Music of Indiana

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The music of Indiana was strongly influenced by a large number of German and Irish immigrants who arrived in the 1830s. A prime example is "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen" written by Thomas Westendorf, from Hendricks County, Indiana, in 1875.

Indiana was one of the first places where jazz music became popular outside of New Orleans and Chicago. In the late 1910s and through the 1920s the state had numerous bands of young musicians playing the new style for dancing.

Richmond, Indiana was home to Gennett Records, known for recording a wealth of jazz, blues, and country music in the 1920s. Gary, Indiana was home of Vee-Jay Records, known for blues, jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Indiana-born musicians and composers include John Mellencamp, Michael Jackson (also of Gary's The Jackson 5), Janet Jackson, Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds, John Hiatt, Steve Wariner, Hoosier Hot Shots, Harry Von Tilzer, Rich Mullins, Shirley Graham Du Bois, Hazel Harrison, May Aufderheide, Cecil Duane Crabb, Julia Lee Niebergall, Kris Roe, The Four Freshmen, The Ink Spots, The Spaniels, the Bill Gaither Trio, John Michael Talbot, Albert Von Tilzer, Cole Porter ("Night and Day", d.1964, buried in Peru, IN), Hoagy Carmichael (graduate of Indiana University, buried in Bloomington), Stuart Gorrell, Carrie Newcomer, Amanda Biggs, Janie Fricke, Lonnie Mack, Tiara Thomas, Henry Lee Summer; Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, and DJ Ashba (all of Guns N' Roses); David Lee Roth of Van Halen, Shannon Hoon (d. 1995, buried in Lafayette) of Blind Melon, Travis Meeks of Days of the New, Kyle Cook of Matchbox Twenty, Mick Mars of Mötley Crüe, and Michael Barber.

Additional musicians of various genres from Indiana include Bobby Helms ("Jingle Bell Rock" from '57; buried near Indianapolis), The Rivieras from South Bend ("California Sun" from '64, #5 on Billboard Hot 100), Junior Walker from South Bend ("Shotgun" '65, #4 on Billboard Hot 100 ), Junior Brown from the Bloomington area, After 7 r&b group with Babyface's brothers ("Can't Stop"), Days of the New from Charlestown ("Touch, Peel and Stand" '98, #1 on Mainstream Rock chart), The Ataris from Anderson ("The Boys of Summer" '03, #2 on Alternative Songs chart), country singer Jace Everett from Evansville ("Bad Things" (the theme song for True Blood '08), Umphrey's McGee from South Bend (singer Brendan Bayliss went to the University of Notre Dame), The Ready Set from Fort Wayne ("Love Like Woe" '10), and Chris Wallace ("Remember When (Push Rewind)") from 2012).

The Jackson 5's first 4 singles (including "I Want You Back" from 1970) reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, all on Motown records. Michael Jackson (the "King of Pop", d. 2009) had 13 #1 singles (including "Billie Jean" in 1983), more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era. He also had 2 #2 Hot 100 singles like "The Girl is Mine" with Paul McCartney in 1982. Janet Jackson (now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) has 10 #1 singles (including "All for You") on the Hot 100. Deniece Williams, also from Gary, had 2 #1 Hot 100 hits, including "Let's Hear It for the Boy" in 1984. Van Halen (with David Lee Roth) had a #1 hit on the Hot 100 with "Jump", also in 1984. Guns N' Roses (with Axl Rose) had a #1 hit on the Hot 100 with "Sweet Child O' Mine." And The McCoys had a #1 Hot 100 hit in 1965 with "Hang On Sloopy." All of the above (and John Cougar Mellencamp, who had a #1 hit with "Jack & Diane" in 1982) are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, except Deniece Williams, and The McCoys. John Mellencamp had 7 #1 songs on the Mainstream Rock chart in the 80s and early 90s. The John Mellencamp Pavilion at Indiana University was named after him.

Babyface, an R&B musician himself from Indianapolis, has written 7 #1 Billboard Hot 100 hits, including "I'll Make Love to You" by Boyz II Men in 1994. A 25-mile stretch of I-65 through Indy was renamed Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds Highway.

FreshDuzIt, a hip-hop musician himself from Indianapolis, Producer of 2x Platinum single "Camelot', which reached No. 37 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart, a rare accomplishment for any tune associated with an Indianapolis hip-hop act.

Though born in Oklahoma, gospel singer Sandi Patty began her musical career in Indiana at Anderson University.

Country music is very thick in Southern Indiana, an area considered part of the Upland South.

The bluegrass festival Bill Monroe Memorial Festival has been held in Bean Blossom, IN every June since 1967.There were many Rock N Roll Bars Nite Clubs and Venues in the 70’s in and around the Indianapolis area. All you had to do was draw the Big crowd and Rock the House. One such band was The Dave Lady Band.