William Smith Monroe (September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was the creator of ‘bluegrass’ music, and known throughout music circles as ‘The Father of Bluegrass’.
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| Bill Monroe |
The name ‘bluegrass’ comes from the band he formed called the ‘Bluegrass Boys’ in 1938 and although the sound they produced was different from anything else at the time, it didn’t achieve it’s full ‘bluegrass’ style until banjo prodigy Earl Scruggs joined in 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."
During 1946 and 1947 this ‘new’ band produced no less than 28 recordings that would be classics of their time. The most notable of these were ‘Toy Heart’, ‘Blue Grass Breakdown’, ‘My Rose of Old Kentucky’ and Bill Monroe’s most famous song ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky’.
‘Blue Moon of Kentucky’ was actually 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.
Following a serious car accident in 1953, Monroe was unable to play and it took over four months to recover. In the meantime Charlie Cline and Jimmy Martin kept the band together.
With the rise of rock-and-roll and the introduction of the new ‘Nashville Sound’ becoming ever more popular, bluegrass took a back seat and Bill Monroe’s commercial fortunes began to diminish. Live performances began to get fewer and fewer and he struggled to keep the band together.
In order to keep the ‘bluegrass’ sound alive Monroe founded a bluegrass festival at Bean Blossom, Indiana in 1967. This ultimately became known as the ‘Bill Monroe Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival’ and subsequently the world’s oldest continuously running annual bluegrass festival.
Made an honorary Kentucky colonel in 1966, Bill Monroe was also inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1971, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as an "early influence") in 1997.
Bill Monroe died in September 1996 following a stroke in April of that year, and only four days before his 85th birthday. Emmylou Harris said of Monroe after his death:
“……We all knew that if he ever got to the point that he couldn't perform that he wasn't going to make it. Music was his life…….”
To find Bill Monroe and Bluegrass music just go to the search box on the right and enter his name or go to my website at www.countrysongscountrysingers.com
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