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62-534: Delano Floyd McCoury (born February 1, 1939) is an American bluegrass musician . As leader of the Del McCoury Band , he plays guitar and sings lead vocals along with his two sons, Ronnie McCoury and Rob McCoury , who play mandolin and banjo respectively. He became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2003. In June 2010, he received a National Heritage Fellowship lifetime achievement award from

124-553: A distinct musical form developed from elements of old-time music and traditional music in the Appalachian region of the United States . The Appalachian region was where many Scottish American immigrants settled, bringing with them the musical traditions of their homelands. Hence the sounds of jigs and reels , especially as played on the fiddle, were innate to the developing style. Black musicians, meanwhile, brought

186-647: A fiddle. Many older bluegrass songs come directly from the British Isles . Several Appalachian bluegrass ballads, such as " Pretty Saro ", " Pretty Polly ", " Cuckoo Bird ", and " House Carpenter ", come from England and preserve the English ballad tradition both melodically and lyrically. Some bluegrass fiddle songs popular in Appalachia, such as "Leather Britches" and "Soldier's Joy", have Scottish roots. The dance tune " Cumberland Gap " may be derived from

248-413: A genre within the post-war country/western-music industry, a period of time characterized now as the golden era or wellspring of "traditional bluegrass". From its earliest days, bluegrass has been recorded and performed by professional and amateur musicians alike. Although amateur bluegrass musicians and trends such as "parking-lot picking" are too important to be ignored, it is touring musicians who have set

310-705: A rhythmic alternation between the root and fifth of each chord , with occasional walking bass excursions. Instrumentation has been a continuing topic of debate. Traditional bluegrass performers believe the "correct" instrumentation is that used by Bill Monroe's band, the Blue Grass Boys (guitar, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and bass). Departures from the traditional instrumentation have included dobro, accordion , harmonica , piano , autoharp , drums , electric guitar , and electric versions of other common bluegrass instruments, resulting in what has been referred to as "new grass." Despite this debate, even Monroe himself

372-585: A series of day jobs in construction and logging, while continuing to work as an amateur musician in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. In the 1980s his sons began performing with him. Fiddler Tad Marks and bass player Mike Brantley joined McCoury's group in early 1990s. McCoury's group toured widely throughout the US. They relocated to Nashville, Tennessee as they began to attract attention. Fiddler Jason Carter and bassist Mike Bub joined in 1992. Alan Bartram joined

434-635: A stipend of $ 25,000. In 2012, he joined the 11th annual Independent Music Awards judging panel to assist independent musicians' careers. In 2008, Del McCoury started DelFest , an annual bluegrass festival in Cumberland , Maryland, held at the Allegany County Fairgrounds . Del McCoury Band plays every night at each of the festivals. The 5th annual DelFest occurred in May 2012, and major bluegrass acts played such as Steve Martin with

496-600: A two-year delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic . Del McCoury has won 31 International Bluegrass Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year four consecutive times (nine total). McCoury has also won IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year four times. In 2004 he was nominated for the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy Award for It's Just The Night , and in 2006 he won his first Grammy Award, in

558-466: A worldwide audience as a result of its frequent use in the movie "Bonnie and Clyde". But the functionally similar old-time music genre was long-established and widely recorded in the period of the film's events and later CD was released. Ralph Stanley commented about the origins of the genre and its name. Oh, (Monroe) was the first. But it wasn't called bluegrass back then. It was just called old-time mountain hillbilly music. When they started doing

620-485: A young teen. After demonstrating his mandolin technique Monroe offered the advice: "stick to the fiddle". Sam is one of the main attractions at the annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Telluride, Colorado and plays the eight p.m. set on Saturday night as well as many guest appearances throughout the weekend. He is affectionately known as "The King of Telluride" for his perennial appearances there (and Emmylou Harris

682-662: Is a common name given in America for the grass of the Poa genus, the most famous being Kentucky bluegrass . A large region in central Kentucky is sometimes called the Bluegrass region (although this region is west of the hills of Kentucky). Exactly when the word "bluegrass" was adopted is not certain, but is believed to be in the late 1950s. It was derived from the name of the seminal Blue Grass Boys band, formed in 1939 with Bill Monroe as its leader. Due to this lineage, Bill Monroe

