Tune in

“For the times, they are a-changing.”

Bob Dylan’s famous lyric about social turmoil in the 1960s is also true for the history and future of American music. Dylan is one of dozens of American music icons featured in “New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music,” a traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibit, on display through Oct. 31 at the Dorothy Page Museum in Wasilla.

“This is all about American roots music, which basically encompasses where our musical history begins,” said Bethany Buckingham, the museum’s curator.

Like much of what has become the melting pot of the United States, our music “is a mix of everything,” she said. “Our American sound has this mix of Native American, African and European combining together to make new styles. That’s where you come up with the spirituals, gospel, blues, country. If you look at bluegrass and the Appalachian music, for example, that actually came from old English ballads that were brought over to the United States. And the banjo? It’s actually from Africa.”

Visitors walking through the doors at the Dorothy Page Museum are greeted by a large, winding display taking them through the history and roots of American music. The audio and visual journey explores widely recognized forms like spirituals, gospel, bluegrass, country, blues and 1960s revival, as well as more obscure forms like zydeco, klezmer and tejano.

The key is to listen and recognize how these musical genres have influenced the sounds of today, Buckingham said.

“You can hear how they have influenced our current music,” she said. “If you listen to (contemporary) jazz, it actually has its background in the blues. I enjoy listening to music, but after have this exhibit here, I appreciate how it’s blossomed.”

Along with visual exhibits consisting of album covers and biographies of musicians, New Harmonies also features a listening station and a rock concert stage in the museum’s basement. On stage, visitors can dress up like their favorite rock star and jam out on inflatable guitars. The listening station has headsets and a panel that can play examples of 24 kinds of American roots music.

It was near the listening station where local musician Spenard Johnny found a part of the exhibit dedicated to Mississippi John Hurt, one of the first influential country blues musicians.

“I love him, and I play a lot of his music,” he said. “I was surprised they had him, because he was somebody I thought I discovered.”

Spenard Johnny said he plays guitar, bass guitar and autoharp, and was surprised to learn what the B.B. stands for in B.B. King’s name.

“I didn’t know B.B. King’s name stands for Blues Boy,” he said, then was struck by a large photo in the 1960s revival exhibit. “Wow, there’s Dylan and these guys here. That’s a cool picture, with Peter, Paul and Mary and Bob Dylan.”

Wasilla City Councilwoman Dianne Woodruff took an opportunity Saturday to visit the museum and was mesmerized by the Smithsonian exhibit.

“This is very cool,” she said. “Kudos to Bethany for bringing this here. It’s just so cool, it’s fun and the listening station in the back is not to be missed.”

Walking through the roots of American music helped Woodruff reflect on the role music plays in everyday life.

“It’s our history, it’s our past, it’s our present and it’s our future,” she said. “As far as I know, the world has always had music. We’ve always created music out of anything available. We’ve used music as a way of mourning, a way of celebrating, of getting through the day. Can you imagine getting into your car and not having the radio or a CD? It’s gotten people through the good times and the bad forever.”

Music and the New Harmonies is a window to America’s musical past, but also an excuse for Buckingham to sneak into the back of the museum during slow times.

“I go in the back and push the buttons and dance to the polka.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.