Music of Montana

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Montana is the 41st state to enter the United States, and has a culturally-diverse population representing a broad spectrum of music genre, style, and instrumentation.

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Due to its migration patterns and place in the American West, Montana has a heritage of pioneer folk music and cowboy songs and poetry. The state also has a tradition of baroque, classical, and romantic era music: two prominent musical institutions, both classical, are the Great Falls Symphony Orchestra, which was established in 1958, and the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra, which was established in 1963. The Helena Symphony was founded in 1955 and is known to be one of the premier symphonies of Montana and the Northwest. The Billings Symphony and Chorus is the premier symphony in Montana, performing for the community throughout the year.

Montana has two official state songs: "Montana" and "Montana Melody." [1] [2]

Native American music

Montana is home to several Indian reservations and traditionally to more than two dozen distinct tribes, each with their own forms of music. These include the Blackfeet, Crow, Flathead, Cheyenne, Chippewa-Cree, Gros Ventre, Assiniboine, and Sioux. [3] An example of the modern synthesis of popular and traditional Native music in Montana is Jack Gladstone, a folk musician and lecturer/presenter who embraces Native themes, and who has collaborated with fellow Montana musician Rob Quist.[ citation needed ]

Montana country musicians include Rob Quist, formerly of the Mission Mountain Wood Band. The Bridger Creek Boys , of Bozeman, are a Bluegrass band that were finalists at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival's 2007 Best New Band Contest. [4]

Other popular musicians from Montana include Seattle's Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament (who attended the University of Montana), [5] and guitarist/producer Steve Albini. Grunge pioneer Bruce Fairweather is also from Montana.[ citation needed ]

Rock and roll musician Chan Romero of Billings is the writer of "Hippy Hippy Shake", a song that was often performed by The Beatles and was a hit for The Swinging Blue Jeans.

Another well known band includes Helena and Missoula's The Skoidats, who recorded on New York City's Moon Ska label in the late 1990s.[ citation needed ]

Lead singer Colin Meloy and members of the Portland band The Decemberists are from Montana, and were in a band named after the small town of Tarkio, in Mineral County. Meloy graduated from the University of Montana in 1998. Seattle's Modest Mouse lead singer Isaac Brock was born in Helena. [5]

Country singer Doug Adkins was born in Havre. [5] Country singer Randy Rhoads was born in Wolf Point, Montana and lived in Malta throughout most of his career as a recording artist for Blue Ridge Records. He appeared on TNN's Nashville Now with Ralph Emery twice.[ citation needed ]

John Mayer visited and fell in love with Livingston, where he bought a house and re-settled in the spring of 2012. His album Paradise Valley is named for where he lives in Montana and features country music influences. [6]

One of Montana's favorite modern era rock bands is Dawghouse from Helena. Jared Blake, Nashville singer/songwriter, finalist from season 1 of The Voice , sings about the beautiful Montana Skies in his song "Oak Tree" and the video was filmed in Montana. It features the Montana based Bikers Against Bullies USA non-profit organization and their national anti-bullying campaign.[ citation needed ]

The largest, indoor concert venue in Montana is the MetraPark Arena, which opened in 1975 in Billings.[ citation needed ]

Notable Songs about Montana

Electronic

Electronic music composer Ruth Anderson was born in Kalispell.[ citation needed ]

Independent music scene

In the Flathead Valley, some of the more popular acts are Marshall Catch (country tinged-rock), [8] Luke Dowler (rock/singer-songwriter), [9] God Fearing Women, and The Rockaholics.[ citation needed ]

Music education

Post-secondary educational institutions which offer a program or major in music include the University of Montana, Montana State University, Montana State University Billings, and Rocky Mountain College. [10] [11] [12] [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montana</span> U.S. state

Montana is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It borders Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan to the north. It is the fourth-largest state by area, the eighth-least populous state, and the third-least densely populated state. Its capital is Helena, while the most populous city is Billings. The western half of the state contains numerous mountain ranges, while the eastern half is characterized by western prairie terrain and badlands, with smaller mountain ranges found throughout the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bozeman, Montana</span> City in the United States

Bozeman is a city and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. Located in southwest Montana, the 2020 census put Bozeman's population at 53,293 making it the fourth-largest city in Montana. It is the principal city of the Bozeman, Montana, Micropolitan Statistical Area, consisting of all of Gallatin County with a population of 118,960. It is the fastest growing micropolitan statistical area in the United States in 2018, 2019 and 2020, as well as the second-largest of all Montana's statistical areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Montana</span> Region of Montana

Western Montana is the western region of the U.S. state of Montana. The most restrictive definition limits western Montana only to the parts of the state west of the Continental Divide. Other common definitions add in the mountainous areas east of the divide including Beaverhead, Gallatin, Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, Madison, and Park Counties. The region is sometimes considered to be part of the Inland Northwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin Meloy</span> American musician (born 1974)

Colin Patrick Henry Meloy is an American musician, singer-songwriter and author best known as the frontman of the Portland, Oregon, indie folk rock band the Decemberists. In addition to vocals, he performs with an acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki, harmonica and percussion instruments.

<i>5 Songs</i> (The Decemberists EP) 2001 EP by The Decemberists

5 Songs is a six-track EP by the Decemberists initially self-released in 2001. It is the first record the band released. The misleading title owes to the fact that the final track, "Apology Song", was written after the original self-produced CD was released. Meloy liked it so much that it was added to the album when it was re-released by Hush Records in 2003.