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744-654: Is an American mandolinist who is considered an originator of progressive bluegrass music. In 2020, he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame as a member of New Grass Revival . He was inducted into the Hall of Fame a second time in 2023 as a solo artist. Born in Bowling Green , Kentucky, Bush was exposed to country and bluegrass music at an early age through his father, Charlie's, record collection, and later by

806-534: Is an accomplished instrumentalist on mandolin and fiddle winning title of National Fiddle champion at fifteen years of age. He was a founding member of the New Grass Revival and has been called a modern-day Bill Monroe , or as Sam would tell . . . . if Bill was the father of bluegrass then I could be the mother because Monroe would say: 'here comes that mother now!' Sam, affectionately "Sammy", or "Mr. Entertainment", also recalls meeting Mr. Monroe as

868-433: Is bestowed upon bluegrass artists who do an exemplary job of advancing traditional bluegrass music and bringing it to new audiences while preserving its character and heritage. McCoury has won two Grammy Awards from fifteen nominations. †Honorary former member; was scheduled to be invited, but died before the invitation was extended Bluegrass music Bluegrass features acoustic stringed instruments and emphasizes

930-706: Is frequently referred to as the "father of bluegrass". The bluegrass style of music dates from the mid-1940s. In 1948, the Stanley Brothers recorded the traditional song " Molly and Tenbrooks " in the Blue Grass Boys' style, arguably the point in time that bluegrass emerged as a distinct musical form. Monroe's 1946 to 1948 band, which featured guitarist Lester Flatt , banjoist Earl Scruggs , fiddler Chubby Wise and bassist Howard Watts (also known as "Cedric Rainwater") – sometimes called "the original bluegrass band" – created

992-650: The Late Show with David Letterman . Del has a very enthusiastic fan base, known as the Del-Heads . In October 2009, The Del McCoury Band began offering fans recordings of their performances on USB flash drives available immediately after their concerts. In June 2010, McCoury received a lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts in the field of folk and traditional arts, including

1054-460: The C.F. Martin Company started to manufacture them in the 1830s. The guitar is now most commonly played with a style referred to as flatpicking , unlike the style of early bluegrass guitarists such as Lester Flatt , who used a thumb pick and finger pick . Bassists almost always play pizzicato , occasionally adopting the "slap-style" to accentuate the beat. A bluegrass bass line is generally

1116-650: The Flatt & Scruggs television show. Buying his first mandolin at the age of 11, his musical interest was further piqued when he attended the inaugural Roanoke, VA Bluegrass Festival in 1965. As a teen, Bush took first place three times in the junior division of the National Oldtime Fiddler's Contest in Weiser, ID. He joined guitarist Wayne Stewart, his mentor and music teacher during Sam's teen years, and banjoist Alan Munde (later of Country Gazette) and

1178-559: The National Endowment for the Arts and in 2011 he was elected into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame . McCoury has had a long career in bluegrass. Although originally hired as banjo player, he sang lead vocals and played rhythm guitar for Bill Monroe 's Blue Grass Boys in 1963, with whom he first appeared on the Grand Ole Opry . McCoury briefly appeared with the Golden State Boys in 1964 before taking

1240-600: The Steep Canyon Rangers , Yonder Mountain String Band , Leftover Salmon , Infamous Stringdusters , Railroad Earth , Béla Fleck , and Sam Bush , most of which had returned from previous years at the festival. In previous years, acts such Peter Rowan , David Grisman , Jesse McReynolds , The Avett Brothers , Old Crow Medicine Show , Trampled by Turtles , Greensky Bluegrass , and Psychograss have played. The 14th DelFest occurred in May 2022, after

1302-705: The Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado . When the New Grass Revival dissolved in 1989, Bush joined Emmylou Harris ' Nash Ramblers, touring and recording with Harris for the next five years. In 1995, Bush worked as a sideman with Lyle Lovett and Bela Fleck's Flecktones . He formed his own band, featuring Cowan and ex-Nash Ramblers Jon Randall and Larry Atamanuick, shortly before recording his second solo album, Glamour & Grits , in 1996. He released his next album, Howlin' at

