Some Of My Favourite Bluegrass

I grew up in the hills a couple of hours south of Nashville, in the heartland of country music. The radio played songs like Imagine That and Where The Green Grass Grows, but I never imagined that I would end up living in a place where the grass is as green as it is here in Ireland. I also married a girl from the mountains of Virginia, and her family helped me discover a world of music where the grass is not green—it’s blue. Bluegrass is a part of my cultural heritage (with deep roots in traditional Irish music as well), and my love for it has only grown with time. So today I’d like to share my favourite bluegrass tunes with you.

First up, a fantastic singer who blurs the line between country and bluegrass. It’s always a pleasure to hear Alison Krauss, and even better when she sings this tribute to her grandfather. I want a simple love like that, too:

It’s rare to find a band that consistently combines excellent musicianship with excellent lyrics, but The Arcadian Wild does it all. Here’s a series of songs from them called “Principium”—four songs that beautifully tell the story of our creation, fall, and redemption:

You don’t always need a singer. Here’s some great bluegrass from a true master, Béla Fleck:

The singing is good too, though. One of the things I love most about bluegrass is the harmonies. I’m With Her does them exceedingly well, as in this song:

Chelsea Moon and the Franz Brothers have done a couple of hymn projects including many of my life-long favourite songs. This one is a song I loved growing up, but you hardly ever hear it anymore. Does that make me old? I don’t know, but I love this version of Trust and Obey:

Nickel Creek is well-known for good reason, although this is one of their lesser-known tracks. I like the music, though, and I also like the twist in the lyrics at the end:

Last but not least, Julie Miller sings my favourite version of a fantastic song:

If you made it this far, you probably appreciate bluegrass, too—what songs would you recommend? I’d love to hear them.