Love that members' questions ultimately bring me closer to understanding the huge realm of Fiddle Music! 

Some of my favorite Bluegrass is a slower tempo, but always intense!

"Wayfaring Stranger: A Musical Journey in The American South" (2020), is a highly acclaimed book written by award-winning author, Emma John - about Bluegrass Music. 

Has anyone read it? 

Amazon book description:

Suffused with her much-loved warmth and wit, Emma John's memoir follows her moving and memorable journey to master one of the hardest musical styles on earth - and to find her place in an alien world.

Emma had fallen out of love with her violin when a chance trip to the American South introduced her to bluegrass music. Classically trained, highly strung and wedded to London life, Emma was about as country as a gin martini. So why did it feel like a homecoming?

Answering that question takes Emma deep into the Appalachian mountains, where she uncovers a hidden culture that confounds every expectation - and learns some emotional truths of her own.

Bocaholly linked this article (2019), published in The Guardian (actually sent me to the US version), it predates Emma John's book release and is a nice little historical synopsis of Bluegrass - IF people understand that authors use writing to communicate personal beliefs, just like musicians can do with music.  I personally don't believe Bluegrass, in general, is used for any political agenda - so, I do take some of this author's views with a grain of salt.

From Holly's thread - https://fiddlerman.com/forum/c.....bluegrass/  she said:

For all of the forum's lovers of bluegrass, I'm not sure how this article meshes with your vision of things but I stumbled across it in "The Guardian" (UK edition to boot!) and thought I'd share.

"Plucked from obscurity..."

THIS, earlier article if Emma's, also published in the Guardian (US version) - definitely worth reading!  Details her experience at the 2013 Telluride Bluegrass Festival.

Excerpt: 

It has been three years since I fell in love with bluegrass music. It was the frenetic fireworks of the fiddling that did it for me, rather than the jangle of the banjo. I had played violin since I was a little girl, and the idea of turning what had always been an instrument of torture (classical is hard, man) into something so joyous was what drew me in. But what kept me there was the people – the welcoming community of jobbing musicians, front-porch pickers and enthusiastic audiences that make up this vibrant world.

My Love Affair With The American Bluegrass Festival (2013) - Emma John

Here's a glimpse of last year's Festival. 

Really 💖 that Bluegrass allows time for each member of a jam to express themselves with improv - to SHINE! 

- Emily