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1364-851: The Telluride Bluegrass Festival , RockyGrass in Lyons, Colorado, and MerleFest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina began to attract acts from outside the bluegrass tradition, merging the bluegrass community with other popular music scenes across America. Following the death of Jerry Garcia , who began his career playing bluegrass, and the dissolution of the Grateful Dead , the blossoming " jam band " scene that followed in their wake embraced and included many groups that performed progressive bluegrass styles that included extended, exploratory musical improvisation , often called "jamgrass." This style began to define many such acts whose popularity has grown into

1426-413: The fiddle ), five-string banjo , guitar , mandolin , and upright bass ( string bass ) are often joined by the resonator guitar (also referred to as a Dobro ) and (occasionally) harmonica or Jew's harp . This instrumentation originated in rural dance bands and is the basis on which the earliest bluegrass bands were formed. The fiddle, made by Italians and first used in sixteenth century Europe,

1488-426: The key of G , and a I-IV-V chord pattern is common. In traditional bluegrass, instrumental breaks are typically short and played between sections of a song, conventionally originating as a variation on the song's melody. Also common are breakdowns, an instrumental form that features a series of breaks, each played by a different instrument. Particularly since the 1990s, a number of younger groups have attempted to revive

1550-423: The off-beat . The off-beat can be "driven" (played close to the previous bass note) or "swung" (played farther from the previous bass note). Notes are anticipated, in contrast to laid-back blues where notes are behind the beat; this creates the higher energy characteristic of bluegrass. In bluegrass, as in most forms of jazz, one or more instrumentalists take a turn playing the melody and improvising around it, while

1612-558: The "Queen of Telluride"). Sam did tour with Harris' band, The Nash Ramblers. Additional collaborations include recording and live performances with many virtuoso musicians and artists such as Doc Watson , Linda Ronstadt , Dolly Parton , Ann Savoy , Tony Rice , Peter Rowan , Russ Barenberg, David Grisman , Mark O'Connor, Edgar Meyer, and importantly; "Strength in Numbers", a band consisting of Bela Fleck , Mark O'Connor , Edgar Meyer , Jerry Douglas , and Sam Bush. Strength in Numbers

1674-484: The 1930s and mid-1940s. However, the term "bluegrass" did not appear formally to describe the music until the late 1950s and did not appear in Music Index until 1965. The first entry in Music Index mentioning "bluegrass music" directed the reader to "see Country Music; Hillbilly Music". Music Index maintained this listing for bluegrass music until 1986. The first time bluegrass music had its own entries in Music Index

1736-688: The 21st century, such as Leftover Salmon , The String Cheese Incident , Yonder Mountain String Band , The Infamous Stringdusters , Railroad Earth , Greensky Bluegrass and Billy Strings . In recent years, groups like the Punch Brothers , the Jon Stickley Trio and Nickel Creek have developed a new form of progressive bluegrass which includes highly arranged pieces resembling contemporary classical music played on bluegrass instruments. These bands feature complicated rhythms, chord schemes, and harmonics combined with improvised solos. At

1798-831: The British Progressive Rock band the Moody Blues – 2004's Moody Bluegrass : A Nashville Tribute to the Moody Blues , and 2011's Moody Bluegrass TWO...Much Love . Bush provided the lead vocal for the Ray Thomas song "Nice To Be Here" on the latter album. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee. The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences . Bush has won 3 awards from 14 nominations. As well as being an accomplished bluegrass vocalist, Bush also

1860-606: The Buffalo , and recorded with Steve Earle . McCoury has covered songs by artists as diverse as The Lovin' Spoonful , Tom Petty , and Richard Thompson . McCoury has appeared at festivals including Bonnaroo , High Sierra , the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass , The Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and the Newport Folk Festival . His television appearances include Late Night with Conan O'Brien and

1922-502: The Moon in 1998, he released Ice Caps: Peaks of Telluride in 2000 , which was a live recording. In 2004, Randall left Bush's band and Brad Davis took over harmony vocals and guitar duties. In 2006, Bush released Laps in Seven . The release was significant because it marked the return of the banjo to Bush's recordings, played by Scott Vestal . The guitarist, Keith Sewell, performed on

