From the quaint settings of some humble bars to the stupendous stages of America’s music festivals, bluegrass music has reached each corner and everything in between. With that in mind, here are 10 quintessential bluegrass albums, both traditional and contemporary, you should listen to in order to entrench yourself with one of America’s oldest genres of music.
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1. Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Sporting the number one spot on our list is the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s 1972 album, Will the Circle Be Unbroken. The album itself is a love letter to the genre, as it includes staple bluegrass tunes “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” and “Wabash Cannonball.” All in all, if you’re an orthodox bluegrass fan, this is the album for you, as it showcases the aspects that make bluegrass what it is, which are pitch-perfect harmonies, acoustic riffs, and folkloric lyrics that tell a great story.
2. Foggy Mountain Jamboree, Flatt & Scruggs
Another album that perfectly exemplifies bluegrass in its purest form is Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs’ 1957 album Foggy Mountain Jamboree. The album is not overproduced and includes songs like “Flint Hill Special,” which will make you dance like someone is shooting at your feet, along with endearing ballads like “Jimmie Brown, the Newsboy.” Everything about this album encapsulates the genre of bluegrass. Thus, if you’re looking for another quintessential classic, here you go.
3. Home, Billy Strings
For a taste of a more progressive and contemporary type of bluegrass, give a listen to Billy Strings’ 2019 album Home. Traditional bluegrass genre tropes still reside within this album, however, Strings seamlessly weaves in psychedelic and folk-rock elements through the clever use of producing done by Glenn Brown. Songs on the album that showcase this fresh spin are “Highway Hypnosis,” “Always From the Mire,” “Guitar Piece,” and “Enough to Leave.” Strings’ groundbreaking take on the genre scored him a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album.
4. Skaggs & Rice, Tony Rice and Ricky Skaggs
This wouldn’t be any kind of bluegrass list if the names Tony Rice and Ricky Skaggs weren’t mentioned. That being said, Rice and Skaggs’ 1980 LP Skaggs & Rice is yet another ideal album that portrays the genre with the utmost originality. The reason for that is that the whole entire album is merely Rice on guitar and Skaggs on the mandolin, nothing more and nothing less.
5. Paper Airplane, Alison Krauss & Union Station
Another contemporary take on the genre is Alison Krauss’ 2011 Paper Airplane. The album still celebrates and utilizes the original bluegrass techniques, however, it also leans on Krauss’ booming vocals with little room for harmonizing with other vocalists. In response to its quality, Krauss received a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album.
6. Memories, Doc Watson
Doc Watson is often overlooked as one of the best guitarists of all time. Though, his 1975 album Memories perfectly showcases his impressive guitar skills in a highly complex album. Songs on the album that exemplify his generational talent are “Miss the Mississippi and You,” “Double File and Salt Creek,” and “Shady Grove.”
7. Cuttin’ Grass: Vol. 1-The Butcher Shoppe Sessions, Sturgill Simpson
Often proclaimed as “The Savior of Country Music,” Sturgill Simpson proves this title to be true with his 2020 album Cuttin’ Grass: Vol. 1-The Butcher Shoppe Sessions. That being said, the album has become a premiere example of how the mixture of contemporary and traditional bluegrass music can still be relevant if performed and written by the right artist.
8. Why Should the Fire Die, Nickel Creek
Out of all the albums on the list, Nickel Creek’s 2005 album Why Should The Fire Die? is possibly the most unique given its heavy indie undertones and use of electric instruments. While indie and electric are two elements that are usually never present in bluegrass music, the use of both serves them right as the album received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
9. Back Porch Bluegrass, The Dillards
Kicking it back to the classics, The Dillards’ 1963 album Back Porch Bluegrass is yet another quintessential bluegrass album that highlights the genre in its most authentic state. Furthermore, the album includes the song “Duelin’ Banjo,” which is often credited with helping birth the classic “Dueling Banjos” from the classic film Deliverance.
10. The Mountain, Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band
Lastly, this 1999 Steve Earle album was the first purely bluegrass album Earle ever recorded, and he did so while paying homage to the founder of bluegrass, Bill Monroe. Despite this being Earle’s first bluegrass album, he still received a Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass Album.
(Photo by Per Ole Hagen/Redferns)
