A style of American country music that grew in the 1940s from the music of Bill Monroe and his group the Blue Grass Boys. It combines elements of dance, home entertainment and religious folk music of the south-eastern highlands.
Bands have four to seven singers, who accompany themselves on acoustic string instruments.
The repertory includes traditional folksongs and newly composed pieces. In the 1970s, 'newgrass' groups combined bluegrass style with rock songs and techniques. All rights reserved.