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1984-407: The Moon , in 1998, with many of the same players and special guests, including Harris, Fleck and J. D. Crowe . In the winter of 1997, Bush and the New Grass Revival reunited for an appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien as the backup band for Garth Brooks . On March 28, 1998, Bush's hometown of Bowling Green, KY , honored him with a special "Sam Bush Day" celebration. Following Howlin' at

2046-595: The band as bassist in 2005. McCoury became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in October 2003. McCoury was also one of many performers at The Clearwater Concert at Madison Square Garden on May 3, 2009. The event celebrated the 90th birthday of Pete Seeger . McCoury has influenced a great number of bands, including Phish , with whom he has shared the stage several times, and who have covered his songs. He has also performed with The String Cheese Incident and Donna

2108-523: The baritone part sung in the normal range of that voice; E.P. Tullock [aka Cousin Jake] normally providing the part, though at times it was handled by Curly Seckler). Bluegrass tunes often take the form of narratives on the everyday lives of the people whence the music came. Aside from laments about loves lost, interpersonal tensions and unwanted changes to the region (e.g., the visible effects of mountaintop coal mining ), bluegrass vocals frequently reference

2170-412: The bluegrass festivals in 1965, everybody got together and wanted to know what to call the show, y'know. It was decided that since Bill was the oldest man, and was from the bluegrass state of Kentucky and he had the Blue Grass Boys, it would be called 'bluegrass.' Traditional bluegrass emphasizes the traditional elements and form of the genre as laid out by Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys band in

2232-587: The borders of the United States and become an internationally appreciated art form. Bluegrass associations now exist worldwide. One such association, the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) was formed in 1985 and presents annual awards. In 2012, the critically acclaimed Dutch -language Belgian film, The Broken Circle Breakdown , featured Flemish musicians performing Bluegrass music central to

2294-460: The definitive sound and instrumental configuration that remains a model to this day. By some arguments, while the Blue Grass Boys were the only band playing this music, it was just their unique sound; it could not be considered a musical style until other bands began performing in a similar fashion. In 1967, the banjo instrumental " Foggy Mountain Breakdown " by Flatt and Scruggs was introduced to

2356-549: The direction of the style. Radio stations dedicated to bluegrass have also proved influential in advancing the evolution of the style into distinctive subgenres. Bluegrass was initially included in the category of folk music and later changed to hillbilly . In 1948, bluegrass was placed under the country and western heading for radio airplay charting. All four of the seminal bluegrass authors - Artis, Price, Cantwell, and Rosenberg - described bluegrass music in detail as originating in style and form, in one form or another, between

2418-596: The exposure traditional bluegrass received alongside mainstream country music on radio and televised programs such as the Grand Ole Opry , a wave of young and not exclusively Southern musicians began replicating the genre's format on college campuses and in coffeehouses amidst the American folk music revival of the early 1960s. These artists often incorporated songs, elements and instruments from other popular genres, particularly rock and roll. Banjoist Earl Scruggs of Flatt and Scruggs had shown progressive tendencies since

2480-401: The group's breakup in 1969. New Grass Revival began utilizing electric instrumentation alongside songs imported from other genres to great popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, and the term "newgrass" became synonymous with "progressive bluegrass". It continued to evolve though the '80s and '90s, moving closer to folk and rock in some quarters and closer to jazz in others, while festivals such as

2542-432: The group's earliest days, incorporating jazz-inspired banjo and bass duets and complex chord progressions that extended the genre's original rigid, conservative structure. In the late 1960s, Scruggs experimented on duets with saxophonist King Curtis and added songs by the likes of counterculture icon Bob Dylan to the group's repertoire, while bandmate Lester Flatt , a traditionalist , opposed these changes, resulting in

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2604-522: The hardscrabble existence of living in Appalachia and other rural areas with modest financial resources. Some protest music has been composed in the bluegrass style, especially concerning the vicissitudes of the Appalachian coal mining industry . Railroading has also been a popular theme, with ballads such as " Wreck of the Old 97 " and "Nine Pound Hammer" (from the legend of John Henry ). Bluegrass as

