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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.
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“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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