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[Western Music] Bluegrass masterpieces: recommended popular and signature songs

music writerKOH-1
Started working as a music writer as a side job while employed at a record shop, and for over 18 years I’ve contributed to music magazines, disc guide books, mooks, and web media. As a writer my main field is Western music, but as a listener for over 35 years, I always try to keep my curiosity alive with the motto “I like what I like.” I have experience playing in bands, where I was a bassist who handled songwriting and composition. Instruments I’ve played include bass, guitar, and piano. I began studying English in my mid-40s and continue to do so today.

Bluegrass music is an acoustic genre that developed in the United States based on the traditional music of Scotland and Ireland.

Because the pioneering figure Bill Monroe was from Kentucky, the term “bluegrass,” which is both the name of a pasture grass and the state’s nickname, came into use.

It features ensembles centered on acoustic instruments, with the bright, lively sounds of banjo and fiddle being especially characteristic.

In this article, we present a lineup focused on classic songs in the traditional bluegrass style.

It’s a recommended selection even for beginners, so please take this opportunity to check it out.

[Western Music] Bluegrass Masterpieces: Recommended Popular and Iconic Songs (1–10)

Black Mountain RagDoc Watson

Doc Watson – Black Mountain Rag

Black Mountain RagDoc Watson

Doc Watson, known as a blind guitarist and singer, profoundly influenced later artists with his rapid flatpicking technique called cross-picking.

Let’s introduce the traditional classic “Black Mountain Rag,” a piece Doc performed across a range of genres—not only bluegrass but also blues, country, and folk.

Originally popular in the late 1930s under the title “Black Mountain Blues,” it became a hit in the 1940s when fiddler Curly Fox recorded it as “Black Mountain Rag.” In 2006, Doc released a compilation bearing the same title, featuring recordings from the 1980s, with “Black Mountain Rag” as the opening track.

The astonishingly fast picking in the latter half—quintessential Doc—is not to be missed!

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Appalachian Mountain GirlAlan Jackson

Alan Jackson – Appalachian Mountain Girl

Appalachian Mountain GirlAlan Jackson

Since releasing his second album, Here in the Real World, in 1990, Alan Jackson has remained at the forefront of American country music.

Armed with a musical style that expertly blends a rootsy honky-tonk sound with contemporary country elements, he has also released works in genres like bluegrass and gospel.

Boasting record-breaking sales and numerous prestigious awards, Jackson released an album in 2013 aptly titled The Bluegrass Album—his first-ever bluegrass record—on which he wrote and composed half of the tracks himself.

From those original songs, let’s highlight Appalachian Mountain Girl, a quintessential bluegrass number.

With its cheerful fiddle, smooth guitar and banjo, and the resonant tones of mandolin, it stands as a modern bluegrass classic.

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Tortured, Tangled HeartsDixie Chicks

The Chicks – Tortured, Tangled Hearts (Official Audio)

Tortured, Tangled HeartsDixie Chicks

While rooted in country and bluegrass and achieving record-breaking success in the pop arena, the female group Dixie Chicks has sold over 30 million records worldwide.

Known for speaking out on political and social issues, they released the album Home in 2002, a work notable for its strongly traditional character, which includes the track Tortured, Tangled Hearts.

Although it wasn’t released as a single, it has the feel of upbeat, classic bluegrass and fits perfectly with the theme of this article.

That said, the lyrics are not cheerful; the song is laden with irony.

Considering the controversies the group became embroiled in afterward, it all feels rather suggestive, doesn’t it?

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I’ll Fly AwayGillian Welch & Alison Krauss

I’ll Fly Away

I'll Fly AwayGillian Welch & Alison Krauss

The gospel song “I’ll Fly Away,” composed by Albert E.

Brumley in 1929, is frequently performed at worship services and funerals in the United States.

It’s also famous as a bluegrass standard and is often called the most recorded gospel song.

Spanning genres, it has been beloved for decades, with reggae and hip-hop renditions such as “Rastaman Chant” covered by Bob Marley & The Wailers in 1973 and a cover by Kanye West on his 2004 album The College Dropout.

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Orange Blossom SpecialThe Charlie Daniels Band

The Charlie Daniels Band – Orange Blossom Special (Live)

Orange Blossom SpecialThe Charlie Daniels Band

Orange Blossom Special, themed on the luxury passenger train connecting New York and Miami, was composed in 1938 by Ervin T.

Rouse.

Its freewheeling fiddle sound and the sense of speed reminiscent of a fast-running train make it especially popular within bluegrass.

Johnny Cash even named an album after the song, and it is also known for covers by The Moody Brothers and Electric Light Orchestra.

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