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Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys · Bill Monroe was born in 1911 on a farm near Rosine, in Kentucky, the youngest of eight children. His brothers already played fiddle and guitar, so the mandolin was what was left for him. After the death of his parents he grew up with relatives and accompanied his uncle Pen Vandiver, a fiddle player, at dances. That experience later gave rise to the song Uncle Pen. The fiddler and guitarist Arnold Shultz also played a part, as he introduced Monroe to the blues.

Music and breakthrough

In 1929 Monroe moved to Indiana, where with his brothers Birch and Charlie he formed the Monroe Brothers. The duo performed on the radio and in 1936 signed with RCA Victor. After they split up in 1938, Bill started his own group. He called it the Blue Grass Boys, after the bluegrass of his home state of Kentucky. The genre bluegrass got its name from that name. Blue Moon of Kentucky from 1947 belongs to this early period.

Influence

Monroe himself described bluegrass as Scottish bagpipes and old-time fiddling, with Methodists, Holiness and Baptists in it, and blues and jazz, with a high lonesome sound. It is acoustic music with fast mandolin, banjo, fiddle and guitar and high, searing singing. Because he created the genre, he is called the Father of Bluegrass. He died in 1996, four days before his 85th birthday.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Blue Moon of Kentucky. Notice the high, piercing singing and Monroe's mandolin, which carries rhythm and melody at the same time.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: ArtistsBluegrass