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How Mumford & Sons Made Bluegrass Cool Again

The vintage sound of bluegrass has intermittently weaved in and out of the mainstream over the years, thanks to Dolly Parton and Patty Loveless’ occasional ventures into the genre, Alison Krauss & Union Station’s Grammy Award-winning efforts, and of course the soundtrack to The Coen Brothers’ 2000 Oscar nominee, O Brother, Where Art Thou. But it never really penetrated the MTV generation until a certain tweed-loving London four-piece took it by the scruff of the neck when they arrived on the scene at the tail end of the 00s.

Traditionally renowned as a form of US roots music, dandy highwaymen Mumford and Sons might not have been the most obvious act to revolutionize bluegrass. But in fact, the ‘hillbilly’ sound was first developed by British and Irish immigrants, who brought over the ballads and reels of their homeland to Appalachia in the 18th Century, and later fused it with elements of jazz, blues and African-American music.

Of course Marcus Mumford and company’s take on the genre is a little more contemporary, owing just as much to the British nu-folk scene they created alongside the likes of Laura Marling and Noah & The Whale, which has since exploded not only in the UK, but around the world. With their references to literary icons Shakespeare, Homer, and John Steinbeck, their heart-on-sleeve personal tales are a far cry from the protest themes usually associated with its more traditional fare.

But by utilizing a typically bluegrass array of instruments, including the mandolin, accordion, banjo, dobro and upright bass, not to mention their impressive four-part harmonies, there’s little denying Mumford’s connection to the genre. Taking up the banjo at high school, Winston Marshall became a bluegrass aficionado, turning the rest of the band on to its old-time charms after initially honing his craft in Captain Kick and the Cowboy Ramblers and citing Earl Scruggs as a major influence following his death last year (“He invented my job! For those who hear the banjo as something other than a joke instrument, it’s thanks to him”).

The quartet have also embraced their bluegrass leanings, announcing an E.P. of bluegrass songs in 2010, which unfortunately never came to fruition, performing at a series of specialist events including the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and the Railroad Revival Tour, while also appearing in a feature-length documentary about the sound, The Porchlight Sessions.

Their acceptance into the mainstream was confirmed when their 2009 debut album, Sigh No More, slowly went on to sell over three million copies worldwide, top the charts in the UK and reach No.2 in the US, and help the band receive both the BRIT Award for British Album of the Year and six Grammy nominations.
Paving the way for the likes of similar nu-folk purveyors Dry The River and Stornoway, Mumford and Sons also gave a bit of a leg-up to those who were already established amongst the bluegrass community. The Devil Makes Three, Trampled By Turtles and Old Crow Medicine Show had all been plugging away since the turn of the 21st Century, but all received their highest chart position following their English counterparts’ breakthrough. Ryan Bingham scooped the Academy Award for Best Original Song for his contribution to Jeff Bridges’ drama Crazy Heart (“The Weary Kind”), whilst Nickel Creek mandolinist Chris Thile and Michael Daves received rave reviews for their 2011 collaboration, Sleep With One Eye Open, for reviving the old Flatt & Scruggs method of playing.

But it’s not just their music which has proven to be an inspiration. Their old-fashioned sense of style may not be too popular with Liam Gallagher (“they look like f*****g Amish people”), but it unintentionally sparked a whole new fashion craze, as high street stores scrambled to stock checked shirts, waistcoats and blazers for those wanting to replicate the country bumpkin look.

It remains to be seen whether their fashion or their folk will be their lasting legacy. But with their 2012 second studio effort Babel following the same musical path as its era-defining predecessor, the bluegrass sound seems set to remain in-vogue for at least a little longer yet.

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