Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys

William Smith Monroe (September 13, 1911 / September 9, 1996) was an American ^{United States} musician who helped develop the style of music known as bluegrass ^{bluegrass music} , which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader. He is often referred to as The Father of Bluegrass.

  Monroe was born on his family's farm near Rosine, Kentucky, the youngest of eight children of James Buchanan "Buck" Monroe and Malissa Vandiver Monroe. Malissa and her brother, Pendleton "Pen" Vandiver ^{Uncle Pen} , were both musically inclined, and Monroe and his siblings grew up playing and singing music in the home. Because his older brothers Birch and Charlie ^{Charlie Monroe} had already laid claim to the fiddle and guitar, respectively, young Bill was left with the smaller and less desirable mandolin during family picking sessions. Monroe later recalled that his brothers insisted that he remove four of the eight strings from the instrument so that he would not play too loudly.

Monroe's mother died when he was ten years old, followed by his father six years later. Because his siblings had moved away from Rosine, Monroe lived for about two years with his uncle Pen Vandiver ^{Pendleton Vandiver} , often accompanying him when Vandiver played the fiddle at local dances. This experience later inspired one of Monroe's most famous compositions, "Uncle Pen," recorded in 1950; on a 1972 album, Bill Monroe's Uncle Pen, Monroe recorded a number of traditional fiddle tunes often performed by Vandiver. Uncle Pen Vandiver has been credited with giving Monroe "a repertoire of tunes that sank into Bill's aurally trained memory and a sense of rhythm that seeped into his bones." Another influence in Monroe's musical life was a black musician named Arnold Shultz who introduced Monroe to the blues.In 1929, Monroe moved to Indiana to work at an oil refinery with his brothers Birch and Charlie. Together with a friend Larry Moore, they formed a musical group, the Monroe Brothers, to play at local dances and house parties. Birch Monroe and Larry Moore soon left the group, and Bill and Charlie carried on as a duo, eventually winning spots performing live on radio stations— first in Indiana and then, sponsored by Texas Crystals, on several radio broadcasts in Iowa, Nebraska, South Carolina and North Carolina 1934 to 1936. RCA Victor signed the Monroe Brothers to a recording contract in 1936. They scored an immediate hit single with the gospel song "What Would You Give In Exchange For Your Soul?" and ultimately recorded 60 tracks for Victor's Bluebird ^{Bluebird Records} label between 1936 and 1938.

After the Monroe Brothers disbanded in 1938, Bill Monroe formed The Kentuckians in Little Rock, Arkansas, but the group only lasted for three months. Monroe then left Little Rock for Atlanta, Georgia, to form the first edition of the Blue Grass Boys with singer/guitarist Cleo Davis, fiddler Art Wooten, and bassist Amos Garren. In October 1939, he successfully auditioned for a regular spot on the Grand Ole Opry, impressing Opry founder George D. Hay with his energetic performance of Jimmie Rodgers ^{Jimmie Rodgers (country singer)} 's "Mule Skinner Blues". Monroe recorded that song, along with seven others, at his first solo recording session for RCA Victor in 1940; by this time, the Blue Grass Boys consisted of singer/guitarist Clyde Moody, fiddler Tommy Magness, and bassist Bill Wesbrooks.

While the fast tempos and instrumental virtuosity characteristic of bluegrass music are apparent even on these early tracks, Monroe was still experimenting with the sound of his group. He seldom sang lead vocals on his Victor recordings, often preferring to contribute high tenor harmonies as he had in the Monroe Brothers. A 1945 session for Columbia Records featured an accordion, soon dropped from the band. Most importantly, while Monroe added banjo player David "'Stringbean" Akeman ^{David Akeman} to the Blue Grass Boys in 1942, Akeman played the instrument in a relatively primitive style and was rarely featured in instrumental solos. Monroe's pre-1946 recordings represent a transitional style between the string-band tradition from which he came and the musical innovation to follow.A key development occurred in Monroe's music with the addition of North Carolina banjo prodigy Earl Scruggs to the Blue Grass Boys in December 1945. Scruggs played the instrument with a distinctive three-finger picking style that immediately caused a sensation among Opry audiences. Scruggs joined a highly accomplished group that included singer/guitarist Lester Flatt, fiddler Chubby Wise, and bassist Howard Watts, who often performed under the name "Cedric Rainwater." In retrospect, this lineup of the Blue Grass Boys has been dubbed the "Original Bluegrass Band," as Monroe's music finally included all the elements that characterize the genre, including breakneck tempos, sophisticated vocal harmony arrangements, and impressive instrumental proficiency demonstrated in solos or "breaks" on the mandolin, banjo, and fiddle. By this point, Monroe had acquired the 1923 Gibson F5 model "Lloyd Loar" mandolin which became his trademark instrument for the remainder of his career.

