Ebanjo - Posted - 02/06/2021:  12:06:19

KC, You're right about Monroe's attitude about his sound being his and his alone. I think he kind of got away from that by the 70's. But I've said for a long time that Bill came up with bluegrass, but he had 4 helpers, Flatt, Scruggs, Wise, and Watts (and I've been told that the first 2 or 3 months Earl was there it was him, Lester and Howard and Joe Forrester). His music was a little different when he started in 1939. But it didn't become what we now know as bluegrass until Earl joined. Sort of like the final piece of the puzzle. I know there's others that will want to argue. and that's okay. Now I'm gonna go pick. Hello Terry Martin.

Eric Ellis

Edited by - Ebanjo on 02/06/2021 12:08:28

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 02/06/2021:  12:11:27

quote:

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Originally posted by KCJones

quote:

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Originally posted by 1935tb-11

quote:

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Originally posted by From Greylock to Bean Blossom

quote:

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Originally posted by 1935tb-11

who do you consider the real father of bluegrass or was it a joint invention of 2 ?



without bill monroe would scruggs created bluegrass?

or

without scruggs would monroe created bluegrass ?



personally i think that earl is what pushed monroe from string music to bluegrass.

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Monroe created bluegrass. The 3 finger 5 string was the finishing touch. Monroe  wanted to hire Reno as the first 3 finger player but Reno had to go into the army. If Monroe had been able to hire Reno, it still would have had the same template as that first bluegrass band with Scruggs.

Ken

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true,, i think it was a mutual collaboration between monroe and scruggs,, bill was looking and earl was the answer... besides if monroe had not hired earl... we may not have ever had flatt & scruggs.

this what monroe said about earl referring to molly and tenbtooks:

 Oh yeah, we was playin’ it. But his way of playin’ it was fine, you see. It done a lot for Molly and Tenbrooks. That number done a lot for fiddle playin’, and a good fiddler done a lot for the number, too. But the numbers that I come with, I knew that they would fit the banjo and it would help the banjo and the banjo would help me. The drive that the bluegrass music had, helped the five-string banjo. But if I’d have went on back and got the old-time mountain music and played it, the banjo wouldn’t never have come out. If it hadn’t been for bluegrass, the five-string banjo would have never made it.

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Says Bill Monroe. Of course he said that. But I don't think anyone could honestly say that Bluegrass would have made it had it not been for Flatt & Scruggs. Mr. Monroe also told Earl that, "Whoever picks banjo with Bill Monroe will be the only banjo player anyone will ever know." Would you say he was correct? 

Earl Scruggs would have been plenty successful even had he not been a Bluegrass Boy. When he joined Monroe, he was the star of the show. When he left, Monroe lost popularity. His time with F&S was much more popular than with Monroe, and F&S is more popular than TBB to this day. 

Bill Monroe created the first bluegrass band, but he did not create the genre of bluegrass music. In fact I'd even say that bluegrass 'as a genre' exists in spite of Bill Monroe, not because of him. He did not want to share his sound, he did not want to expand and grow the music and the scene. He wanted his sound to be his and his alone.

But a genre is more than just a certain sound and instrumentation, it's more than a set of standard songs. A genre is a sound and instrumentation, but it's also a fan base, a scene, and legacy. You don't have a true genre of music without that other side of things. One band is not a genre. And the genre of Bluegrass Music, the legacy that continues to this day, is a legacy built by Earl Scruggs, Lester Flatt, and arguably Louise Scruggs as their manager. Not Bill Monroe. 

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KCJONES " In fact I'd even say that bluegrass 'as a genre' exists in spite of Bill Monroe, not because of him. "

WOW. "in spite of Monroe" WOW!

When F&S left Monroe people asked them to play the bluegrass stuff. Meaning the stuff the played with Monroe. Listen to their early recordings. It was the sound of the band they left. F&S ego did not like the continued asking to play what they left. But that is where the name bluegrass music evolved from. I will give you your point of their doing a better job of getting out of the deep south and taking the music to college kids abd new audiences did a lot to popularize it. but bluegrass is the high lonesome and Scruggs did nothing for that. That is Monroe music.

