| Music of the United States | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organizations | ||||
| ||||
| Festivals | ||||
|
The U.S. state ofNorth Carolina is known particularly for its history ofold-time music. A number of recordings were made in the early 20th century by folk song collectorBascom Lamar Lunsford. Influential North Carolinacountry musicians such as theNorth Carolina Ramblers andAl Hopkins helped solidify the sound of country music in the late 1920s, while influentialbluegrass musicians such asEarl Scruggs andDoc Watson came from North Carolina.Arthur Smith had the first nationally syndicated television program which featuredcountry music. He composed "Guitar Boogie", the all-time best selling guitar instrumental, and "Dueling Banjos", the all-time best selling banjo composition. Country artistEric Church from the Hickory area, has had multiple No. 1 albums on theBillboard 200, includingChief in 2011. Both North and South Carolina are a hotbed for traditionalcountry blues, especially the style known as thePiedmont blues.Elizabeth Cotten, from Chapel Hill, was active in theAmerican folk music revival.
Because of their proximity to universities, areas such asRaleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill (collectively known asthe Triangle), Asheville, Greensboro, Greenville, Charlotte, and Wilmington have long been a well-known center forindie rock,metal,punk,jazz,country andhip-hop. Bands and groups from this popular music scene include folk rockThe Avett Brothers from the Charlotte area (had a No. 3 album on theBillboard 200 in 2016 withTrue Sadness),Troop 41,Corrosion of Conformity,Superchunk,The Rosebuds,The Love Language,Benji Hughes,Jon Lindsay,Tift Merritt,Ben Folds Five,Squirrel Nut Zippers,Carolina Chocolate Drops,Lords of the Underground,Between the Buried and Me,Mandolin Orange, andHe Is Legend. Concord has hosted the annual three-dayCarolina Rebellion hard rock music festival each May atCharlotte Motor Speedway since 2011.
Additional notable North Carolina musicians include country singersAndy Griffith fromMt. Airy,Charlie Daniels (d. 2020) (the bluegrass influenced "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" 1979) from Wilmington,Ronnie Milsap ("Smoky Mountain Rain" 1980),Randy Travis from the Charlotte area ("Forever and Ever, Amen" 1987),Kellie Pickler from the Charlotte area,Scotty McCreery from the Raleigh area (Had a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 withClear as Day in 2011),Parmalee ("Carolina" 2013), andLuke Combs (had a No. 1 album on Billboard 200 withWhat You See Is What You Get in 2019) andChase Rice (had a No. 3 album on Billboard 200 withIgnite the Night in 2014), both from Asheville. Soul singerBen E. King (d. 2015) ("Stand by Me" 1961). Emmy and Pulitzer prize winnerRhiannon Giddens is from Greensboro, North Carolina. Glam metal bandFireHouse ("All She Wrote" 1991) from Charlotte, Pop rock bandAthenaeum from Greensboro,Fred Durst from Gastonia-lead singer ofLimp Bizkit, and alternative metal bandDecyfer Down. Beach music groupThe Catalinas ("Summertime's Calling Me" 1975) is from Charlotte, and pop singerClay Aiken (theBillboard Hot 100 No. 1 "This Is the Night" 2003) is from Raleigh.
Notable rappers, producers, and people inhip-hop from North Carolina include:J. Cole,DaBaby (had a Billboard No. 1 Hot 100 hit with "Rockstar" in 2020,Petey Pablo,9th Wonder,Rapsody,Fred Durst,Mez,Lute,Ski Beatz,Deniro Farrar, andCordae.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(April 2024) |
Slave musicians in North Carolina and throughout the country were often responsible for providing the dance music for both white and African American social gatherings. If a slave was trained as a musician, their value as property went up for their masters.String bands were formed to accompany the social dancing. After slaves were given their freedom, small communities of blacks began to form in the North CarolinaPiedmont region. One of these communities outside of Statesville, North Carolina had enough of a fiddler population to support a fiddler's convention. Joe Thompson, an African American fiddler who died in 2012,[1] is from the Cedar Grove community in North Carolina. The banjo was another popular instrument for African Americans to play in a string band. The banjo is an instrument adapted from its African relative theakonting, and younger black musicians often learned to play from older community members. One black musician, Joe Fulp, from the Walnut Cove community used the banjo to help pass the time while waiting for tobacco to cure. String Bands of the North Carolina Piedmont region had their own sound consisting of long bow fiddle playing, flowing banjo lines, and a prominent bass line provided by the guitar, an instrument added to the ensemble in the early 20th century. The style of Piedmont string bands was influenced by the dance tune melodies of Europe and the rhythmic complexity of African banjo playing.[2]
North Carolina is also considered[by whom?] a cradle of gospel music. TheMoravians who established the town ofWinston-Salem had published Europe's first hymnal in the 15th century, and had brought from theCzech Republic andSaxony instruments including skills to buildpipe organs. Music was an integral part of community life. Everyone participated in brass bands and knew the songs which told of births, deaths and other events. The Moravian Music Foundation inOld Salem contains the archive of these materials.
