The City of Maine has a long-standing tradition of folk fiddling, and this has inspired many bluegrass music artists of today. Some well-known bluegrass artists from Maine include Jimmy Cox and The White brothers of the Kentucky Colonels.
Another notable aspect of the Maine musical culture is the Contra dances held throughout the state to music from live bands using instruments like fiddles, banjo, mandolin, bass, etc. and up to the modern-day selections of music including Hip-hop, Pop, and even EDM.
Known for her interest in playing various classic genres of music on different concerts, securing a space for the next Maine Concerts is something you can’t wait to do.
There is also a wide selection of musical talents and exceptional famous musicians in Maine who were also the talk of the city in their prime. Five of these have been discussed below.
5. Andrew Taggart
Born in 1989 at Portland, ME, this talented Mainer is one of the pairs that make up the Grammy Award-winning duo, “Chainsmokers”. His early involvement in music is worth to be reckoned with as he started drumming lessons at the age of 12.
As a High schooler, Andrew discovered Electronic Dance Music (EDM). In 2012, he joined Alex Pall in his Chainsmokers crew, and together they rebranded it to focus on EDM. The fantastic duo came into the global limelight with the release of their viral track “Selfie” written by Andrew.
Their award-winning singles, “an EP”, Grammy Award-winning “Don’t let me down” and Grammy-nominated “Closer” are one of their top-rated tracks.
4. Patty Griffin
Patty is a folk songwriter-singer, guitarist and pianist. Born in Old Town, in 1964, she is a well-known name in the folk music circles. Her songwriting style is unique and has a quality that just pulls at your heartstrings. This talented Mainer has won several awards for her music. This includes ‘Artist of the Year’ from the Americana Music Association, in 2007, and also, her album “Children Running Through” also won her an award for Best Album. In 2011, the “Downtown Church” album was nominated for and won the Grammy for Best Traditional Gospel Album.
3. Howie Day
Howard Kern Day, singer and songwriter, started his music career in the late ‘90s as a solo artist. In 2000, He released his self-financed debut album, Australia. But its performance was quite underwhelming.
His track “Collide” changed all that. Released as a single in 2014, this song has gotten so much air-play that it’s probably playing in your head now.
This song has been featured on several high-rated TV shows like One Tree Hill, Grey’s Anatomy, Bones, Scrubs, etc. And in 2005, his album “Stop The World Now” was certified Gold.
2. Lenny Breau
This legendary vast guitarist was born in 1941 in Auburn, ME. He incorporated different genres into his style, including Jazz, classical, country, and even flamenco.
He started playing his favorite instrument at the age of eight, and by fourteen, he was playing as the lead guitarist with his parents’ band.
He pioneered the use of the seven-string guitar like a Piano, and so opened up new options for playing the guitar.
After his death (suspected murder), a documentary was released about his life, style of music and contributions to the music industry.
This film won a Gemini Award and reawakened people’s thirst for his music. The year 1997 saw him posthumously inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of fame.
1. Juliana Hatfield
Juliana Hatfield is a singer, songwriter and indie-rock artist. She was a member of the rock bands Blake Babies, Some Girls, The Juliana Hatfield Three, and The Lemonheads.
In 2014, her beautifully rendered cover of “Needle in the Hay” was named in the top 10 Best Cover songs of 2014, by Paste.
Juliana’s album “Whatever, My Love” was named by Stereogum as one of the most anticipated albums of 2015 and also by Consequence of Sound as one of their fifty (50) most anticipated albums of the year, 2015.
Courtesy of Anna Melnikova
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