Old-Time Music Site of Gregory Smits

What is old-time music?

In terms of conventional genres, "old-time music" would be a subset of folk music. Today's old-time music comes from what was called "hillbilly music" during the middle of the 1920s through the early 30s. This hillbilly music consisted of certain styles of rural music that record companies judged to have potential for broader commercial appeal. Record sales was its main impetus. Today's old-time music also reflects the influence of folklorists and folk song ideologues, especially those active during the "revivalist" years 1950s and 60s. Both the brief boom in commercial hillbilly music early in the twentieth century and the search for "authentic" rural roots by folklore enthusiasts in the middle decades of the century reflect nostalgia combined with anxiety about modernity. Of course, one need not know or care about the historical development of old-time music to enjoy it. Old-time music is not bluegrass, although it is one of the roots of bluegrass.

More about this site . . .

In recent years, I have also become interested in Irish and Scottish traditional music, which are the main sources of Appalachian traditional music. You will notice that I have illustrated these pages with images from the brushes of Renaissance-era European painters (and a Ming-era Chinese painting on this page). Although these illustrations depict old music--and probably old folk music in many cases--they obviously have little or no direct connection to the music of rural America. They are, however, much more colorful than photos from the 1920s, and many of the old-time ballads do go back that far. So feel free to imagine that the musicians in the paintings are singing songs like Lord Randal and playing tunes like Greensleeves. To see actual old-time music enthusiasts in action, go to the photo galleries.