Music of Idaho
Encyclopedia
Idaho
has produced a number of musicians and bands, including pop star Paul Revere
and Doug Martsch
of Built to Spill
. Nikki Sixx
(bassist of glam metal
band Mötley Crüe
) grew up in Jerome, Idaho
. Moscow, Idaho
is also the home town of modern folk
/country
/indie songwriter Josh Ritter
. Rosalie Sorrels
is also a renowned folk singer as well as Lee Penn Sky, and Norm Weinstein is a prominent critic known in the jazz
world.
The town of Weiser
has held fiddling
contests since the 1890s, when the instrument
arrived in Idaho on the Oregon Trail
. Since the early 1950s, Weiser has been home to the National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest
, held in June and hosting more than 20,000 people a year. There is also a National Oldtime Fiddlers' Hall of Fame .
Notably, every year Boise State University
holds the annual Gene Harris Jazz Festival, in which schools from all over the nation, as well as famous musicians, come to celebrate Jazz as an art form. A similar event is held at the University of Idaho
, called the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival.
Major music venues include the L.E. and Thelma E. Stephens Performing Arts Center at Idaho State University
in Pocatello
. Idaho State University's Department of Music is among the most important institutions of musical education in the state.
Small and large venues exist throughout downtown Boise, though the former consists of mostly bars and coffee shops (i.e. the Neurolux), and the larger remain concert halls and arenas (i.e. Taco Bell Arena and Quest Arena). Perhaps the most popular concert house is the Knitting Factory (formerly the Big Easy), as well as The Venue, which caters to the hardcore/local music scene, as well as mostly younger audiences. Although many famous artists and musicians play in Boise, it can be the case that larger acts will pass up Boise in favor of venues in Salt Lake City, Utah
and Portland
, Oregon
.
Idaho Falls is home to a very small number of venues that house the small local music scene (though many local shows are played in basements and at private residences).
Rexburg, Idaho
also has a budding local music scene, with many of the bands being formed by students at BYU-Idaho. The most notable (and one of the only) venue(s) in Rexburg is Club Stratta
Marcus Eaton is a self taught lyricist and musician from the mountains of Idaho. His unique flavor of indie/folk music has influences of mainstream pop, rock, flamenco, reggae, jazz and classical. Marcus currently lives in Boise, Idaho
and is the son of Boise blues musician Steve Eaton.
Curtis Stigers
is a jazz vocalist and saxophonist with several top ten singles and acclaimed albums. He is featured on the Bodyguard soundtrack and his 2003 album "You Inspire Me" was named top jazz album by The Times. Curtis is an avid mountain biker living in Boise, Idaho
.
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
has produced a number of musicians and bands, including pop star Paul Revere
Paul Revere & the Raiders
Paul Revere & the Raiders is an American rock band that saw considerable U.S. mainstream success in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s with hits such as "Kicks" , "Hungry" , "Him Or Me - What's It Gonna Be?" and the 1971 No...
and Doug Martsch
Doug Martsch
Doug Martsch is an American musician. Martsch, a native of Boise, Idaho, is best known for his distinctive vocals and guitar style in the band Built to Spill. He has also worked with Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening in The Halo Benders. Martsch's first band was Farm Days, with Andy Capps and Brett...
of Built to Spill
Built to Spill
Built to Spill is an American indie rock band based in Boise, Idaho. The band has released seven full-length albums. Their most recent album, There Is No Enemy, was released on October 6, 2009.-History:...
. Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx is an American musician, songwriter, author, fashion designer, radio host, and photographer, best known as the co-founder and bassist of the band Mötley Crüe. Prior to forming Mötley Crüe, Sixx was a member of Sister before going on to form London with his Sister band mate Lizzie Grey...
(bassist of glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
band Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
) grew up in Jerome, Idaho
Jerome, Idaho
Jerome is a city in Jerome County, Idaho, U.S.A. The population was 10,890 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Jerome County, and sits at an elevation of 3763 feet above sea level. It is part of the Twin Falls, Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Jerome is located at ...
. Moscow, Idaho
Moscow, Idaho
Moscow is a city in northern Idaho, situated along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the most populous city and county seat of Latah County and the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state...
is also the home town of modern folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
/country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
/indie songwriter Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and author who performs and records with The Royal City Band. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006 he was named one of the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" by Paste magazine.- Early life :Josh...
