ABOUT THIS BOOK

In the twentieth century, Appalachian migrants seeking economic opportunities relocated to southwestern Ohio, bringing their music with them. Between 1947 and 1989, they created an internationally renowned capital for the thriving bluegrass music genre, centered on the industrial region of Cincinnati, Dayton, Hamilton, Middletown, and Springfield. Fred Bartenstein and Curtis W. Ellison edit a collection of eyewitness narratives and in-depth analyses that explore southwestern Ohio’s bluegrass musicians, radio broadcasters, recording studios, record labels, and performance venues, along with the music’s contributions to religious activities, community development, and public education. As the bluegrass scene grew, southwestern Ohio's distinctive sounds reached new fans and influenced those everywhere who continue to play, produce, and love roots music.

Revelatory and multifaceted, Industrial Strength Bluegrass shares the inspiring story of a bluegrass hotbed and the people who created it.

Contributors: Fred Bartenstein, Curtis W. Ellison, Jon Hartley Fox, Rick Good, Lily Isaacs, Ben Krakauer, Mac McDivitt, Nathan McGee, Daniel Mullins, Joe Mullins, Larry Nager, Phillip J. Obermiller, Bobby Osborne, and Neil V. Rosenberg.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Fred Bartenstein is an adjunct instructor in music at the University of Dayton. He is the editor of Bluegrass Bluesman, The Bluegrass Hall of Fame, and two anthologies of writings by folk arts impresario Joe Wilson. Curtis W. Ellison is a professor emeritus of history and American studies at Miami University. He is the author of Country Music Culture: From Hard Times to Heaven and editor of Donald Davidson’s The Big Ballad Jamboree.

REVIEWS

"If you believe that a purpose of volumes such as Industrial Strength Bluegrass is to stimulate thinking about a subject, then Industrial Strength Bluegrass serves its purpose well." --Journal of Folklore Research

"With its extensive notes and sources, this book is a rich resource of information and powerful insights into the people and times that left an indelible mark on bluegrass." --Bluegrass Unlimited

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword: Industrial Strength Bluegrass Neil V. Rosenberg
Notes from the Editors
Acknowledgments
A Southwestern Ohio Bluegrass Timeline
1 Appalachian Migration: Setting the Musical Stage in Southwestern Ohio Phillip J. Obermiller
2 Bobby Osborne Remembers How It Was Bobby Osborne and Joe Mullins
3 All the Way to the Fence: Bluegrass Broadcasting in the Miami Valley Daniel Mullins
4 Taking the Music Home: Bluegrass Recording Studios, Record Labels, and Record Stores Mac McDivitt
5 Sing Me Back Home: Early Bluegrass Venues in Southwestern Ohio Larry Nager
6 Using My Bible for a Roadmap: Sacred Bluegrass Music in the Miami Valley Fred Bartenstein
7 Green to Bluegrass: Reflections on an Unlikely Musical Career Lily Isaacs
8 Buckeyes in the Briar Patch: Southwestern Ohio Bluegrass in the 1970s Jon Hartley Fox
9 The Living Arts Center’s East Dayton Roots Rick Good
10 Bluegrass Music and Urban Appalachian Identity in Cincinnati Nathan McGee
11 Distinctive Qualities of Southwestern Ohio Bluegrass Ben Krakauer
Appendix A: Recommended Southwestern Ohio Bluegrass Recordings
Appendix B: For Further Reading
List of Contributors
Index