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The U.S. state of Washington has been home to many popular musicians and several major hotbeds of musical innovation throughout its history. The largest city in the state, Seattle, is known for being the birthplace of grunge as well as a major contributor to the evolution of punk rock, indie music, folk, and hip hop.
Dec 22, 2005 · Music played a deeply spiritual role in the lives of the Pacific Northwest's First Peoples for eons prior to the beginning of recorded time. Much of this age-old music has survived by being passed do
- Bing Crosby, “Black Ball Ferry Line” (1951) It was in the unique acoustics of Spokane’s Clemmer Theater that Bing Crosby developed his trademark singing style.
- Bonnie Guitar, “Dark Moon” (1957) Out of Washington’s thriving 1950s country music scene arose guitarist and vocalist Bonnie Guitar—the Northwest’s first country music star.
- The Wailers, “Louie Louie” (1961) Northwest anthem “Louie Louie” started as a calypso-doo wop song by Louisiana native Richard Berry, who first recorded it in 1957.
- The Ventures, “Walk, Don’t Run” (1964) Instrumental band The Ventures popularized the surf sound. The Tacoma group still performs today, over a half-century after recording the classic “Walk, Don’t Run,” one of those songs you know even if you don’t think you do.
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- Bing Crosby, “Black Ball Ferry Line” (1951)
- Bonnie Guitar, “Dark Moon” (1957) Out of Washington’s thriving 1950s country music scene arose guitarist and vocalist Bonnie Guitar — the Northwest’s first country music star.
- The Wailers, “Louie Louie” (1961)
- The Ventures, “Walk, Don’t Run” (1964) Instrumental band The Ventures popularized the surf sound. The Tacoma group still performs today, over a half-century after recording the classic “Walk, Don’t Run,” one of those songs you know even if you don’t think you do.
- “Aurora” by Foo Fighters
- “Posse on Broadway” by Sir-Mix-A-Lot
- “Hello Seattle” by Owl City
- “My OH My” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
- “This Place Is A Prison” by The Postal Service
- “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle” by Nirvana
- “Seattle” by Perry Como
- “Sunny in Seattle” by Blake Shelton
- “The Shadow of Seattle” by Marcy Playground
- “Working Titles” by Damien Jurado
First on our list, we have Dave Grohl. He began his infamous music career as the drummer for Seattle grunge legends Nirvana. However, after the death of Kurt Cobain, Grohl formed the Foo Fightersand, against all odds, began the second half of his career as an alternative rock frontman. Grohl’s “Aurora,” from the album There Is Nothing Left to Lose,...
American record producer, songwriter, and rapper Sir Mix-A-Lotis often associated with the one-hit-wonder category for his massive 1992 hit single “Baby Got Back.” But for those in Washington, he’s recognized as one of the first MCs of 1980s hip-hop to reach fame outside of New York or California. The rapper’s 1988 single “Posse on Broadway” was a ...
Owl City is the moniker of electro-pop singer-songwriter Adam Young. Before catapulting to fame with his single “Fireflies,” Young was recording songs on his computer in Minnesota. One of the first of these songs was “Hello Seattle.” The lyrics are short on references to Washington, which isn’t surprising considering Young’s Midwest upbringing. How...
Though the Seattle Mariners has been long-suffering, everyone in Washington still loves their baseball team. When they lost their longtime play-by-play announcer Dave Niehaus, the entire city mourned. Macklemore is one of the biggest modern names in Seattle music. His experiences growing up listening to the Mariners inspired him to record “My Oh My...
Though singer-songwriter Ben Gibbardhas been a fixture in the Washington music scene for decades through his work with alternative rockers Death Cab For Cutie, his mainstream breakthrough came courtesy of his side project, the Postal Service. Along with electronic musician Dntel, Gibbard’s “This Place Is A Prison” uses the Cascade Range and Puget S...
Nirvana wrote “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle” as a tribute to the Seattle actress and her struggles with mental health issues. Farmerwas involuntarily committed to psychiatric hospitals throughout her life. Cobain saw parallels between himself and Farmer, especially in how the media treats mental health issues and celebrities. The...
The song “Seattle” is Perry Como’s cover of the theme song for Here Come the Brides. While the TV show takes place in Seattle during the nineteenth century, the singer cracked the top 40 in 1969 for his single. Given the subject theme of the show, the song’s lyrics sidestep modern-day Seattle references—instead opting for celebrating the beauty of ...
Country crooner Blake Sheltonuses Seattle’s notoriously gloomy weather to outline how strong his love is for his partner on the track “Sunny In Seattle.” Shelton sings of his loving devotion as never-fading—unless the sun shines in Seattle. It’s a romantic sentiment, just don’t tell Shelton that Seattle gets about 152 days of sun a year! Regardless...
Though they were from the opposite side of the country, alternative rock trio Marcy Playgroundrecorded a tongue-in-cheek salute to grunge, “The Shadow of Seattle,” on their debut album. The band didn’t expect to become a commercial success associated with the Seattle-centric 1990s sound when they first began writing. But now they are considered a o...
Seattle singer-songwriter Damien Juradohas been influencing the indie sound of the Pacific Northwest and beyond for over two decades. His literate lyrics and musical experimentations make him a mercurial figure, and all his trademarks are present on the track “Working Titles.” Over swells of female doo-wop vocals, the song is an opaquely lyrical vi...
"Washington, My Home" (sometimes stylized "Washington My Home") is the state song of Washington, in the United States. It was composed in 1951 by Helen Davis and set to music by Stuart Churchill under the name "America, My Home".
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For your organization or library, he can present an educational music program or workshop which highlights some of the songs written or sung during George Washington’s time in the 18th century, including songs written in honor Washington, and the rarely heard song sung at his Presidential Inauguration in New York in 1789.