. Rosalie Sorrels
Rosalie Sorrels
Rosalie Sorrels is an American folk singer-songwriter who resides in the mountains near Boise, Idaho. She began her public career as a singer and collector of traditional folksongs in the late 1950s. During the early 1960s she left her husband and began traveling and performing at music festivals...
is also a renowned folk singer as well as Lee Penn Sky, and Norm Weinstein is a prominent critic known in the jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
world.
The town of Weiser
Weiser, Idaho
Weiser is a city in the rural western part of the U.S. state of Idaho and the county seat of Washington County. With its mild climate, the city supports farm, orchard, and livestock endeavors in the vicinity. The city sits at the confluence of the Weiser River with the great Snake River, which...
has held fiddling
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
contests since the 1890s, when the instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
arrived in Idaho on the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
. Since the early 1950s, Weiser has been home to the National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest
National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest
The National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest is a competition, festival and musical gathering held annually during the third full week in June, in Weiser, Idaho. It is often referred to as 'Weiser'. The contest draws musicians from across the country. Nearly 7000 people come for the week and almost 350...
, held in June and hosting more than 20,000 people a year. There is also a National Oldtime Fiddlers' Hall of Fame .
Music venues and institutions
There is an Idaho Symphony Orchestra, Idaho Falls Symphony Orchestra, Coeur d'Alene Symphony Orchestra (founded in 1981), Idaho State Civic Symphony, Magic Valley Symphony and a Washington Idaho Symphony. The Idaho State Civic Symphony is the oldest in the state, having been founded in the early 1900s .Notably, every year Boise State University
Boise State University
Boise State University is a public university located in Boise, Idaho. Originally founded in 1932 as a junior college by the Episcopal Church, the university became an independent institution in 1934, and has been awarding baccalaureate and master degrees since 1965...
holds the annual Gene Harris Jazz Festival, in which schools from all over the nation, as well as famous musicians, come to celebrate Jazz as an art form. A similar event is held at the University of Idaho
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
, called the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival.
Major music venues include the L.E. and Thelma E. Stephens Performing Arts Center at Idaho State University
Idaho State University
Idaho State University is a public university located in Pocatello, Idaho. It has outreach programs in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Falls, Boise, and Twin Falls....
in Pocatello
Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello is the county seat and largest city of Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock...
. Idaho State University's Department of Music is among the most important institutions of musical education in the state.
Small and large venues exist throughout downtown Boise, though the former consists of mostly bars and coffee shops (i.e. the Neurolux), and the larger remain concert halls and arenas (i.e. Taco Bell Arena and Quest Arena). Perhaps the most popular concert house is the Knitting Factory (formerly the Big Easy), as well as The Venue, which caters to the hardcore/local music scene, as well as mostly younger audiences. Although many famous artists and musicians play in Boise, it can be the case that larger acts will pass up Boise in favor of venues in Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
Idaho Falls is home to a very small number of venues that house the small local music scene (though many local shows are played in basements and at private residences).
Rexburg, Idaho
Rexburg, Idaho
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 17,257 people, 4,274 households, and 2,393 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,534.4 people per square mile . There were 4,533 housing units at an average density of 928.4 per square mile...
also has a budding local music scene, with many of the bands being formed by students at BYU-Idaho. The most notable (and one of the only) venue(s) in Rexburg is Club Stratta
Marcus Eaton is a self taught lyricist and musician from the mountains of Idaho. His unique flavor of indie/folk music has influences of mainstream pop, rock, flamenco, reggae, jazz and classical. Marcus currently lives in Boise, Idaho
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
and is the son of Boise blues musician Steve Eaton.
Curtis Stigers
Curtis Stigers
Curtis Stigers is an American jazz vocalist, saxophonist, guitarist, and songwriter.-Early life and career:Stigers was born in Boise, Idaho, and started his music career as a teenager, playing in jazz, rock and blues groups, as well as receiving formal training in clarinet and saxophone at high...
is a jazz vocalist and saxophonist with several top ten singles and acclaimed albums. He is featured on the Bodyguard soundtrack and his 2003 album "You Inspire Me" was named top jazz album by The Times. Curtis is an avid mountain biker living in Boise, Idaho
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
.