black genres.
“God’s Gonna Cut You Down” is the Johnny Cash interpretation of the popular folk song “Run On.” Recorded just before his death in 2003, this edition was released posthumously on his final studio album in 2006. The song is meant as a warning for sinners, that eventually their actions will have dire consequences.
His combination of deep and powerful vocals with a prominent electric guitar is a fascinating mix of Johnny Cash’s traditionally southern musical style of country and blues with a more modern rock and roll sound. For this reason, it is an excellent example of how southern sounds have evolved and adapted to a changing musical world.
“Battle Hymn of the Republic” is the most famous rendition of the tune initially composed by William Steffe in 1856. The lyrics were written by Julia Ward Howe in 1861, and the song became a rallying cry for Union troops during the Civil War. The song is one of the most enduring and popular from the era of minstrel tunes, northern songs heavily influenced by the soulful music of southern slaves.
This particular performance was recorded by the Mormon Tabernacle choir, a religious choir based in Utah. Their powerful vocal style and strict adherence to the song’s original composition create an authentic southern feel to the recording.