In the days of slavery,spirituals played a huge role in the lives of the slaves of North Carolina elite, and after emancipation, this stayed true. During the 1940s and 50s, North Carolina was a favorite place to visit of gospel singers for multiple reasons, among which was North Carolina's less rigorous Jim Crow laws. North Carolina is also home to a number of gospel singers, the most famous beingShirley Caesar, known as the "First Lady of Gospel". Caesar got her start when the groupThe Caravans came throughWilson in 1958. North Carolina is also famous for its abundance of family gospel groups which thrive all throughout the state. Award-winning vocal groupThe Kingsmen originate inAsheville.
ThePiedmont blues is a type of blues music characterized by a unique finger-picking method on the guitar in which a regular, alternating-thumb bass pattern supports a melody using treble strings.Blind Boy Fuller (1904–1941) was a popular Piedmont blues guitarist, who played for tips outside tobacco warehouses in Durham during the 1930s. Fuller recorded more than 120 sides during the second half of the 1930s.Floyd Council (1911–1976) sometimes busked with Fuller. South Carolina-born Piedmont blues musicianRev. Gary Davis (1896–1972) also played in Durham in the 1930s when the city had a thriving black business community and an emergingblack middle class. Singer and guitaristCarolina Slim (1923–1953) also worked as a musician around Durham.Etta Baker (1913–2006) was first recorded in 1956. Singer, guitarist, and songwriterJohn Dee Holeman (1929–2021) was based in Durham from 1954 to his death.
Cultural organizations in North Carolina have supported the preservation of the Piedmont blues. TheGreensboro-based Piedmont Blues Preservation Society has partnered with musicians such asMax Drake (born 1952) and a number of public schools in North Carolina to provide performances, exhibitions, and educational programs.[3][4]
Several notablejazz musicians were originally from North Carolina.[5] In the case of bebop pianistThelonious Monk, (b. Rocky Mount, NC, October 10, 1917) the North Carolina connection is slight, as Monk's family moved to Manhattan when Monk was four. SaxophonistJohn Coltrane 1926–1967) spent most of his childhood in High Point, North Carolina, before moving to Philadelphia when he was sixteen.Bebop pioneerMax Roach was born inNewland, but like Monk, moved with his family to New York City when he was four. Other jazz musicians from North Carolina include guitaristTal Farlow, considered one of the top players during the 1950s. Hard-bop saxophonistsLou Donaldson andTina Brooks were originally North Carolinians. Hard-bop trumpeterWoody Shaw, pianistBilly Taylor, saxophonist and flautistHarold Vick, pianist and singer dubbed the "High Priestess of Soul" Dr.Nina Simone, alto saxophonistTab Smith, bassistPercy Heath, and singerJune Tyson were born in the state as well. South CarolinianDizzy Gillespie grew up just over the state line and attended school at the Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina. Jazz composer and arrangerBilly Strayhorn spent some of his summers in Hillsborough, NC with his grandparents.
Rock and roll guitarist, songwriter, and vocalistLink Wray, who first came to popularity in the late 1950s, was born inDunn. Other musicians of note include guitaristAudley Freed who was born in Burgaw and played withLynyrd Skynyrd; Jason Roy, who was founder of the Christian Rock groupBuilding 429 from Fayetteville; and vocalist James "Jimi" Bennett,[6] who was from Leland and sang in the Christian rock groupKing James. The platinum-selling post-grunge bandDaughtry is from a suburb ofGreensboro. Daughtry has had two No. 1 albums on theBillboard 200, includingDaughtry in 2006. Daughtry had four No. 1 songs on the Adult Top 40 chart in the late 2000s. Alternative country singerRyan Adams from Raleigh had a No. 4 album on the Billboard 200 in 2014.
Chapel Hill's music scene dates back to the 1950s, and began to take off in the 1960s, when the Cat's Cradle Coffeehouse nurtured local folk activity. One of the first local legends, The Corsayers (later The Fabulous Corsairs) – featuringAlex Taylor and younger brotherJames – could be heard around town. Later,Arrogance became a major part of the folk scene. James Taylor would go on to a successful career as a singer-songwriter, and his "Carolina in My Mind" would become an unofficial anthem for the state.[7][8][9] His song "You've Got a Friend" was a No. 1 hit on theBillboard Hot 100 in 1971. TheChapel Hill Museum opened a permanent exhibit dedicated to Taylor; at the same occasion theUS-15-501 highway bridge over Morgan Creek, near the site of the Taylor family home and mentioned in Taylor's song "Copperline", was dedicated to Taylor.[10]
The Chapel Hill music scene began to pick up steam in the 1980s when bands including The Pressure Boys,The Connells,Flat Duo Jets,Southern Culture on the Skids, A Number of Things,Fetchin Bones, andSnatches of Pink began releasing their own records or signing to independent record labels.
