Country and bluegrass music – both legendary forms of American music – originated in the southern Appalachians and continue to thrive in the region today. In 1927, A.P. Carter and the Carter family, along with Jimmie Rodgers – all of whom would become creative icons and founders of Country music – recorded their first songs in Bristol, Tennessee.

A.P. Carter wrote many classic original songs of his own or with his family, like "You Are My Flower," "Hello Stranger," "No Telephone in Heaven," and "I Never Will Marry," as well as adapting versions of traditional songs such as "Wildwood Flower," "Dixie Darling," and "Foggy Mountain Top," among others. The origins of these traditional songs date back to the British Isles and Scottish Highlands. They were passed down to subsequent generations – as they were in the Carter clan. Some were adapted and modified as time passed, while others stayed more or less exactly the same.

In the late 1930s and 1940s, mountaineer Bill Monroe invented his own style of traditional string music as he incorporated all the major instrumental elements of mountain music – the mandolin, guitar, banjo, fiddle, bass, and dobro – combined with unusual, intricately layered harmonies and lead vocals with masterfully written lyrics. This illustrious high and lonesome sound is now known as bluegrass music.

Monroe, like A.P. Carter, was a superb and prolific songwriter as well, credited with penning over 100 original songs, including "Blue Moon of Kentucky," which eventually became a hit rock ballad for Elvis Presley. Most of Monroe’s songs remain staples for touring bluegrass bands today.

Tony Rice, Flatt and Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, Doc and Merle Watson, Sam Bush, J.D Crowe, Raymond Fairchild, Doyle Lawson, Shawn Camp, and Bobby Hicks – just to name a few – perpetuated the legacy of Monroe while writing new songs of their own as they blazed creative and innovative musical trails in the universe of modern mountain music. They created a genre now more commonly known as Americana music – a cultural stew of all these elements emphasizing the best qualities of traditional Appalachian music.

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Original mountain music continues to be generated and resonate across these storied hills as Americana musicians and songsmiths like Jim Lauderdale, Charles Humphrey III, Charlie Chamberlain, Marty Dodson, and Darren Nicholson hone their craft in honoring their own mountain musical heroes by creating new songs for future generations – and inspiring them to create new tunes of their own.

Mountain Memories Productions is proud to team with Roadmaster Stage to present their first annual Songwriters Camp and Concerts on June 2-3, 2023.

Grammy winners and nominees Jim Lauderdale, Charles Humphrey III, Marty Dodson, and Charlie Chamberlain, along with other great performers from the Songs From The Road Band, will entertain you and educate you in creating your own songs – and even recording your own demo tape – as well as two awesome concerts, both performed in an intimate VIP setting! 

Concerts are included for campers, but tickets can be purchased separately for non-participants. Space is limited, so please go to mountainmemoriesproductions.com or visit our social media pages for further details pertaining to this once in a lifetime event – don’t miss it!

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