If there any any Bluegrass Police within the sound of my voice...As we know, bluegrass is one of the few forms of music with a strict set of rules that are actively enforced. This may be because it was invented by one guy (I was trying to make a bluegrass family tree - but it got ridiculous quickly - just put Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys at the top and everyone else underneath). Or maybe it is ...
Bill Monroe (1911-1996) is arguably one of the single most influential figures in the history of American music. Not only did Monroe dominate a single, distinctive musical genre, he may be the only person in history who deserves credit for single handedly creating an entire genre of music. Of course Bluegrass was built of the same musical components as other forms of American music: modal balla...
In the late '30s and '40s, Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys were the biggest stars in country music, but when he appeared onstage at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival, he did so after a number of years spent toiling in relative obscurity.The 1963 Newport Folk Festival boasted a roster filled to the brim with up and coming young performers including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Ian and Sylvia. Thou...