# What cities are considered the capitals/homes/roots of various music genres and why **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 8, 2013, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443 "2013-01-08T03:45:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/1 "2013-01-08T03:45:48Z")
So I am assuming grunge has its roots in Seattle. I’ve heard Tampa FL is the death metal capital of the US. Nashville is home of country. LA is probably home of hair metal bands. London (and maybe NYC) is home of punk. So where does all this come from where one city is considered the capital of a certain music type? Is it just because one or two groundbreaking bands starts from/relocates to these cities and other bands follow, which causes other bands, fans and record companies relocating to the area creating a snowball effect? Is Seattle the home of grunge because Nirvana started there, because the culture is in tune with the message of grunge, because bands relocated there for the previous 2 reasons or something else? What about other music genres (jazz, r&b, rock, folk, etc). Does folk rock (Chapin, Stevens, Donovan) have a capital or home city? Are most music capital cities in the US or are there a lot of international music cities? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/2 "2013-01-08T03:56:23Z")
I’m not sure every genre has a “capital,” but maybe a concentration. You’re right that similar musicians group together (birds of a feather) because they feed off of and enjoy each other’s styles. I’d say jazz originated from the South, New Orleans in particular. Both rock and R&B are black-based, so also had a southern source. With Elvis, it expanded into the white world and moved north and west. I can’t think of any concentration of folk other than where Woody Guthrie went, there it was. Folk by its very nature is among the people, scattered. Then with the recording era, musicians often gathered where the studios were; that’s where the work was. Studios begat night clubs, and vice versa. West Coast had movie studios, New York had audio, then TV studios, at least at first. It’s a little like car dealers – if you have a Ford, Chevy and Mercedes dealership on a strip, you’re likely to get a VW dealer soon to join next. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/3 "2013-01-08T06:22:38Z")
Here’s a link to four lists (arranged alphabetically) of musical genres. You have to click on each of the alphabetical sections to see the lists. The entries talk about the genres and (where appropriate) the place they originated: > **[List of music genres and styles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_music_styles)** > > This is a list of music genres and styles. Music can be described in terms of many genres and styles. Classifications are often arbitrary, and may be disputed and closely related forms often overlap. Larger genres and styles comprise more specific sub-categories. > North American > East Asian It’s astonishing how many genres there are which aren’t well known outside of a particular area. Do you know what Go-go is? It’s pretty much confined to Washington, D.C. and its suburbs. It’s vaguely like funk, hip-hop, and rhythm and blues: > **[Go-go](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go-go)** > > Go-go is a subgenre of funk music with an emphasis on specific rhythmic patterns, and live audience call and response. > Go-go was originated by African-American musicians in the Washington, D.C., during the mid-60s to late-70s. Go-go has limited popularity in other areas, but maintains a devoted audience in the Washington metropolitan area as a uniquely regional music style and was named the official music of Washington, D.C., in February 2020. > Performers associated with the development of the... ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/4 "2013-01-08T06:40:00Z")
Bakersfield CA was a big progressive Country scene in the early 60’s. Called the Bakersfield sound. Merle Haggard and Buck Owens are two of the better known. Bakersfield influenced modern Country for the next few decades. It was the start of including electric guitars in a country band. [http://countrymusichalloffame.org/current/view/the-bakersfield-sound-buck-owens-merle-haggard-and-california-country](http://countrymusichalloffame.org/current/view/the-bakersfield-sound-buck-owens-merle-haggard-and-california-country) > [@](#): > > The working-class city of Bakersfield, California, gave birth to an exciting, raw-edged style of country music that enjoyed tremendous popularity in the 1960s and continues to resonate with musicians and fans today. Buck Owens and Merle Haggard were the most successful exponents of the Bakersfield Sound, with its piercing electric guitars, unsweetened barroom feel, and honest, down-to-earth songs. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/5 "2013-01-08T06:48:59Z")
[Telluride CO](http://www.bluegrass.com/telluride/) unofficial home of [Slamgrass](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leftover_Salmon) tsfr ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/6 "2013-01-08T08:41:29Z")