2666-480: The high baritone above Ralph Stanley's tenor, both parts above Carter's lead vocal. This trio vocal arrangement was variously used by other groups as well; even Bill Monroe employed it in his 1950 recording of "When the Golden Leaves Begin to Fall'. In the 1960s, Flatt and Scruggs often added a fifth part to the traditional quartet parts on gospel songs, the extra part being a high baritone (doubling

2728-563: The iconic banjo to Appalachia. Much later, in 1945, Earl Scruggs would develop a three-finger roll on the instrument which allowed a rapid-fire cascade of notes that could keep up with the driving tempo of the new bluegrass sound. Settlers from Britain and Ireland arrived in Appalachia during the 18th century and brought with them the musical traditions of their homelands. These traditions consisted primarily of English and Scottish ballads —which were essentially unaccompanied narrative—and dance music, such as reels , which were accompanied by

2790-475: The late 1940s. Traditional bluegrass musicians play folk songs, tunes with simple traditional chord progressions, exclusively on acoustic instruments , though it is common practice to amplify acoustic instruments during stage performances before larger audiences. In most traditional bluegrass bands, the guitar rarely takes the lead, instead acting as a rhythm instrument, one notable exception being gospel-based songs . Melodies and lyrics tend to be simple, often in

2852-418: The ordering and layering of vocal harmony is called the "stack". A standard stack has a baritone voice at the bottom, the lead in the middle (singing the main melody) and a tenor at the top, although stacks can be altered, especially where a female voice is included. Alison Krauss and Union Station provide a good example of a different harmony stack with a baritone and tenor with a high lead, an octave above

2914-438: The others perform accompaniment ; this is especially typified in tunes called breakdowns . This is in contrast to old-time music , where all instrumentalists play the melody together, or one instrument carries the lead throughout while the others provide accompaniment. Breakdowns are often characterized by rapid tempos and unusual instrumental dexterity, and sometimes by complex chord changes . The violin (also known as

2976-573: The recording, but shortly after took a job with the Dixie Chicks . Bush sought a new guitarist for his recordings and road band and found Stephen Mougin . In 2007, Bush released his first live concert DVD, titled On The Road . 2007 also marked the first time he had been chosen to host the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards. Bush contributed to two bluegrass tribute albums to

3038-604: The same category, for The Company We Keep . In 2014, McCoury was nominated and won his second Grammy Award for The Streets of Baltimore . He was a recipient of a 2010 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts , which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. McCoury received the Bluegrass Star Award, presented by the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, in 2015. The award

3100-518: The same time, several popular indie folk and folk rock bands such as the Avett Brothers , Mumford & Sons and Trampled by Turtles have incorporated rhythmic elements and instrumentation from the bluegrass tradition into their popular music arrangements, as has the Branson -based band The Petersens . While originating in the United States, Bluegrass as a genre has expanded beyond

3162-799: The sole original member. Bassist and vocalist John Cowan joined in 1974, with banjo ace Béla Fleck and acoustic guitarist Pat Flynn being enlisted in 1981. From 1979 through 1981, the group toured with Leon Russell , opening the shows and backing Russell during his headlining set. Beginning in 1980, Bush and Cowan periodically jammed with the Nashville-based Duckbutter Blues Band, whose other members were blues guitarist Kenny Lee, drummer Jeff Jones, and bassist Byron House. Bush recorded his debut solo album, Late as Usual , four years later. In 1989, Bush and Fleck joined Mark O'Connor , Jerry Douglas , and Edgar Meyer in an all-star bluegrass band, Strength in Numbers , at

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3224-515: The sound and structure of traditional bluegrass, a trend that has been dubbed neo-traditional bluegrass. The group The Country Gentlemen is credited with starting the progressive bluegrass movement with their 1960 album Country Songs, Old and New , combining traditional ballads such as "The Little Sparrow," "Weeping Willow" and "Ellen Smith" with traditional bluegrass instrumentation and "bouncy" mandolin and banjo parts distinct from those of traditional players such as Monroe and Scruggs. Due to

3286-524: The standard melody line, sung by the female vocalist. However, by employing variants to the standard trio vocal arrangement, they were simply following a pattern existing since the early days of the genre. Both the Stanley Brothers and the Osborne Brothers employed the use of a high lead with the tenor and baritone below it. The Stanleys used this technique numerous times in their recordings for both Mercury and King records. This particular stack