Ken

ps The Morris Brother's had Scruggs before Monroe and they were very pretty singers but they stayed a regional band even with Earl. Monroe's music and Monroe's drive and timing was the only music where Earl could shine. youtube.com/watch?v=QzoA4AaZi44

And you are seeing the music deteriorate and decline even with all the Earl clones because the timing and drive are not there. Feet aren't tappin and the banjo just rolls in the background (& is not rolling like another timing master, Jimmy Martin, made it roll.

Edited by - From Greylock to Bean Blossom on 02/06/2021 12:25:06

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 02/06/2021:  12:43:22

There is a reason Monroe is in the Rock hall of Fame and it is not just for his contribution of Blue Moon of KY to Elvis. Great rockers like Chuck Berry were influenced by Monroe's aggressive timing and drive. Monroe took it from Jug music and made it FLY like a rocket.
ken

1935tb-11 - Posted - 02/06/2021:  13:19:59

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ebanjo

KC, You're right about Monroe's attitude about his sound being his and his alone. I think he kind of got away from that by the 70's. But I've said for a long time that Bill came up with bluegrass, but he had 4 helpers, Flatt, Scruggs, Wise, and Watts (and I've been told that the first 2 or 3 months Earl was there it was him, Lester and Howard and Joe Forrester). His music was a little different when he started in 1939. But it didn't become what we now know as bluegrass until Earl joined. Sort of like the final piece of the puzzle. I know there's others that will want to argue. and that's okay. Now I'm gonna go pick. Hello Terry Martin.

Eric Ellis

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hey eric !!!   the arguement over scruggs verses reno as bills banjo man is opinion only... to me scruggs was a better fit simply because earls final product was much smoother and fluid..renos sound was more staccato and deliberate .      just my way of hearing the difference in the 2.

plus flatt and scruggs won a grammy long before monroe did.....  the foggy mtn boys are considered the greatest bluegrass band of all time.

  eric we GOTTA pick some ...i miss it so much,,,,   i am so outta practice its shameful...

Edited by - 1935tb-11 on 02/06/2021 13:31:02

DannyB4 - Posted - 02/06/2021:  14:57:28

Here's my take on this, ( and a dollar will buy you a cup of coffee at the cheap joint),.....Bill Monroe had the band named the Blue Grass Boys before Earl joined......the brand " bluegrass" didn't start til the mid 1950's....Ralph Rinzler did an article in Sing Out Magazine in the early 1960's titled , "The Daddy of Blue Grass Music"...Bill had the vehicle per se...the timing and tone of his sound with dedicated instrumental leads, ( and more important, back -up), dedicated vocals with harmony singing infused in the style of "Church type" with a blue note in the instruments and voice...some call it the "lonesome sound"...I'm sure Earl played great with Lost John Miller but the way he processed his playing fit what Monroe's sound was doing...whether up- tempo or slow tempo.....Earl took this experience with him every where he played, especially with Lester, ( even though F&S was a less piercing sound, it still had the same drive, and don't forget ,Lester picked for Bill,too),...and the rest is history, let's just be sure we don't do some Orwellian thing and try to re-write it to fit what we think it should be....David Holt asked Bill one time how he'd liked to be remembered, Bill's answer:
"The Father of Bluegrass Music"
What else can you say.
I remember Red Allen saying that Bill was the Father, Jimmy Martin was the King, and if God hadn't been so kind, he'd would've been the Mother!!!!....what can you say but,hello Terry Martin , you banjo pickin' rascal!!!

BanjoLink - Posted - 02/06/2021:  15:48:59

quote:

---

Originally posted by chuckv97

You had Johnny Whisnant playing pretty good 3 finger picking with Carl Story in the late ‘30’s,,early ‘40’s.

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.....yes .... and Carl (from 15 miles down the road from me) claimed to be the "Father of Bluegrass Gospel"!  He may have an argument!

UncleClawhammer - Posted - 02/06/2021:  18:23:37

There are many reasons why Flatt & Scruggs were more successful, at least commercially, than Monroe that have nothing to do with who was or wasn't the Father of Bluegrass - the more accessible nature of their music (less emotionally dark, less strident, the willingness to adopt the Dobro as an acoustic answer to the popularity of the pedal steel, etc), skillful use of the media, especially television, and the shrewd, skillful management of Louise Scruggs.