In the late 1980s through the mid-1990s and 2000s, the Chapel Hill scene reached its peak as bands such asSuperchunk,Polvo,Archers of Loaf, Alternative States, Small, Zen Frisbee,Dillon Fence, Sex Police, Pipe, The Veldt, Metal Flake Mother were signed to local and national labels.
In the late 1990s, gold record and platinum success came to Chapel Hill bandsSquirrel Nut Zippers and the piano pop trioBen Folds Five (who had a comeback with a No. 10 album on theBillboard 200,The Sound of the Life of the Mind in 2012).
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill was a regional center forpunk rock in the late 1970s, due to its large number of college students. The first wave of bands were more power-pop than punk, and includedPeter Holsapple & the H-Bombs, Sneakers, Secret Service, Nevermind, andChris Stamey andthe dBs. The punks arrived shortly after with 'th Cigaretz,[11] The Dads, the Bad Checks, Butchwax, The X-Teens, Human Furniture, and the Junkie Sluts. Laterhardcore punk bands includedCorrosion of Conformity, No Labels, Colcor,UNICEF, Stillborn Christians,[12] DAMM, Bloodmobile, Subculture, Sacred Cows, Ugly Americans, 30 Foot Beast, Sodium Citrate, Mission DC, the Celibate Commandos, Rights Reserved, DLW, Creeping Flesh, Time Bomb, Stations of the Cross, A Number of Things, and Oral Fixation.[13]
In 2017, thepunk bandThe Muslims was formed inDurham, North Carolina as a reaction to theelection of Donald Trump.[14]
Some other notableHeavy Metal acts from North Carolina areAlesana,Weedeater,Divided by Friday,Buzzoven,Daylight Dies,ASG,Between the Buried and Me,Wretched, Space Age Polymers Co (SAPCO),Confessor, and Schuylar Croom from Wilmington, who was a founder of the rock and roll bandHe is Legend.
At the same time, Charlotte had its own punk rock scene, with bands such asAntiseen, Judas Bullethead, Social Savagery, and Influential Habits.
Christian pop punk bandPhilmont also originates from Charlotte.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise (from Boone),Sylvan Esso,Ben Folds Five, and Charlotte'sPaper Tongues ("Ride to California" 2009), Will*Saint Creek are all from North Carolina.
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(January 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
SaxophonistMaceo Parker and his brother drummerMelvin Parker, best known for their work withJames Brown, were born inKinston. Funk bandL.T.D. formed inGreensboro.[15] Washington Go-Go singer/guitaristChuck Brown was born inGaston.Soul singerRuby Johnson was born inElizabeth City.Funk rock singerBetty Davis was born in Durham.Funkadelic guitaristTawl Ross was born inWagram.
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(January 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The Trianglemetropolitan area also boasts a long-standing and diversehip-hop scene. During hip-hop'sgolden era in the mid-90s, theLords of the Underground (who met while attendingShaw University), Omniscence, andYaggfu Front were acclaimed. In 1998,Little Brother, composed ofRapper Big Pooh,Phonte, and9th Wonder, met while attendingNorth Carolina Central University. The successfulalternative hip hop group also co-founded theJustus League collective, which features other important North Carolinaemcees, includingL.E.G.A.C.Y.,The Away Team,Darien Brockington,Edgar Allen Floe,Chaundon, andCesar Comanche.[16]
Other major-label rappers and producers from North Carolina includeKing Mez, from Raleigh.King Mez was featured onDr. Dre's Compton album.J. Cole, fromFayetteville has had six consecutive No. 1 albums on theBillboard 200 including his debutCole World: The Sideline Story.;The Apple Juice Kid,Kaze,Ski,Travis Cherry, Wan Gray, from Raleigh; andPetey Pablo ("Raise Up"), fromGreenville.Rapsody, and Well-known underground actTroop 41.Driicky Graham is fromOxford.
Charlotte also has some notable rappers, includingDaBaby (had two No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, such asKirk in 2019), WELL$,Deniro Farrar,Lute, Bettie Grind, Mr. 704, Quaz, and Ruga. Charlotte's R&B groupJodeci had a No. 2 album on the Billboard 200 in 1995 withThe Show, the After Party, the Hotel. Charlotte'sK-Ci & JoJo (ofJodeci) had two No. 1 hits on theBillboard Hot 100, including the R&B song "All My Life" in 1998. Also from Charlotte is R&B singerAnthony Hamilton.
American Idol winnerFantasia, from High Point, had a No. 1Billboard Hot 100 hit with the soul song "I Believe" in 2004.
