Some Good Things About The South -- Music, Part 2

Continuing the discussion on some good things about the South, let's finish up the music category. We previously covered the blues, gospel, spirituals and country. Tonight, we take a look at rhythm and blues, soul music, bluegrass, jazz and Appalachian folk music:

Rhythm and Blues -- Soul, funk, jazz and blues all rolled into one, R&B has transformed over the years from the precursor of rock 'n' roll to today's more "pop"-type soul. New Orleans-born Fats Domino is one of the greats from any genre, but his "boogie woogie" style and beaming personality set him apart from just about any R&B artist. (We're thankful he survived Hurricane Katrina, although almost all of his gold records were looted.) New Orleans also brings us Irma Thomas and the Nevilles. Then there's the great Ms. Tina Turner (ne Anna Mae Bullock of Nutbush, Tenn. These days, the king of R&B is Usher, born in Chattanooga, Tenn., and a longtime resident of Atlanta.

Soul -- It's hard to distinguish who is R&B and who is soul. Soul, the experts say, is more influenced by gospel than the jazzy sound that built R&B. It goes more in this time order: spirituals, jazz/blues, R&B and then soul. The lines are certainly blurred. But when I think soul, I think less "rock/blues" and more "pop." There's Aretha Franklin (born in Tennessee, although raised in Detroit), the late greats Ray Charles and Sam Cooke (Georgia and Mississippi, respectively), The Godfather James Brown (South Carolina/Georgia), Otis Redding (Georgia), Wilson Pickett and Percy Sledge (Alabama). Now that's music.

Bluegrass -- I have to admit I don't listen to a lot of bluegrass, but there is something quite soothing about it. Perhaps its Scots-Irish background calls my ancestors upon me or something. But if you only buy a couple of CDs for your collection, make sure one of them is from Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys (including the greats Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs) and the other is from Ricky Skaggs (who, like Monroe, is from Kentucky).

Jazz -- From New Orleans' whorehouses -- and inspired by Texas native Scott Joplin -- comes America's "classical music." Louis Armstrong (Louisiana), Dizzy Gillespie (South Carolina), Ella Fitzgerald (Virginia), John Coltrane (North Carolina) ... and until you've seen a jazz funeral through the French Quarter, well, you haven't lived my friend.

Folk Music -- Woody Guthrie was born in the border state of Oklahoma, but spent a great deal of time in Texas. Regardless, his music was deeply influenced by the hill people of Appalachia, who combined their different ancestral styles into one. If you want to hear true Southern folk, check out anything by Tommy Jarrell of North Carolina.

So that's music. What should BaT cover in its next installment: cuisine, politics, dialect, literature or sports?