The roots of bluegrass can be traced to the Scottish and English settlers who brought it to Appalachia in the 18th century, but when Appalachian migrants fled the mountains for the cities following World War II, Baltimore became, for a time, the capital of Bluegrass, and some of its finest practitioners could be heard in bars and in home jam sessions all around town. One of the breakout groups of the 1950s was the Stoney Mountain Boys, a Baltimore group who became the first bluegrass band to appear in Carnegie Hall.
On Sunday night, Tim Newby, a Baltimore based author and historian, will host a launch party and concert for his new book which chronicles the history of Bluegrass in Baltimore. The book is called Bluegrass in Baltimore: The Hard Drivin’ Sound and Its Legacy. The launch party will take place at the Creative Alliance in East Baltimore at 7:00 p.m. with musicians Caleb Stine, Chris Jacobs, and many others.
