This image is the cover for the book The Scotch-Irish Influence on Country Music in the Carolinas: Border Ballads, Fiddle Tunes and Sacred Songs

The Scotch-Irish Influence on Country Music in the Carolinas: Border Ballads, Fiddle Tunes and Sacred Songs

Country music in the Carolinas and the southern Appalachian Mountains owes a tremendous debt to freedom-loving Scotch-Irish pioneers who settled the southern backcountry during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. These hardy Protestant settlers brought with them from Lowland Scotland, Northern England and the Ulster Province of Ireland music that created the essential framework for "old-time string band music." From the cabins of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains to the textile mills and urban centers of the Carolina foothills, this colorful, passionate, heartfelt music transformed the culture of America and the world and laid the foundation for western swing, bluegrass, rockabilly and modern country music. Author Michael Scoggins takes a trip to the roots of country music in the Carolinas.

Michael C. Scoggins

Michael Scoggins is a historian with the Culture and Heritage Museums in York, SC, and research director at the Southern Revolutionary War Institute. He has written many books including, York, The Day it Rained Militia, Historic York County, A Brief History of Historic Brattonsville, and others. Sarah Peasall McGuffey is an experienced musician, performer, and songwriter. She is a lead vocalist and guitarist for the Grammy-award winning group, The Peasall Sisters. Sarah has received awards from the Country Music Association, the International Bluegrass Music Association, and the American Country Music Association.

The History Press