What genre of music based on acoustic stringed instruments involves players taking turns playing the melody and improvising around it? If you answered bluegrass, you would be correct. Few familiar with the genre aren’t familiar with its founding father Bill Monroe.
Monroe was born on September 13, 1911, in Rosine, KY, the youngest of eight in a musical family. Monroe spent many an evening playing the mandolin alongside his brothers on the fiddle and the guitar. After his parents died, Monroe lived for a time with his uncle Pen, who played the fiddle at local dances.
Monroe was close to his brothers Birch and Charlie, and together, they formed the Monroe Brothers with friend Larry Moore. The group played several gigs before Birch and Larry decided it wasn’t for them. Bill carried on with Charlie, performing live at various radio stations.
After the duo broke up in 1938, Monroe created his own group, The Kentuckians. It soon broke up, and Monroe changed scenery, settling in Atlanta, where he formed the new group, the Blue Grass Boys. Monroe secured a regular spot at the Grand Ole Opry and recorded some for RCA Victor.
Still experimenting with their sound, the Blue Grass Boys underwent many changes. In 1945, banjo player Earl Scruggs joined the group. With his three-finger picking style, Scruggs made an excellent addition to the Blue Grass Boys, which now consisted of Monroe, singer/guitarist Lester Flatt, fiddler Chubby Wise and bassist Howard Watts.
From 1946 to 1947, the Blue Grass Boys recorded some of their biggest hits, including “Toy Heart,” “Blue Grass Breakdown” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky.” Flatt and Scruggs left the group in 1948, but Monroe persevered. He regrouped and recorded several more classics, including “Uncle Pen,” a tribute to his mother’s brother.
Members of the Blue Grass Boys came and went, with many going on to have successful careers. Monroe himself continued to experience success until the rise of rock and roll in the 1950s. A decade later, Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys were back, with a whole new generation discovering blue grass music. In 1967, Monroe founded a bluegrass festival in Bean Blossom Park in Indiana. It is currently the oldest continuously running bluegrass festival in the country.
In the years following, Monroe continued to tour the country and serve as a mentor to many artists. He suffered a stroke in April 1996 and died six months later on September 9 at the age of 84. His legacy continues, both in the artists he influenced and in the recordings he left behind.