The 28 songs recorded by this version of the Blue Grass Boys for Columbia Records in 1946 and 1947 soon became classics of the genre, including "Toy Heart," "Blue Grass Breakdown," "Molly and Tenbrooks", "Wicked Path of Sin," "My Rose of Old Kentucky," "Little Cabin Home on the Hill," and Monroe's most famous song, "Blue Moon of Kentucky". The last-named was recorded by Elvis Presley in 1954, appearing as the B-side of his first single for Sun Records. Monroe gave his blessing to Presley's rock-and-roll cover of the song, originally a slow ballad in waltz time, and in fact re-recorded it himself with a faster arrangement after Presley's version became a hit. Several gospel-themed numbers are credited to the "Blue Grass Quartet," which featured four-part vocal arrangements accompanied solely by mandolin and guitar — Monroe's usual practice when performing "sacred" songs.

Both Flatt and Scruggs left Monroe's band in early 1948, soon forming their own group, the Foggy Mountain Boys, which met with notable commercial success in the 1950s and 1960s with such hits as "Foggy Mountain Breakdown", "Cabin on the Hill," and "The Ballad of Jed Clampett". In 1949, after signing with Decca Records, Monroe quickly regrouped, entering the "golden age" of his career
On January 16, 1953 Monroe was critically injured in a two-car wreck. He and "Bluegrass Boys" bass player, Bessie Lee Mauldin, were returning home from a fox hunt north of Nashville ^{Nashville, Tennessee} . On highway 31-W, near White House, their car was struck by a drunken driver. Monroe, who had suffered injuries to his back, left arm and nose, was rushed to General Hospital in Nashville. It took him almost four months to recover and resume touring. In the meantime Charlie Cline and Jimmy Martin kept the band together.

By the late 1950s, however, Monroe's commercial fortunes had begun to slip. The rise of rock-and-roll and the development of the "Nashville sound" in mainstream country music both represented threats to the viability of bluegrass. While still a mainstay on the Grand Ole Opry, Monroe found diminishing success on the singles charts, and struggled to keep his band together in the face of declining demand for live performances.Monroe's fortunes began to improve during the "folk revival" of the early 1960s. Many college students and other young people were beginning to discover Monroe, associating his style more with traditional folk music than with the country-and-western genre with which it had previously been identified. The word "bluegrass" first appeared around this time to describe the sound of Monroe and similar artists such as Flatt and Scruggs, the Stanley Brothers, Reno and Smiley, Jim and Jesse ^{Jim & Jesse} , and the Osborne Brothers. While Flatt and Scruggs immediately recognized the potential for a lucrative new audience in cities and on college campuses in the North, Monroe was slower to respond. Under the influence of Ralph Rinzler, a young musician and folklorist from New Jersey who briefly became Monroe's manager in 1963, Monroe gradually expanded his geographic reach beyond the traditional southern country music circuit. Rinzler was also responsible for a lengthy profile and interview in the influential folk music magazine Sing Out! that first publicly referred to Monroe as the "father" of bluegrass. Accordingly, at the first bluegrass festival organized by Carlton Haney at Roanoke, Virginia in 1965, Bill Monroe was the central figure.

The growing national popularity of Monroe's music during the 1960s was also apparent in the increasingly diverse background of musicians recruited into his band. Non-southerners who served as Blue Grass Boys during this period included banjo player Bill Keith ^{Bill Keith (musician)} and singer/guitarist Peter Rowan from Massachusetts, fiddler Gene Lowinger from New York, banjo player Lamar Grier from Maryland, banjo player Steve Arkin from New York, and singer/guitarist Roland White and fiddler Richard Greene ^{Richard Greene (fiddle player)} from California.Even after the folk revival faded in the mid-1960s, it left a loyal audience for bluegrass music. Bluegrass festivals became common, with fans often traveling long distances to see a number of different acts over several days of performances.

