Music in Tennessee - Essay Example

Music in Tennessee Tennessee is a in America in the Southeastern region of the country. Tennessee’s contribution to the development of music in the US is vital because it is home to some of the most renowned musicians and other artists of all time, in the world. It is recognized as the birthplace for music genres such as folk country music and rock and roll. This paper aims to discuss the interaction of Tennessee and commercial music in the first half of the twentieth century. The most notable towns in the state of Tennessee that can be attributed to have contributed significantly to the development of American music are Nashville, Bristol and Memphis.

Each of these towns had a unique role to play in the development of music with Nashville being regarded as the country music capital while Bristol was regarded as the birthplace of country music. Memphis, on the other hand, had an immense influence on blues, soul music and early rock and roll. Victor Records, which was run by Ralph Peer, conducted the first commercial recordings of music, in Bristol town (West & Bennicker 317). According to West & Bennicker, the Carter family journeyed from Virginia to Bristol Tennessee to record with Ralph Peers who paid them $50 for each song that they recorded.

Thus, it would be prudent to say that Bristol is the birthplace of country music. Memphis is known for its contribution to music in other different genres apart from country music characteristic of other major music towns in the state. Memphis was characterized by having a population from diverse backgrounds thus contributing to a cultural meltdown. This led to the emergence of alternative genres of music away from the traditional folk-country music. This saw the advent of music genres like soul music and punk rock.

In the 1980s and 90s, the punk rock scene was in its element with the uprising of bands like “His Hero is Gone”, in Memphis and “From Ashes Rise”, in Nashville (West & Bennicker 291). The state of Tennessee is recognized for producing one of the American and the world’s greatest musicians, in Elvis Presley, who led the rock n roll revolution, in America and the world. Folk music, which was expressed in the form of country music, and it had a high impact on the Tennessee music scene.

Folk music was characterized by the use of the banjo and the fiddle as the musical instruments of choice, but the vocal component was still the most vital component. Radio was a large medium for transmitting information, and this encouraged many aspiring musicians to sing live on radio where they could reach their audiences directly. This is attributed to the increase in demand and popularity of live music performances, which was commercialized. The commercialization of live music performances was then introduced, and the first show was staged in a timber building, on Fatherland Street in East Nashville, where Opry started charging admission and honed the show for a live audience (West & Benniker 221).

The commercialization of music saw the springing up of record companies, which started scouting for talent, which saw the discovery of talents characterized by the likes of Elvis Presley and Johnnie Cash who went on to become all time greats in the music arena. Tennessee was characterized by having a large population of black African-Americans who contributed to the development of music genres like blues, soul and hip-hop music. The blues music genre was to have the most far-reaching effect, which was felt across all other music genres from jazz to rock n roll.

Soul music also developed alongside rock n roll with deep influences coming from blues. In the mid 1980s, another genre of music started emerging and was characterized by talking in the middle of rhythms and thus, the birth of hip-hop was realized. Tennessee can be lauded as the musical state for its immense contribution to the development of music across America. The state saw to the first commercialization of live music performances, which made possible for musicians to make a living out of their musical talents and exploits.

Tennessee can be seen as the state that afforded the black African-American struggle for human rights a platform through which they could express their grievances. Through music, the struggle for equality by Africa-Americans could be conveyed in a format that was universally understandable. This helped in the realization of freedom for the marginalized and minority groups in society, which set a trend that is practiced up to today. The state of Tennessee helped America develop its own identity through music, which was made possible by recognizing and encouraging folk traditional music.

Folk traditional music was expressed as country music, which came to be regarded as the first indigenous and original American music thus, giving America an identifying music genre to the world. Work Cited. West, C. V. & Binnicker, M. D. A history of Tennessee arts: creating traditions, expanding horizons. Illutrated Edition. University of Tennessee Press. 2004. Print.