Mersey Beat & Canterbury Scene. Muscle Shoals & Motown were two very different kinds of Soul Music in the Sixties. A lot of music came out of Athens, Georgia in the early Eighties, most famously B52s and REM. But it covered several genres so there wasn’t any name for that scene. Kansas City grew a specific kind of jazz scene. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/7 "2013-01-08T09:15:29Z")
Not sure how much penetration it had in the USA, but here in the UK there was Madchester from, umm, Manchester which was a genre (or sub-genre really) of psychedelic rock / dance. Most notable bands on the Madchester scene being The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, New Order and my favourite; The Fall. At the centre of this was the Hacienda nightclub. ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/8 "2013-01-08T09:37:42Z")
Swamp Pop seems to have originated in New Orleans possible because it all seems to derive from Fats Domino. Folk music may not be connected historically to any one area but it certainly would never have thrived as it did without all of the clubs in and around New York City and Greenwich Village. NYC was also the home of Vanguard Records which had folk performers from the 30’s to the 60’s as a staple in their catalogue. John Hammond who travelled the U.S and more to do his library of Congress recordings was also located in NYC and very important to Vanguard as well. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/9 "2013-01-08T10:41:38Z")
Kingston, Jamaica for reggae. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/10 "2013-01-08T11:25:28Z")
[Motown](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motown) started in Detroit. The original Hitsville USA recording studio is now the [Motown Museum](http://www.motownmuseum.org/). ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/11 "2013-01-08T12:22:10Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > Not sure how much penetration it had in the USA, but here in the UK there was Madchester from, umm, Manchester which was a genre (or sub-genre really) of psychedelic rock / dance. Most notable bands on the Madchester scene being The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, New Order and my favourite; The Fall. > > At the centre of this was the Hacienda nightclub. I’d say New Order and The Fall don’t really belong in the Madchester (AKA Baggy) basket even if Wikipedia thinks so. They predate it by too much and anyway have a different sound, IMO. Other bands like Inspiral Carpets or James do. Even the Charlatans, but they’re not Mancunian IIRC, and they blend nicely into the later Britpop of Blur, Oasis etc. Sometimes it’s just a small area that has a noticeable population of bands, likely because of the live venues there e.g the Camden/Shoegazer genre AKA [The Scene That Celebrates Itself](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scene_That_Celebrates_Itself). ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/12 "2013-01-08T13:04:04Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I’d say New Order and The Fall don’t really belong in the Madchester (AKA Baggy) basket even if Wikipedia thinks so. They predate it by too much and anyway have a different sound, IMO. Other bands like Inspiral Carpets or James do. Even the Charlatans, but they’re not Mancunian IIRC, and they blend nicely into the later Britpop of Blur, Oasis etc. > > Sometimes it’s just a small area that has a noticeable population of bands, likely because of the live venues there e.g the Camden/Shoegazer genre AKA [The Scene That Celebrates Itself](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scene_That_Celebrates_Itself). Yeah, I’d certainly agree with you on The Fall, they’re pretty much a genre on their own (well I say “they”, I pretty much consider Mark E Smith to **be** The Fall), and the others you mention are probably guilty by association rather than a “true” part of Madchester. I think New Order do just about squeeze in there though, and The Charlatans definitely do although you’re right, they’re not actually Mancunian… close enough though. Once you get past the Watford Gap it’s all “The Norf” to me anyway 😛 ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/13 "2013-01-08T13:17:37Z")
I’ve often heard Doolin, Co. Clare called the home of traditional Irish music but I’m sure lots of people from other trad hotbeds would beg to differ. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/14 "2013-01-08T13:47:14Z")
The Blues started in “The Delta” Mississippi. Chicago is the home of the electric blues. Southern California is home to both surf and country rock I believe. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/15 "2013-01-08T14:00:31Z")
The Boss-Town Sound from Boston. 😉 San Francisco was considered the center of psychedelic music in the 60s and 70s. Los Angeles was the center of “corporate rock” – a derisory term for songs that were cranked out solely to be hits. ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine_and_Smiles)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/16 "2013-01-08T14:06:12Z")
