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While the South has a rich tradition of deeply rooted
music forms—Appalachian, Blues, Bluegrass, Cajun,
Country and Gospel among them —the region is
also home to numerous transplanted music traditions.
Music from Asian, Caribbean, Latino and Native American
communities is constantly evolving and flourishing
in new environments. |
“Rhythm & Roots is a tribute to all of the musical
forms that come together to create the Southern sound,”
said Gerri Combs, Executive Director of Southern Arts Federation.
“The Rhythm & Roots exhibit, part of our Southern
Visions program, showcases key Southern musicians and the
instruments they play.”
Musicians recognized as “early innovators”
are Thomas A. Dorsey, known as Georgia Tom and often referred
to as the Father of African-American Gospel; Charley Patton,
called Father of Delta Blues for his bluesman artistry and
lifestyle; Arnold Schultz, a Kentuckian whose thumb-picking
brought him acclaim on the guitar; and Dewitt “Snuffy”
Jenkins and Earl Scruggs, both of whom drew on the distinctive
five-string banjo traditions of their native west North
Carolina, where players plucked the string with the thumb,
index and middle fingers in a fluid style influenced by
local fiddle music.
Scruggs, half of the famed Flatt and Scruggs duo, perfected
the syncopated 3-finger roll with breakneck tempos and virtuoso
technique.
Two Southern musicians noted in the exhibit for bringing
their sounds to Northern audiences are Dewey Balfa, among
the first to perform Cajun music outside of his home in
Louisiana, and North Carolinian Wade Mainer, who recorded
bluegrass at Midwest recording studios and catered to industrial
workers in Michigan and Ohio.
Many innovative instruments created and/or mastered by
Southern artists are featured, including an original Chikantar,
made by Clarksdale’s own James “Super Chikan”
Johnson, and has been on loan to the traveling exhibit from
the Delta Blues Museum.
Other artifacts featured in Rhythm & Roots, Southern
Music Traditions include a fretless banjo, fiddle, dulcimer,
lyra, shiffarobe fiddle, cigarbox fiddle, accordion, tit
fer (triangle), frottoir, goombay drum, cowbells, shekere,
rada drum and mandolin. The exhibition’s accompanying
audio guide gives visitors an opportunity to hear samples
of the music and instruments shown in the exhibit.
Rhythm & Roots explores the musical traditions of both
indigenous cultures of Native Americans as well as those
of more recent arrivals to the South. The exhibition highlights
Cherokee musician Walker Calhoun and the music of the corn
dance in the American Indian Voices section.
Acknowledging the multicultural south, Rhythm & Roots
also explores the increasingly international flavor of music
being heard in the New South.
Rhythm & Roots is the latest addition to Southern Visions:
The Southern Arts & Culture Traveling Exhibits Program,
operated by the Southern Arts Federation. Since 1995, Southern
Visions has provided over 500,000 people with access to
artistically excellent exhibits celebrating the South’s
rich artistry and cultural heritage. The Southern Arts Federation’s
Southern Visions: The Folk Arts & Southern Culture Traveling
Exhibits Program is made possible through the generous support
of the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Rhythm & Roots, Southern Music Traditions exhibit
and opening reception are sponsored by the National Endowment
for the Arts, Southern Arts Federation, Mississippi Arts
Commission, Levingston’s Furniture, Hawkins, Stracener
& Gibson, Greenbough Nursing Center and Friends of the
Delta Blues Museum.
About the Southern Arts Federation
The mission of the Southern Arts Federation is to promote
and support the arts in the South; enhance the artistic
excellence and professionalism of Southern arts organizations
and artists; and serve the diverse populations of the South.
SAF works in partnership with state arts agencies of Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. For additional
information, visit www.SouthArts.org.
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