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The Adam Reid Griffith Music Library

There always has to be an "other" section.  In this case, my "other" section consists of country, folk, and international music, etc.  There isn't much here at the moment, but I'll hopefully be changing that soon.

Johnny Cash.  I can't possibly talk about Johnny Cash any better than Allmusic.com does, so check out the link below.  I will say, however, that he was one of the biggest giants in country music.  I will hopefully be picking up a recording of Hank Williams (Sr.) sometime soon (done!).  Allmusic describes Hank Williams as "the father of contemporary country music...he established the rules for all the country performers who followed him and, in the process, much of popular music."  Indeed, if one looks at the roots of rock and roll in America, at artists like Elvis and the Everly Brothers, there is little distinction between "country", "rock & roll", and "rockabilly".  I should point out that the only styles of country that I like are traditional country (Hank Williams, Johnny Cash), bluegrass, and western swing.  For the most part, I cannot stand "alternative country", "contemporary country", "country-pop", and "progressive country".

Folk/Celtic music is the basis of traditional Appalachian music (think Oh Brother, Where Art Thou), which I grew up with in Tennessee.  I don't have a whole lot to say about the music, other than I feel a little bit closer to home when I listen to it -- slightly nostalgic, more peaceful, and more at-ease.  Lúnasa is a traditional Irish band that visited Caltech during my second year of grad school.  They played very well and were extremely entertaining, so I picked up one of their albums after the show.  It's a good album and I really need to listen to it more often.