Industrial Strength Bluegrass

Brought by Appalachian migrants in search of jobs, bluegrass soon established itself as the cornerstone of a thriving music scene in southwestern Ohio. Fred Bartenstein and Curtis W. Ellison edit a collection of eyewitness narratives and in-depth analyses that explore southwestern Ohio’s bluegrass musicians, radio broadcasters, recording studios, record labels, performance venues, and festivals. The collection ranges from histories of the arrival of migrating "briars" to artists' accounts of their experiences and careers. As the scene grew, bluegrass reached new fans unconnected to Appalachia, nurtured the careers of the Osborne Brothers and others, and became an important facet of local public education and community development. The region's distinctive sound, meanwhile, influenced the wider world of bluegrass and roots music and the people who played it, produced it, and loved it.
 
Revelatory and multifaceted, Industrial Strength Bluegrass shares the inspiring story of a bluegrass hotbed and the people who created it.
 
Contributors: Fred Bartenstein, Curtis W. Ellison, Jon Hartley Fox, Rick Good, Lily Isaacs, Ben Krakauer, Russell “Mac” McDivitt, Nathan McGee, Daniel Mullins, Joe Mullins, Larry Nager, Phillip J. Obermiller, Bobby Osborne, and Neil V. Rosenberg