Sunday, May 01, 2005
Oklahoma’s music festivals run the scale
From the North Texas e-News
Oklahoma’s music heritage can only be described as eclectic. From The Light Crust Doughboys and Woody Guthrie, to the Gap Band and The Flaming Lips, Oklahoma has produced an amazing array of musical styles and stars. Oklahoma’s early Jazz scene produced stars, like Charlie Christian and the Oklahoma City Blue Devils.
We can even claim our own Red Dirt genre, with bands like Red Dirt Rangers, The Great Divide, and Cross Canadian Ragweed, among others. The current crop of Country stars, like Reba, Garth, Vince, and Toby, are descended from the likes of Wanda Jackson and Roger Miller. Bob Dunn, from Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, is considered the father of the electric guitar, even though you may have thought it was Les Paul. Dunn’s recordings with electric steel guitar were the first of their kind way back in the 1930s. Some Oklahoma musicians are bona fide legends, like Byron Berline, J.J. Cale, and Jesse Ed Davis.
olk music, which covers a lot of territory these days, gets its due at several events around the state. The biggest might be the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, held in his hometown of Okemah, July 13-17.
Bluegrass may be another form of folk music but this music genre has its own spotlight in Oklahoma and may be the state’s most popular form of musical entertainment. Bluegrass with world flavor fills the air at the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival in Guthrie, Sept. 29-Oct. 1.
If Western Swing is your thing, Pawhuska hosts the Bob Wills Festival, Sept. 10. Western Hills Guest Ranch, Wagoner, has the Oklahoma State Fiddlers Jam, Aug. 18-20, and the Western Swing Weekend, Nov. 3-5.
Read the article
North Texas e-News
Oklahoma’s music heritage can only be described as eclectic. From The Light Crust Doughboys and Woody Guthrie, to the Gap Band and The Flaming Lips, Oklahoma has produced an amazing array of musical styles and stars. Oklahoma’s early Jazz scene produced stars, like Charlie Christian and the Oklahoma City Blue Devils.
We can even claim our own Red Dirt genre, with bands like Red Dirt Rangers, The Great Divide, and Cross Canadian Ragweed, among others. The current crop of Country stars, like Reba, Garth, Vince, and Toby, are descended from the likes of Wanda Jackson and Roger Miller. Bob Dunn, from Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, is considered the father of the electric guitar, even though you may have thought it was Les Paul. Dunn’s recordings with electric steel guitar were the first of their kind way back in the 1930s. Some Oklahoma musicians are bona fide legends, like Byron Berline, J.J. Cale, and Jesse Ed Davis.
olk music, which covers a lot of territory these days, gets its due at several events around the state. The biggest might be the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, held in his hometown of Okemah, July 13-17.
Bluegrass may be another form of folk music but this music genre has its own spotlight in Oklahoma and may be the state’s most popular form of musical entertainment. Bluegrass with world flavor fills the air at the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival in Guthrie, Sept. 29-Oct. 1.
If Western Swing is your thing, Pawhuska hosts the Bob Wills Festival, Sept. 10. Western Hills Guest Ranch, Wagoner, has the Oklahoma State Fiddlers Jam, Aug. 18-20, and the Western Swing Weekend, Nov. 3-5.
Read the article
North Texas e-News
# posted by Dave Sichak @ 9:54 AM 