It's true that Monroe wanted a sound all his own, though I think characterizing it as him "not wanting to share his sound" is a bit unfair. Most mountain musicians, especially contemporaries or near-contemporaries of Monroe, wanted a sound all their own. As Mike Seeger wrote in the liner notes to The Lilly Brothers and Don Stover's album Folk Songs of the Southern Mountains:

"[W]ithin the general area of old-time country music, differences in styles of playing were extremely important as personal possession and creative expression. In a sense, bluegrass is such an expression of personal style, as it was applied originally to the music of Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys (with Flatt, Scruggs, and [Chubby] Wise). Partially for this reason some of the older or more individualistic bands that preceded the naming of this style as bluegrass or that are more deeply rooted in the old-time tradition are reluctant to be called bluegrass as it suggests imitation of Bill Monroe - in spite of or because of his high stature."

A member of this forum once said that he met Don Stover and told him how much he enjoyed both his old-time and bluegrass banjo picking. He replied, "Bluegrass? That's Bill Monroe! I play country music."

I think "Did Monroe invent bluegrass?" and related discussions are much more contentious than similar debates ("Did Jelly Roll invent jazz?") because bluegrass has an origin within living memory. As with a great deal of musical back-and-forths, there's no "right" answer, but I find each answer fascinating because of the insight a person's take gives into how they relate to the music we all love. I hope it continues to surface perennially, because I think it's an indication that the music and interest in it are alive and well.

1935tb-11 - Posted - 02/07/2021:  04:16:53

i think its kinda like this,,monroe was the genesis of what was later termed as bluegrass. bluegrass term in the form we know it now wasn't even used as a description or genre until long after flatt and scruggs left monroe.

   i do believe that earl and lester involvement in the beverly hillbillies and bonnie and clyde sound track gave bluegrass world wide appeal. bringing it to the masses more so then just the opry listeners.

      the one thing i will agree upon is the fact that monroe was always there,, in the mist of the roots of string/hillbilly/bluegrass music in that progression and its roots were a combination he took from black and scotch/irish immigrant music.

Edited by - 1935tb-11 on 02/07/2021 04:22:57

Aradobanjo - Posted - 02/07/2021:  05:22:24

Hello,

Bela Fleck points to Beverly Hillbillys as his inspiration to play banjo. It was Earl's banjo playing. I have yet to hear Chris Thile say the Bill Monroe was his inspiration. What media was available to influence his style? To me, it is his style.

Father of Bluegrass means many children of an acuostic string band which are 5 instruments. Replicating the 1945 Ryman experience is their goal. To me, that makes Bill's 1945 Bluegrass Boys Band the father of Bluegrass.

Bill Monroe never enjoyed the 1945 experience again. Replicating Earl's 1945 experience is one huge thread of this site. What it will take is a transition from "Bluegrass Special" to "Bluegrass Breakdown". Old and tired music to something fresh.

To me, I looking for the Song of Moses. That will eclipse the 1945 Ryman experience.

southerndrifter - Posted - 02/07/2021:  05:28:01

This is really just a rehash of an earlier comment of mine on this subject. I had long given Earl the credit for creating what we know as "Bluegrass" today. Of course, there were some elements already in place, but Earl's style of playing the banjo was the "Big Bang" for the genre. Up until then, it sounded mostly like string band music. Earl's addition to the BGBs, made it in to something never before heard.

That was my belief until Sonny Osborne pointed this out to me. Bill offered the job to Don Reno, nearly 2 years before Earl came along. Now here is a very important thing to remember: Most of us think of Reno's style during his time with Red Smiley. The country influenced, single-string style that fit perfectly the crooning vocals of Red. But in 1943, Reno DID NOT play banjo that way! There are very few examples of Don's early playing, but he played almost exactly like Earl! Just as smooth and just as fluid. Some years ago, I heard a recording of "Dear Old Dixie" from a live performance and I was sure it was Earl. Turns out, it was Don Reno just after he had left Monroe. They sounded nearly identical!

Now back to Bill Monroe; he had obviously heard Don somewhere and really liked that style of banjo picking. I don't think it's a stretch to say the Bill decided at that moment, this is what my music needs to make it special! So consider this; how many people were playing that style of banjo in the mid 40s? For Bill, it was probably only Reno.........until he heard Earl! Is it hard to imagine Bill saying, "Well, Reno is going in the military, so I'll have to wait until he is out before I can add the final piece of the puzzle to my music." He never imagined finding a second person who could play that style! And when he did, he didn't wait for Reno to get out of the military. He hired Earl right there!

