History and Development of Early Country and Bluegrass Music

Culture: Defined as the shared learned habits of thoughts and behavior within a specific group.
Cultural Diffusion: Refers to the spreading out of some cultural artifact from one location or group to another.
Synchretism: The process of merging cultural items from other places to create something brand new.
Titon Context Model: Also known as the Onion Model, used to describe the layers of context in music.
Optimal Experience: Describes a state that gives oneself a flow state.
Flow: Defined as the optimal experience.

Akonting: A musical instrument originating from west africa; it is identified as the ancestor of the banjo.
Banjo: A $5$ string instrument referred to as america's instrument. It is commonly associated with the hillbilly stereotype.
Elevation of the banjo: A period when banjos were shrunk down and made expensive. This movement was specifically motivated by the marketing strategies of musical instrument companies.
Clawhammer: A right hand technique used on the banjo. It is noted that it must be taught person to person because the movements are difficult to see or replicate purely through observation.
Minstrel shows: Occurring between the $1840's$ and the $1860's$ , these featured white performers from the mid south who applied black face makeup and performed parodies of black slave life.
Jim Crow: A character featured in the menstrual shows that became associated with racial segregation in the south.
Dan Emmett: A musician and menstrual show performer who wrote the song "Dixie."
Dixie: The musical equivalent of the confederate flag, serving as a symbolic representation of the old south.

Golden Age of Recording: Identified as the $1920's$ .
Golden Age of radio: Occurred in the $1930's$ during the great depression.
Grand Ole Opry: The oldest recorded radio show, which is recorded in nashville tennessee. * The show used the slogan "Strictly clean and decent." * It was considered a family show featuring hillbilly music.
nashville: Recognized as the center of the country music industry.
WLS: A radio station that was put on the air in chicago. The call letters stand for "worlds largest store."
Sear roebuck and company: A large mail order company based in chicago that established its own radio station.
Mail order: A commerce system exemplified by the Series rowboat out of chicago.
Border Radio: Terms for radio stations located on the border of texas/mexico.
XRE: A mexican radio station operated by john brinkley that broadcasted country music and featured advertisements for insane medical procedures.
"Dr" John Brinkley: Not actually a doctor, but a scammer who promoted quack medicine via border radio.

fiddlin john carson: An artist from atlanta georgia whose work is associated with the birth of American popular music. * In $1923$ , he recorded the first country hit recording titled "The old hand she cackled." * His work marked the first time the banjo and fiddle were played together in popular music.
Carter Family: Recognized as the first stars of country music; they appeared on border radio. * The leader of the group was mabel carter.
Bill Monroe: Known as the father of blue grass music.
Earl Scruggs: A prominent bluegrass banjo player.
Hank Williams: An influential figure who died in a blue caddis. * Hank Williams Sr: Credited as the originator of the Country and western style.
Roy rodgers: A famous singing cowboy active during the $1930's$ .

Hillbilly: Used as a common stereotype associated with people from the mountains and their music.
Honky-tonk: A musical setting featuring $4-5$ musician performers playing country music.
Country and western: A genre created by the merging of the hillbilly music style with the western clothing style, originally championed by Hank Williams Sr.