North Carolina is home to several state and regional orchestras including theNorth Carolina Symphony based in Raleigh, theAsheville Symphony Orchestra, and theCharlotte Symphony Orchestra. InHickory, there is also the Western Piedmont Symphony and its accompanying youth orchestra, the Western Piedmont Youth Symphony.
Several professionalwind ensembles also exist, including the Piedmont Wind Symphony ofWinston-Salem and the Wilmington Symphonic Winds.[17][18]
Folk music is a unique genre of music that represents familial connections and emotional relationships between artists and the subjects about which they are singing. Specifically inWestern North Carolina, this genre represents much of the culture and experiences of these people. While there are a number of different variations of folk music, all of them seek to build communities in an attempt to enhance cultural conversations and gatherings.[19] TheAppalachian area is famous for its ability to bring people together through the transmission of folk classics and authentic voices. These connections also form to share more about a particular region through song that depicts different cultural elements and interests of the people and time.[19]
Folk music is extremely important to the history and culture of Western North Carolina. Most notably, theAppalachian Mountains contain a record of folk music being recited and passed down from generation to generation. Much of this information relating to the vibrant folk music culture in this area of North Carolina comes from TheFrank Clyde Brown Collection[20] located atDuke University in Durham. This archive gives historians insight into the various artists and songs that were commonly being performed during this time. For example,Frank Proffitt and others constantly performed the infamous song "Tom Dooley" as a way to show their regional pride.[21] These performances show the popularity that folk music held throughout Western North Carolina, especially during its revitalization in the 1950s.[22]A unique aspect of folk music is its dependence on being orally transmitted.[22] This occurred for a number of different reasons, many of which deal with the lack of accessibility in Western North Carolina to other places. There was little communication between these tiny towns and other North Carolina areas, especially when discussing the lack of railroads connecting urban areas to these rural towns; because of that, other expression styles could not be transferred easily.[23] Therefore, it relied solely on the artists to ensure that their favorite renditions of particular folk songs were passed on from one generation to the next. With this ability placed on the artists, there is definitely an impact on the accuracy of the words when transmitting these lyrics over and over again. However, this has often been seen as the beauty and pride of various folk music artists in North Carolina.[24]
For example, tiny western mountainous areas such asElk Park host a plethora of folk music artists whose memory still lives on in theFrank Clyde Brown Collection. The Church family, headed by Erleen and her husband Truman, epitomize the intentionality of folk singers through their authentic renditions of songs and commitment to bringing communities together in song.[25] Music recorded such as "Black Jack Davy" and "The Titanic" show the importance of continuing the tradition of old time folk songs to be orally transmitted into future generations.[22] This idea of a family unit performing folk music together further supports the mission of this genre to connect communities through a shared culture.
A common practice in folk music is to bring an artist's personal dialect into the respective song or ballad.[26] Plenty of times, specific words and phrases will be altered depending on from which region the Appalachian folk music singer performed. To focus on a specific song to give a more clear example, the folk balladBlack Jack Davy has a number of different variations, solely based on how the song was transmitted from one region of North Carolina to the next. As many different variations of this ballad have been sung, some of them classify as different names. Within the Ozark Folksong Collection,Black Jack Davy has titles ranging from "Gypsy Davy" and "Black Jack Daisy."[27] This shows the power of the artist in transmitting the words and themes from one artist to the next.
TheFrank Clyde Brown Collection is arguably the largest compilation of North Carolina folk music in the nation. This collection includes various versions of songs, artists, and styles of reciting this cultural element. Charles Bond, a formerDuke University undergraduate student, accidentally fell upon this collection of archives.[28] Ever since, he has been delving into them to learn about the history of Appalachia folk music and the impact it had on families all around this area. With the discovery of this archive, families along Western North Carolina have recently been able to obtain copies of their beloved family members singing local music.
Through the study of folk music, people today are able to reconnect to the rich cultural history of North Carolina of the past. The projects of theFrank Clyde Brown Collection and other folk music initiatives are introducing the people of the present to a popular form of expression in the past. Going forward,Duke University students are looking to explore a plethora of these archives to learn more about the history surrounding folk music in North Carolina. Through an Archives Alive course currently taught by Professor Trudi Abel, seven students have engaged in a Bass Connections project to uncover more information about this folk music.[29] These projects have culminated into online, digitized sources of knowledge about various folk artists, their hometowns, and the songs they have performed.[30]
North Carolina is home to a number of groups from theIndie Folk andProgressive Bluegrass scenes, includingMandolin Orange andMipso from Chapel Hill,Beta Radio from Wilmington,Steep Canyon Rangers from Brevard,Avett Brothers from Concord,River Whyless from Asheville,Old Crow Medicine Show from Boone, The Collection from Greensboro, andBombadil andCarolina Chocolate Drops from Durham.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)