In 1967 Monroe himself founded an annual bluegrass festival at Bean Blossom ^{Beanblossom, Indiana} in southern Indiana, a park he had purchased in 1951, which routinely attracted a crowd of thousands; a double LP from the festival featuring Monroe, Jimmy Martin, Lester Flatt, and Jim and Jesse was released in 1973. The annual Bill Monroe Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival is now the world's oldest continuously running annual bluegrass festival.

Monroe's compositions during his later period were largely instrumentals, including "Jerusalem Ridge", "Old Dangerfield", and "My Last Days on Earth"; he settled into a new role as a musical patriarch who continued to influence younger generations of musicians. Monroe recorded two albums of duets in the 1980s; the first featured collaborations with country stars such as Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, and the Oak Ridge Boys, while the second paired him with other prominent bluegrass musicians. A 1989 live album celebrated his 50th year on the Grand Ole Opry. Monroe also kept a hectic touring schedule. On April 7, 1990, Monroe performed for Farm Aid IV ^{Farm Aid} in Indianapolis, Indiana along with Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and with many other artists.


Death

Monroe suffered a stroke in April 1996, effectively ending his touring and playing career. He died on September 9, 1996, only four days before his 85th birthday. Emmylou Harris said of Monroe after his death:Bill Monroe was made an honorary Kentucky colonel in 1966.More than 150 musicians played in the Blue Grass Boys over the nearly 60 years of Monroe's performing career. Monroe tended to recruit promising young musicians who served an apprenticeship with him before becoming accomplished artists in their own right. Some of Monroe's band members who went on to greater prominence include singer/guitarists Clyde Moody, Lester Flatt, Jack Cook, Mac Wiseman, Jimmy Martin, Carter Stanley, Del McCoury, Peter Rowan, Roland White, Roland Dunn and Doug Green ^{Riders in the Sky (band)} ; banjo players Earl Scruggs, Don Reno, Sonny Osborne ^{Osborne Brothers} , and Bill Keith ^{Bill Keith (musician)} ; and fiddlers Tommy Magness, Chubby Wise, Vassar Clements, Byron Berline, Kenny Baker ^{Kenny Baker (musician)} , Bobby Hicks, Gordon Terry, and Glen Duncan. Monroe also regularly performed with flat-picking guitar virtuoso Doc Watson. Modern bluegrass singer and mandolin player Ricky Skaggs was greatly influenced by Bill Monroe. Skaggs was only six years old when he first got to perform on stage with Monroe and his band. AA complete alphabetical list of members with the instruments played, and their dates of membership follows:
