Bill Monroe

thumb|260px|Bill & Charlie Monroe William 'Bill' Smith Monroe (13 September 1911 - 9 September 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter who created the style of music known as bluegrass. Quotes That ain't no part of nothin'. It ain't only the colored folks has the blues; there's many a white man that's had 'em. Can't You Hear Me Calling: The Life of Bill Monroe, Father of Bluegrass (2009) by Richard Smith After Charlie [Charlie Monroe, Bill's brother] and me broke up, I was searching for a name for my group. And I wanted a name from the state of Kentucky. Before I come to WSM in Nashville - I started on WWNC, Asheville - why, I'd already decided on using the name "bluegrass," because that's what they'd call Kentucky, the Blue Grass State. So I just used "Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys," and that let people throughout the country know I was from Kentucky, saved a lot of people from having to ask me where I was from. Governor Ford, he claims I've done more than any one man for Kentucky - every time I use the word "bluegrass" it leads back to the state. (When asked who the three finest old time guitarists were) Well, I would have to pick Travis, you know; I think he's a great man with his music, and there's been many a man that's copied from Merle. You know, they say he learned from a man in Kentucky. Well, I know this Mose Rager he learned from, he learned from Arnold Shultz, the man I speak of, a colored man, in playing the blues. So I think it all leads back to this old colored man back in Kentucky. The word "hillbilly", I've never liked that, and I've never used that in my music. The Bill Monroe Reader (2000) edited by Tom Ewing I was brought up the best way that I could be brought up with what we had to do with. I could have had a better education, and I could have had better clothes to wear to school. I could have had a better chance, you know. But if I'd had the best education in the world, I might have not played music. As quoted by Bradley Klein and Stephanie Coleman of NPR (September 12, 2011) Quotes about Bill Monroe Bill, in some ways, he was very inarticulate about his feelings. In other ways, he was very profound about his feelings. And when you got him into a certain mood where he was being more introspective, he really could be very profound, I felt. Alice Gerrard, as quoted by Bradley Klein and Stephanie Coleman of NPR (September 12, 2011) External links Bill Monroe Category:1911 births Category:1996 deaths Category:American country singers Category:Singer-songwriters from the United States Category:Guitarists from the United States Category:Singers from Kentucky Category:Founders Category:Bluegrass singers Category:Bluegrass musicians