Activities: Sitting On A Back Porch

Strictly adhering to its heritage, traditional bluegrass is music performed in the style of the genre's founding father Bill Monroe -- that is, fast tempos, tight harmonies, and virtuosic banjo, mandolin, and fiddle playing.

Introspective folk-based songs to help you reflect during the fleeting moments of magic hour when the sun has dipped below the horizon but hasn't yet set.

Dating back to 1930s, these are some of the earliest recordings of blues music. Though it had humble beginnings, the blues music of the Mississippi Delta paved the way for rock & roll.

Listen to key tracks from today's most popular Americana albums, as measured by the Americana Music Association's weekly airplay chart.

These are the women who wander freely through the worlds of folk, country, bluegrass, and other Americana styles, stirring up a sound that evokes an evening spent watching the sun go down on a rural back porch.

Bluegrass is a genre of country music that emerged from Appalachia in the 1940s as a faster, more complex take on traditional string band music. Listen to the songs that have helped define this rich, and surprisingly diverse, musical tradition.

In memory of the life of Levon Helm (1940-2012), this playlist explores the country- and blues-flavored roots rock of The Band. Each recording on this playlist features a performance by Robbie, Rick, Richard, Garth or Levon.

From outlaw adventures to tales of romantic woe, these vintage country tunes each have their own story to tell.

This playlist includes all of the early Texas blues pioneers, some of whom were the first to play the blues with an electric guitar.

Johnny Cash called the Bristol sessions of 1927 "the most important event in the history of country music." This open-mike recording session for Appalachia's "hillbilly" musicians was the commercial debut of Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family.

Developed by John Fahey and artists on his Takoma Records label, this finger-picking style of guitar playing combines country and blues techniques with neo-classical composition.

Some of the heaviest hitters ever to hoist a bluegrass axe, from the old school (Bill Monroe) to the new crew (Chris Thile).

Praise is at the heart of the south's black gospel tradition. Spirituals blend with blues and jazz, sung with soul as solos, trios, and quartets. Testify!

Long before the blues went electric and urban, these rural pioneers were laying down the foundations of the genre, usually with no more than a voice and acoustic guitar.