Two from the techno world: [Detroit Techno](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_techno) [Baltimore Club](Baltimore Club). I’ll editorialize a little and add that Baltimore club is some really ridiculous, annoying, shoddy sounding stuff. It can be pretty fun. But geez even for techno it’s samey! ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/17 "2013-01-08T14:38:01Z")
Hyphy, a rap subgenre, hails from Oakland/Bay Area, California. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/18 "2013-01-08T14:38:24Z")
There have been quite a few cities associated with classical music, but if I had to pick one, it would be Vienna. Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms lived there, along with all the Strausses, Lehar, Schönberg and many lesser composers. In fact, most of their graves are in a tiny area within the city’s main cemetery. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/19 "2013-01-08T14:38:54Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > … LA is probably home of hair metal bands. London (and maybe NYC) is home of punk. … Definitely NY, if only for [CBGB(OMFUG)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBGB) and to maybe a slightly lesser extant[The Mudd Club](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudd_Club). I’m sure lots of smaller venues in the city and 'cross the river in Hoboken too. > [@](#): > > … {[CBGB](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBGB)} Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the Patti Smith Group, Mink DeVille, The Dead Boys, The Dictators, The Fleshtones, The Voidoids, The Cramps, The B-52’s, Blondie, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, The Shirts, and Talking Heads. From the early 80’s until its later years, it would mainly become known for Hardcore punk with bands such as Agnostic Front, Murphy’s Law, U.S. Chaos, Cro-Mags, Warzone, Gorilla Biscuits, Sick of It All, and Youth of Today becoming synonymous with the club. … > [@](#): > > … [The Mudd Club](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudd_Club) was frequented by many of Manhattan’s up-and-coming cult celebrities. Individuals associated with the venue included musicians Lou Reed, Johnny Thunders, David Byrne, Debbie Harry, Arto Lindsay, John Lurie, Nico with Jim Tisdall, Lydia Lunch, X, The Cramps and The Bongos; artists Jean-Michel Basquiat and his then girlfriend Madonna[3] and (later) Keith Haring;[4] performers Klaus Nomi and John Sex … Its live music policy was best known for New York “No Wave” bands like DNA, The Contortions, and Basquiat’s band Gray. The B-52’s did their first New York concert at the Mudd Club; the group Talking Heads performed songs from their new album Fear of Music there to a packed crowd of punk rockers. Punk also sprung some [California roots](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_rock_in_California) too, > [@](#): > > … Starting in 1976, following recent releases of recordings by punk bands such as the Ramones, The Sex Pistols, and The Damned, a number of punk bands formed in the Los Angeles area. Among these bands in L.A. were The Weirdos, The Germs, The Plugz, The Controllers, The Skulls, The Dils, Black Randy and the Metrosquad, Catholic Discipline, The Go-Go’s, The Screamers, The Dickies, X, The Zeros, The Alley Cats, and The Bags. > > Many bands also formed in the San Francisco Bay Area; Crime, The Avengers, The Nuns, Mutants, The Units, Flipper, Negative Trend, The Offs, and the Dead Kennedys. California punk of this period was musically very eclectic, and the punk scene of the time included a number of bands whose sound strongly crossed over to Art/experimental Punk, new wave, synthpunk, Rockabilly, and hard rock. > > In 1978 in Southern California, the first hardcore punk bands arose, including The Middle Class, Black Flag, Vicious Circle, and the Circle Jerks (in late 1978). Hardcore bands and fans tended to be younger than the art punks of the older LA scene and came mainly from the suburban parts of the Los Angeles area, especially the South Bay and Orange County and San Diego. This resulted in a rivalry between the older artsy “Hollywood” scene and the hardcore “suburban”, “surf punk”, or “beach punk” scene. Those in the “Hollywood” scene often disliked what they saw as the musical narrowness of hardcore and the violence associated with “suburban” punks (the South Bay and Orange County punk scenes had a particular reputation for violence), while the “suburban” punks looked down on what they perceived as the lack of intensity of older “Hollywood” bands (The Germs being a notable exception with lead singer Darby Crash) and the fashion consciousness of “Hollywood” punks. The Penelope Spheeris documentary The Decline of Western Civilization, shot in early 1979 and early 1980, documents the period when the older LA punk scene was being completely taken over by hardcore and features performances by bands from both scenes. … CMC ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443/20 "2013-01-08T14:48:56Z")
Well, the capitals of musical theater are New York (the style is, after all, usually just called “Broadway”…) and London. I’d second Vienna as the most logical capital of classical music. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-are-considered-the-capitals-homes-roots-of-various-music-genres-and-why/646443.md?page=2)