Adcock, Eddie banjo 4/1958-7/1958; Akeman, David "Stringbean" banjo 7/1942-9/1945; Andrews, Jim tenor banjo 1945; Arkin, Steve banjo 1964; Atkins, Bobby banjo 1954, 1958, 6/1961-11/1961; Baker, Billy fiddle 1961, 6/1963-8/1963, 12/1963-2/1964; Baker, Kenny fiddle 1957-1958, 1962-6/1963, 3/23/1968-7/1977, 9/1977-10/12/1984; Baugus, Scottie guitar 1/1989-3/1989; Beasley, Larry banjo 3/1977-5/1977; Berline, Byron fiddle 3/1967-9/1967; Black, Bob banjo 9/20/1974-9/19/1976; Blackwell, Curtis guitar 3/1967; Bowers, James Gar banjo 8/1951-1951; Bowlin, Robert fiddle 1/1993-1996; Box, Bill guitar 7/1973-7/1974; Boyett, Andy "Bijou" bass, guitar 1945; Bradshaw, Curley harmonica, guitar 1944-1945; Brock, Carlos guitar 1954-8/1955; Buchanan, Frank guitar 1960, 1962-10/1962; Campbell, Jimmy fiddle 1990-1993; Christian, Gene fiddle, bass 1949-1950; Church, Porter guitar, banjo 1960; Clark, Manuel "Old Joe" comedy 8/1951; Clements, Vassar fiddle, bass 1949-1950, 1955, 1961-1962, 1967; Cline, Charlie fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin 1952-1955; Cooke, Jack guitar, bass 1958-1959; Crase, Noah banjo 1954-1955, 1956; Cupp, Dana banjo 1991-1996; Daniels, Vic guitar 1951; Davis, Cleo guitar, mandolin 8/1938-9/1940; Davis, Randy bass 7/1974-6/1979; Deese, David banjo 7/1962-1962; Dillman, Dwight banjo 1974-9/1974; Drumright, Joe banjo 1951, 1958, 1959, 1964; Duncan, Bill guitar 1957, 1960; Duncan, Glen fiddle 1985-1986; Eanes, Jim guitar 3/1948-11/1948; Ellis, Tony banjo, bass, guitar 1/1960-6/1962;
Elrod, Jimmy bass, guitar, banjo 1957, 1965; Ethridge, Floyd fiddle 1943, 1949; Ewing, Tom guitar 5/18/1986-12/31/1988, 3/31/1989-1996; Feagan, Mike fiddle 1987-1988; Fields, Monroe bass 9/1971-1973; Flatt, Lester guitar 3/1945-2/1948; Forrester, Howard "Howdy" fiddle 6/1942-10/1942, 12/1945-3/1946; Forrester, Joe bass 12/1945-3/1946; Forrester, Wilene "Sally Ann" accordion 1943-3/1946; Foster, Billy Joe fiddle 12/1986-1988; Fowler, Bob guitar 1973; Franks, Randall "Randy" fiddle, bass 10/30/1984-11/23/1984;
Garren, Amos bass 4/1939-7/1940; Gately, Connie guitar 1958-1959; Graves, Ernest guitar 7/1957-9/1957; Green, Doug bass, guitar 4/1967-5/1967, 3/1969-7/1969; Green, Yates guitar 3/1956-1956; Greene, Richard fiddle 2/1966-3/5/1967; Grier, Lamar banjo 9/1965-6/1967; Harris, R.C. banjo 1/1971-4/1971, 7/1981; Hembree, Mark bass 8/1979-6/1984; Hicks, Bobby fiddle, banjo, bass, mandolin 1954-9/26/1956, 9/1958-1959; Hicks, Jack banjo 4/1971-9/1973; Holden, Bill banjo, guitar 9/1976-1/1977, 5/1977-7/1977; Hoppers, Lonnie banjo, guitar 9/1962-1/1963; Huffmaster, Raymond bass, guitar 6/1979-8/79
Hutchens, Doug bass, banjo 6/26/1971-9/1971; Jerrolds, Wayne fiddle 12/1988-3/1989; Johnson, Bob banjo 1958; Johnson, Enos guitar 1957; Jones, Bob guitar 2/1976-5/1976; Jones, Dan guitar 6/1971-8/1971; Jordan, Vic banjo 7/27/1967-3/18/1969; Keith, Bill "Brad" banjo 3/1963-12/1963; Kennedy, Gregg bass 7/19/1973-7/1974; Kuykendall, Mark bass 1994-1995; Landers, Jake guitar 1963
Lester, Bobby Joe fiddle 1961; Lewis, Ralph guitar 7/4/1974-5/1976; Lewis, Wayne guitar 5/1976-5/1986; Lineberger, Don banjo 1964-1965; Lowinger, Gene fiddle 6/5/1965-2/1966; Lyle, Rudy banjo 1949-8/3/1951, 1953-1954; Magness, Tommy fiddle 1940-1941, 1942-1943; Martin, Benny fiddle 1/1948-1949, 1959
Martin, Jimmy guitar 12/1949-6/1951, 7/1952-1954; Mauldin, Bessie Lee bass 1953-1964; Mayfield, Edd guitar 10/1951-1952, 1954, 1958-7/1958; Maynard, Jimmy guitar 1961, 1962, 1964; McCoury, Del guitar, banjo 2/1963-2/1964
