Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

So… am I a heretic?

#1

Hey folks… So, I’ve been listening to a LOT of music here of late… trying to acclimate my ear to this new journey I’m on. (Again, my background is a piano player my entire adult life (I’m 54) playing mainly Southern Gospel music)

I’ve come to realize something very quickly. I LOVE bluegrass MUSIC. I’ve yet to find a bluegrass song that I don’t like… the music to.

But, y’all, I just do NOT like bluegrass singing. Perhaps I’m listening to the wrong stuff. Are there any groups that sing more, normally?

I am truly NOT trying to be offensive… I’m just being honest with what I’m hearing. So, am I just a heretic (I suspect there will many who think so)?

By the way, I’m loving the solo flatpicking guitar stuff I’m slowly finding too.

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#2

If you haven’t already, listen to Alison Krauss & Union Station, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Blue Highway, Ronnie Bowman, Tony Rice, Junior Sisk - the list could go on and on (those are just some of my favorites) - and see if there’s not some singing there you like! It’s definitely a different style of singing than Southern Gospel but I think it’ll grow on you :grinning:

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#3

Hi @PopsInABox Tom

See if this hit’s the mark…

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#4

Or maybe this one.

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#5

Or these

#6

Who are some vocalists you normally like and some in BG you dislike? I might be able to offer some recommendations :slightly_smiling_face:

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#7

Indeed! Thanks for posting this.

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#8

So I absolutely love the Isaacs.

What I don’t like (geez I’m gonna get myself in trouble)… in particular is the forced, falsetto male voice stuff.

#9

This one is meh for me… the music is great… Not a fan of the nasally, male voice. I sound like a jerk and I don’t mean to. Maybe I should just delete all this and move on.

Sorry folks.

#10

You don’t have to like them all. There are many others I don’t like.

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#11

1st one was fine… .music was great… at least that fella sang in his own register.

2nd one… not so much

#12

Yeah… I just gotta find some I like… and you’ve helped with that… thank you.

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#13

You may end up preferring female vocalists— hard to beat Amanda Smith and Alison Krauss in that dept. Male baritone singers have become prominent in bluegrass as well. Tony is the obvious example…



but I also really like Ronnie Bowman and currently Adam Miller of the Lonesome River Band.

Trey Hensley and Josh Williams sing in more of a baritone country style than bluegrass IMO, you may dig them:


Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver is my favorite traditional bluegrass vocal group, and if you enjoy gospel music like the Isaacs I think you’ll dig the vocal blend of DLQ. His group has had many lineups throughout the years so if you don’t like a particular singer you can usually find another variation of his group with one you do :laughing:

Also, this is a longer shot (less under the umbrella of the normal bluegrass sound), but for me you just can’t beat John Cowan of New Grass Revival. He’s much more of a rock or soul singer than bluegrass.

All this being said… I really like nasally male singers, so I may not be the best guy to ask.

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#14

Here are a few more

#15

So the New Grass Revival is interesting… His voice is more like traditional SG quartet tenor voices. It’s neither nasally nor falsetto. It’s just his register. Which I found I didn’t mind while listening to them. To me, they sound very much like a SG trio.

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#16

Yeah, he really has incredible technique. He can get up there like crazy too but it usually doesn’t sound forced.

#17

Ok… the Jimmy Martin and Osborne Brothers are perfect examples of what I am finding I do not like.

I’m gonna stop now before someone gets mad at me. I appreciate the suggestions and the time it took to post them… I’ll keep hunting… Some of this I can listen to for sure.

Again, I absolutely LOVE the music. This is obviously a me problem. But, well, I’m the one listening :stuck_out_tongue:

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#18

No one is gonna get mad at you here. We are a friendly bunch. fear

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#19

Tom, I’m not a fan of every kind of vocals found in traditional bluegrass either, so you’re not alone. But fortunately, there’s so much variety out there. This forum, and bluegrass folks in general are all pretty welcoming to a variety of vocal styles…that’s one of things that makes it (and the folks behind it) so great!

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#20

We’ve had worse conversations in the past about our liking of bluegrass vocalists. :smile:

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