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Happy Birthday, Bill Monroe

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Today is the 100Th anniversary of the birth of Bill Monroe, the indisputable Father of Bluegrass.


Monroe started early, playing the mandolin with his family group at a very young age. After his parents died young, he lived and played with his 'Uncle Pen'. He formed and played in several groups during his young adulthood, but it wasn't until 1945 that he began to get attention.


In 1945, Bill Monroe added a young banjo picker, Earl Scruggs, to his band, the Blue Grass boys. Other members of that original group were Lester Flatt, Chubby Wise, and Howard Watts. Together, they produced a new genre of music known as bluegrass.


The good folks at SiriusXM 61 Bluegrass , where my radio is permanently parked, have proclaimed 2011 the year of Bill Monroe. They will be playing Monroe's music all day today in honor of his birthday. I'm loving it!

Comments

  1. StacySeptember 13, 2011 at 10:42 AM

    Bill Monroe was BOSS!! Gonna go dig out my bluegrass CDs ...

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 13, 2011 at 11:16 AM

    Of course you know I love his music! I did not know it was his b-day though : )

    ReplyDelete
  3. lil red henSeptember 13, 2011 at 4:06 PM

    Next to southern gospel music, bluegrass is a favorite of mine.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Janet,September 14, 2011 at 1:50 PM

    How I remember Flat and Scruggs. They used to sing the theme song for Martha White flour.

    ReplyDelete

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