Sorry for this being so long, but from the things I've outlined, and because of the point of view of Sonny Osborne, I think it was Bill's genius of hearing that final piece of the puzzle and deciding that is what he wanted in his band, that grants him the title of "Father of Bluegrass". Meeting Earl was a coincidence. Hiring him was not!

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 02/07/2021:  05:40:00

quote:

---

Originally posted by Aradobanjo

Hello,



Bela Fleck points to Beverly Hillbillys as his inspiration to play banjo. It was Earl's banjo playing. I have yet to hear Chris Thile say the Bill Monroe was his inspiration. What media was available to influence his style? To me, it is his style.



Father of Bluegrass means many children of an acuostic string band which are 5 instruments. Replicating the 1945 Ryman experience is their goal. To me, that makes Bill's 1945 Bluegrass Boys Band the father of Bluegrass.



Bill Monroe never enjoyed the 1945 experience again. Replicating Earl's 1945 experience is one huge thread of this site. What it will take is a transition from "Bluegrass Special" to "Bluegrass Breakdown". Old and tired music to something fresh.



To me, I looking for the Song of Moses. That will eclipse the 1945 Ryman experience.

---

Thile was influenced by Bush and Grisman who were influenced by Monroe. Do you think it is just coincidence so many bands have mandolin players who sing tenor?

ken

1935tb-11 - Posted - 02/07/2021:  06:01:28

sure bill offered the job to reno before he had to go to service and reno had to say no.

but this is the best missed opportunity the bill monroe ever had.

here is some live early recordings of bill with earl



when he kicks off molly and tenbrooks i almost cry

and his attack on cumberland gap is amazing at 51:20

earl must have thought monroe started out to slow on will you be lovin another man 26:52  ,,he picks up the tempo just a hair as it goes in the song.

i didn;t know these even existed,, great stuff and an education



youtube.com/watch?v=234x8fr8hjQ

Edited by - 1935tb-11 on 02/07/2021 06:15:20

chuckv97 - Posted - 02/07/2021:  06:20:53

quote:

---

Originally posted by 1935tb-11

sure bill offered the job to reno before he had to go to service and reno had to say no.

but this is the best missed opportunity the bill monroe ever had.

here is some live early recordings of bill with earl



when he kicks off molly and tenbrooks i almost cry

and his attack on cumberland gap is amazing at 51:20

earl must have thought monroe started out to slow on will you be lovin another man 26:52  ,,he picks up the tempo just a hair as it goes in the song.

i didn;t know these even existed,, great stuff and an education



youtube.com/watch?v=234x8fr8hjQ

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Thanks for that link, Terry.  Amazing.  At 38:08 - Sunny Side of the Mountain.. never knew they did that one.

southerndrifter - Posted - 02/07/2021:  08:53:03

Thanks for that link, Terry.  Amazing.  At 38:08 - Sunny Side of the Mountain.. never knew they did that one.

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Almost exactly the same arrangement that Jimmy Martin used on his recording of the song! Do you suppose Jimmy had heard Lester do it on the Opry? The answer is YES!

Bronx banjo - Posted - 02/07/2021:  17:07:57

Bessie Lee Mauldin: The mother of Bluegrass.

Eric A - Posted - 02/07/2021:  17:22:48

How come Honeysuckle Rose never caught on a standard? Lester is singing.  Bill and Earl have their breaks.  It's not original to Bill or Lester, so I suppose there was no money to be made on it. But why wouldn't someone like Jimmy Martin or the Stanleys pick it up? It's a great bluegrass tune. In the same category as Sunny Side of the Mountain or Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms.  I'm mystified.  It's on my list and that's all that really matters to me.

Bill Monroe with Flatt and Scruggs - Honeysuckle Rose

My 1000th post on BHO!  Woot! 

I'm not proud of all of them, but at least a few have helped someone with something somewhere.

Edited by - Eric A on 02/07/2021 17:30:44

sauceysteve - Posted - 02/07/2021:  19:04:43

isn't bluegrass just a descendant of Scotch/Irish music of the Appalachians?

UncleClawhammer - Posted - 02/07/2021:  19:30:21

quote:

---

Originally posted by sauceysteve

isn't bluegrass just a descendant of Scotch/Irish music of the Appalachians?