McPeake, Curtis banjo 1960-1/1962; Meadows, Joe fiddle 1957; Metzel, Bob guitar 1956; Millard, Tommy jug, bones, spoons 1/1939-4/1939; Monroe, Birch bass, fiddle 1945-1947; Monroe, James guitar, bass 1964-1972; Montgomery, Johnny bass 1986-1987; Moody, Clyde guitar, mandolin 9/6/1940-1941, 1942-12/1944; Moratto, Jim banjo 12/13/1973-7/1974; Morris, Dale fiddle 1/1985-1985; Nemerov, Bruce banjo 9/1973; Osborne, Roland "Sonny" banjo 7/1952-9/1952, 5/1953-8/8/1953; Payne, Skip bass 2/1970-9/1970; Pedigo, Ben banjo 9/18/1973-11/4/1973; Pendleton, Buddy fiddle 1962; Pennington, Robert Lee "Buddy" banjo 1958, 1959;Phelps, Jackie guitar, banjo, bass, steel guitar 1948, 1954, 1963; Potter, Dale fiddle 1959-1960; Price, Bill guitar 1954, 1956; Price, Joel bass 2/1947-1948, 1949-1951; Pyle, Pete guitar 1941-1942, 1953; Reno, Don banjo, guitar 3/1948-7/1949; Richardson, Larry banjo 1950-1951; Robins, Butch banjo 6/1967, 9/2/1977-7/3/1981; Rose, Billy bass 4/1989-1990; Rothman, Sandy guitar, banjo 6/1964-8/1964; Rowan, Peter guitar 10/1964-3/1/1967; Salyers, South guitar 6/1951; Sandy, Leslie bass, guitar 1953, 1954, 1957; Saylor, Lucky guitar 1956; Scruggs, Earl banjo 12/1945-2/1948
Sheehan, Oscar "Shorty" bass, fiddle 1951; Shumate, Jim fiddle 1945-12/1945
Smith, Bobby guitar 11/1960-1961; Smith, Charlie fiddle 1958-1960; Smith, Roger banjo, fiddle 1956-1957; Smoak, Jim banjo 10/1952-1/1953, 1954;
Snead, Earl banjo 1/1958-1958, 12/1970-1/1971; Spicher, Buddy fiddle 1961, 1964-1965, 1977, 1987-1988; Squires, Mark fiddle 9/1986-11/1986; Stamper, Art fiddle 1984; Stanley, Carter guitar 7/1951-10/1951; Stanley, Harold "Red" fiddle 1962; Stevenson, Guy bass 3/1973-1973; Stewart, Travis guitar, bass 5/1971-1971; Story, Carl fiddle 10/1942-11/1943; Stover, Don banjo 1957
Stripling, Chick bass 1947; Stuart, Joe fiddle, banjo, guitar, bass, mandolin 8/18/1955-1957, 1962-1963, 8/1963-11/1963, 6/1970-1973; Sykes, Ernie bass 1996; Tate, Clarence "Tater" bass, fiddle 9/1956-4/1957, 6/29/1984-1996;
Taylor, Merle "Red" fiddle 1950-1951, 1953-1954, 1958; Terry, Arnold guitar 12/1955-3/1956; Terry, Gordon fiddle, guitar 1951, 1954; Thompson, Jack bass 1948-1949; Thurmond, Garry guitar 1964; Vanover, Carl guitar 1957; Vipperman, Johnny guitar 1951; Watts, Howard "Cedric Rainwater" bass 1944-4/1945, 7/1945-8/1945, 3/1946-3/1948, 1951; Wesbrooks, Bill "Cousin Wilbur" bass 7/1940-1944
White, L.E. fiddle 1953; White, Roland guitar 5/21/1967-2/1969; Williams, Benny fiddle, guitar 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964-1965, 9/1967-1967; Williams, Blake banjo 7/1981-1991; Willis, Tex guitar 1/1945-3/1945; Wise, Chubby fiddle, guitar 3/1943-4/1945, 3/1946-1/1948, 9/1949-1/1950; Wiseman, Mac guitar 4/1949-12/1949; Wooten, Art fiddle 1939-1940, 1941-1942 Wright, Doyle guitar 1948; Yarbrough, Rual banjo 3/24/1969-12/1970; Yates, Bill bass 7/1969-11/1969; Young, Vern guitar 1949; and Youngblood, Jack fiddle 1954.Joe Ahr; Rupert Jones; Wilbur Jones; Albert Price; James B. Smith; James W. Smith