With an influx of Appalachian migrants who came looking for work in the 1940s and 1950s, Baltimore found itself populated by some extraordinary mountain musicians and was for a brief time the center of the Bluegrass world. Life in Baltimore for these musicians was not easy. There were missed opportunities, personal demons and always the up-hill battle with prejudice against their hillbilly origins. Based upon interviews with legendary players from the Golden Age of Baltimore Bluegrass, this book provides the first in-depth coverage of this transplanted-roots music and its broader influence, detailing the struggles Appalachian musicians faced in a big city that looked down on their “poorest example of poor man's music.“

For thirty years, Leftover Salmon has blended musical styles from rock and bluegrass to zydeco and Cajun into an undeniably original sound and forever influenced generations of bands from across the musical spectrum. Emerging from the progressive bluegrass world and coming of age as one the original jam bands, Leftover Salmon rose to become architects of what has become known as Jamgrass-a style in which bluegrass can break free through nontraditional instrumentation and stylistic experimentation. In this book, Tim Newby presents an intimate portrait of Leftover Salmon through its band members, family, friends, former bandmates, managers, and countless musicians. Leftover Salmon was born from the heart and soul of America itself, playing music that reflects the sounds emanating from the Appalachian hills, the streets of New Orleans, the clubs of Chicago, the plains of Texas, and the mountains in their home state of Colorado. Newby reveals Leftover Salmon's story as one that is crucialto American music and needs to be told now.