Blue Grass Boys
| Bill Monroe | |
|---|---|
Bill and Charlie Monroe in 1936.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Smith Monroe |
| Born |
September 13, 1911 Rosine, Kentucky |
| Origin | Kentucky, United States |
| Died | September 9, 1996 (aged 84) Springfield, Tennessee |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Mandolin, guitar |
| Years active | 1927–1996 |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts |
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| Notable instruments | |
| Gibson F-5 Mandolin Lloyd Loar, Dated July, 9th 1923, Also Lloyd Loar, Dated Feb.26th, 1923, Used in alternative tuning for "My Last Days on Earth". | |
William Smith Monroe (/mənˈroʊ/; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter who created the style of music known as bluegrass. Because of this he is commonly referred to as the "Father of Bluegrass". The genre takes its name from his band, the Blue Grass Boys, named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 69 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader.
Monroe was born on his family's farm near Rosine, Kentucky, the youngest of eight children of James Buchanan "Buck" and Malissa (Vandiver) Monroe. His mother and her brother, Pendleton "Pen" Vandiver, were both musically talented, and Monroe and his family grew up playing and singing at home. Bill was of Scottish heritage. Because his older brothers Birch and Charlie already played the fiddle and guitar, Bill Monroe was resigned to playing the less desirable mandolin. He recalled that his brothers insisted he should remove four of the mandolin's eight strings so he would not play too loudly.
Monroe's mother died when he was ten, followed by his father six years later. As his brothers and sisters had moved away, after bouncing among uncles and aunts, Monroe settled in with his disabled uncle Pendleton Vandiver, often accompanying him when Vandiver played the fiddle at dances. This experience inspired one of Monroe's most famous compositions, "Uncle Pen", recorded in 1950, and the 1972 album Bill Monroe's Uncle Pen. On that album, Monroe recorded a number of traditional fiddle tunes he had often heard performed by Vandiver. Uncle Pen 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." Also significant in Monroe's musical life was Arnold Shultz, an influential fiddler and guitarist who introduced Monroe to the blues.
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