3348-677: The story. International bluegrass groups include Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra and Ila Auto from Norway ; Rautakoura and Steve 'n' Seagulls from Finland ; Druhá Tráva and Poutníci from the Czech Republic (home of the subgenre, Czech bluegrass ); Hutong Yellow Weasels and The Randy Abel Stable from China ; Heartbreak Hill and Foggy Hogtown Boys from Canada ; the U.K. 's The Beef Seeds , Southern Tenant Folk Union , and Police Dog Hogan ; and Australia 's Flying Emus , Mustered Courage , and Rank Strangers . Sam Bush Charles Samuel Bush (born April 13, 1952)

3410-710: The three recorded an instrumental album, Poor Richard's Almanac , in 1969. In the spring of 1970, Bush attended the Fiddlers Convention at Union Grove, NC , and was inspired by the rock-flavored progressive bluegrass of the New Deal String Band. Later that year, he moved to Louisville and joined the Bluegrass Alliance. In the fall of 1971, the band dissolved and reformed as the New Grass Revival . The New Grass Revival went through numerous personnel changes, with Bush remaining as

3472-475: The tune that accompanies the Scottish ballad " Bonnie George Campbell ". The music now known as bluegrass was frequently used to accompany a rural dancing style known as buckdancing , flatfooting , or clogging . As the bluegrass sound spread to urban areas, listening to it for its own sake increased, especially after the advent of audio recording . In 1948, what would come to be known as bluegrass emerged as

3534-810: Was a collaboration born from jam sessions at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival . The music on their CD release entitled "The Telluride Sessions" was all instrumental and recorded live, showcasing the individual talent of each player and their ability to improvise. During recent years (2000–2008) there have been many variations of the Strength in Numbers band, also known as "Bluegrass Sessions", always including Jerry Douglas, ( Dobro ), and usually bassist Byron House, also from Bowling Green, KY . Other musicians include Gabe Witcher ( fiddle ), Bryan Sutton (guitar), Tim O'Brien ( fiddle , mandolin , guitar, vocals) and Darol Anger ( fiddle ). Sam Bush Band tours extensively, appearing at many small venues and large festivals such as

3596-604: Was in 1987. The topical and narrative themes of many bluegrass songs are highly reminiscent of folk music. Many songs that are widely considered to be bluegrass are in reality older works legitimately classified as folk or old-time music that are performed in the bluegrass style. The interplay between bluegrass and folk forms has been academically studied. Folklorist Neil Rosenberg, for example, shows that most devoted bluegrass fans and musicians are familiar with traditional folk songs and old-time music and that these songs are often played at shows, festivals, and jams . "Bluegrass"

3658-407: Was known to experiment with instrumentation; he once even used a string orchestra, choir, and pre-recorded bird-song track. Apart from specific instrumentation, a distinguishing characteristic of bluegrass is vocal harmony featuring two, three, or four parts, often with a dissonant or modal sound in the highest voice (see modal frame ), a style described as the "high, lonesome sound." Commonly,

3720-682: Was most famously employed by the Osborne Brothers who first employed it during their time with MGM records in the latter half of the 1950s. This vocal arrangement would become the trademark of the Osbornes' sound with Bobby's high, clear voice at the top of the vocal stack. Additionally, the Stanley Brothers also utilized a high baritone part on several of their trios recorded for Columbia records during their time with that label (1949–1952). Mandolin player Pee Wee Lambert sang

3782-490: Was one of the first instruments to be brought into America. It became popular due to its small size and versatility. Fiddles are also used in country , classical , cajun , and old time music. Banjos were brought to America through the African slave trade. They began receiving attention from white Americans when minstrel shows incorporated the banjo as part of their acts. The " clawhammer ", or two finger style playing,

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3844-494: Was popular before the Civil War. Now, however, banjo players use mainly the three-finger picking style made popular by banjoists such as Earl Scruggs . Guitars are used primarily for rhythmic purposes. Other instruments may provide a solo on top of the guitar during breaks , guitarists may also provide these solos on occasion. The instrument originates from eighteenth century Spain, but there were no American-made models until

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