The Montana University System (MUS) was created on July 1, 1994, when the Montana Board of Regents of Higher Education restructured the state's public colleges and universities, with the goal of streamlining the state's higher education in the wake of decreased state funding. It has sixteen campuses divided among the two state university systems, and community colleges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helena High School</span> Public high school in Helena, Montana, United States

Helena High School is a public high school for grades 9 through 12 located in Helena, Montana, United States. It is part of the Helena Public School District. Founded in September 1876, it is the oldest high school in the state of Montana. A new building was completed in August 1935 and it was almost destroyed a few months later in the 1935 Helena earthquake. In 1955, the building became Helena Junior High School and Helena High School moved into its present location at 1300 Billings Avenue, just off Montana Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of Montana-related articles</span>

The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the U.S. state of Montana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montana High School Association</span> American high school athletic governing body

The Montana High School Association (MHSA) is the governing body of high school athletics in the state of Montana. It was founded in 1921 and today consists of 180+ member schools.

Eric Funk is an American contemporary classical composer and conductor. Originally from Deer Lodge, Montana, he currently resides in Bozeman, Montana, where he teaches music courses at Montana State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corey Stapleton</span> American politician (born 1967)

Corey Stapleton is an American politician and musician who served as the Secretary of State of Montana from 2017 to 2021. A Republican, he served as a member of the Montana State Senate from 2001 to 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission Mountain Wood Band</span> American bluegrass and country rock band

The Mission Mountain Wood Band, abbreviated M2WB, is an American bluegrass and country rock band formed in Missoula, Montana, US in 1971. They were noted for their vocal harmonies, multi-instrumental talent, and charismatic stage presence, particularly at Woodstock style regional concerts of the era such as the University of Montana's Aber Day Kegger. They spent time in New York City to further build their career, appeared on national television and toured 47 of the lower 48 states in a unique 1955 Greyhound Scenicruiser, performing up to 320 times a year both solo and as an opening act for other bands. The original five members were Rob Quist, Steve Riddle, Christian Johnson, Greg Reichenberg, and the late Terry Robinson, all of whom were UM students and born in Montana. Johnson was replaced with Kurt Bergeron after the band released their first album, In Without Knocking, in 1977. The band recorded two studio albums in their heyday, a third album after the band revamped as ‘’Montana’’, released a compilation of their older work in 2005, and put out two albums with new content in 2011 and 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Quist</span> American singer, instrumentalist, songwriter, and politician

Robert Ernest Quist is an American musician and politician, known for his work in bluegrass and country music. Originally a founding member of the Mission Mountain Wood Band, he plays guitar and banjo in addition to singing and songwriting. His songs have also been recorded by artists Michael Martin Murphey and Loretta Lynn, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional designations of Montana</span> Overview of the Regional designations of Montana

The Regional designations of Montana vary widely within the U.S state of Montana. The state is a large geographical area that is split by the Continental Divide, resulting in watersheds draining into the Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Hudson's Bay. The state is approximately 545 miles (877 km) east to west along the Canada–United States border and 320 miles (510 km) north to south. The fourth largest state in land area, it has been divided up in official and unofficial ways into a variety of regions. Additionally, Montana is part of a number of larger federal government administrative regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathleen Williams (politician)</span> American politician

Kathleen Williams is an American politician from Montana. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the nonpartisan Environmental Quality Council of the Montana Legislature and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. In 2010, she was elected to the Montana House of Representatives and served three two-year terms before retiring. In 2018 and 2020, Williams ran, unsuccessfully, as the Democratic nominee for Montana's at-large seat in the United States House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Montana's at-large congressional district special election</span>

In Montana, an at-large congressional district special election was held on May 25, 2017, to determine the member of the United States House of Representatives for Montana's at-large congressional district. The election was necessitated by incumbent Republican Representative Ryan Zinke's appointment as United States Secretary of the Interior. Zinke resigned on March 1, 2017, upon his confirmation.

Big Sky Pride is the current gay pride celebration held annually in Montana. Known as the Montana Pride Celebration from 2004–2013, Big Sky Pride took over from the Montana Pride Network in 2014.

References

  1. ↑ "Montana State Song". montanakids.com. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  2. ↑ "20 Songs About Montana - The State Song, John Denver, Hank Williams Jr. + More - Discovering Montana". 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  3. ↑ "Tribal Territories in Montana - Indian Education for All | Montana State University". www.montana.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  4. ↑ "Banjo Newsletter". Banjo Newsletter. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  5. 1 2 3 "10 Of The Greatest And Most Famous Musicians From Montana". Hello Music Theory: Learn Music Theory Online. 2022-03-03. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  6. ↑ DeCurtis, Anthony (2013-08-20). "Paradise Valley". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  7. ↑ Atlas, All American (2021-01-05). "23+ Songs about Montana to Make You Wish You Were There". All-American Atlas. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  8. ↑ "Monk's Bar Brings in Marshall Catch Band". Makeitmissoula.com. 2012-06-19. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  9. ↑ "10 Montana Bands You Should Listen to Now :: Music :: Lists :: Paste". Pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  10. ↑ "Music Education Studies". www.umt.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  11. ↑ "Music Education - School of Music | Montana State University". www.montana.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  12. ↑ "Program: Music Education K-12, BS - University of Montana Western - Acalog ACMS™". catalog.umwestern.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  13. ↑ "Music Teaching Licensure Option Bachelor of Arts Degree < Montana State University Billings". catalog.msubillings.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
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