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Aren't you tired of trolling this forum?

Laurie Grundy - Posted - 02/08/2021:  02:14:53

I've always had the idea that Monroe got the boost or traction that he was looking for in his music when Earl Scruggs' & his three finger picking joined his band. I often wonder what would have become of Monroe and his music without that style of banjo picking in his band.

Edited by - Laurie Grundy on 02/08/2021 02:18:44

Aradobanjo - Posted - 02/08/2021:  04:44:50

Hello,

1945 at the Ryman was different for two reasons. Many of the songs were shared authors. Lester was a lead singer.

After the split, Bill became Bill. His band became limited in players and instruments types.

From 1939 to 1945, Bill’s music was his brother duet. This included accordion, piano, and then a banjo within these 6 years. The recording and photography evidence shows a menagerie of different instruments from Jazz. For a short time, banjos were in Jazz.

The 20’s music was stopped by the Depression followed by WWII. Finding anybody not in the military was then a task. As described, Don Reno was drafted. By 1945, the war was ended on both fronts.

Gibson changed. The 30’s was the worst time to be a business. As the Earnest website demonstrates, inventory bounced around stores for years attempting to sell where the buyers were. Potential sales turned into returns. As demonstrated by the inventory TB out number RB by 10 times. After 1945, the TB reduced to parity then eclipsed by RB.

If not for 1945, then the 20’s music was it. Making any sale took where the buyers where. TB was all the inventory. No reason would have existed to build anything else.

I had a WWII friend who would listen to me play as tell me his story. Coming back from Europe was by boat. All the way home he endured listening to a 4 string banjoist that got on his nerves. That jazz music just bounced off the head. Then he would add, but you play pretty good.

The 1945 mix, as created by Bill Monroe, changed markets and established new product lines. The music style of a quartet was established. That quartet was 4 instrumentalists. Everyone else copied this model. To me, that makes Bill Monroe to father of Bluegrass.

southerndrifter - Posted - 02/08/2021:  04:45:47

quote:

---

Originally posted by Eric A

How come Honeysuckle Rose never caught on a standard? Lester is singing.  Bill and Earl have their breaks.  It's not original to Bill or Lester, so I suppose there was no money to be made on it. But why wouldn't someone like Jimmy Martin or the Stanleys pick it up? It's a great bluegrass tune. In the same category as Sunny Side of the Mountain or Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms.  I'm mystified.  It's on my list and that's all that really matters to me.

Bill Monroe with Flatt and Scruggs - Honeysuckle Rose

My 1000th post on BHO!  Woot! 

I'm not proud of all of them, but at least a few have helped someone with something somewhere.

 

---

Jim & Jesse recorded Honeysuckle Rose and it was a staple on their set list for many years.  

My Little Honeysuckle Rose - YouTube

Edited by - southerndrifter on 02/08/2021 04:48:03

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 02/08/2021:  05:04:09

quote:

---

Originally posted by Laurie Grundy

I've always had the idea that Monroe got the boost or traction that he was looking for in his music when Earl Scruggs' & his three finger picking joined his band. I often wonder what would have become of Monroe and his music without that style of banjo picking in his band.

---

Interesting point, but just to keep perspective, when Bill played his first night at the opry (& that was before Earl was there) he played Muleskinner and was received with several standing ovation and encores which I believe was unheard of at the time. So he was playing new and "hot" before Earl.

Ken

1935tb-11 - Posted - 02/08/2021:  07:55:20

quote:

---

Originally posted by From Greylock to Bean Blossom

quote:

---

Originally posted by Laurie Grundy

I've always had the idea that Monroe got the boost or traction that he was looking for in his music when Earl Scruggs' & his three finger picking joined his band. I often wonder what would have become of Monroe and his music without that style of banjo picking in his band.

---

Interesting point, but just to keep perspective, when Bill played his first night at the opry (& that was before Earl was there) he played Muleskinner and was received with several standing ovation and encores which I believe was unheard of at the time. So he was playing new and "hot" before Earl.

Ken

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oh i agree,, monroe was hot on the opry before earl,,there is no denying that..but with earl it changed everything.  it all started changing when he brought earl to the opry and it just exploded.

and you got to admit lester and earl is what really took it world wide as a genre.

steve davis - Posted - 02/08/2021:  08:53:24

I like how Bill found the best in players.
The world went nuts again when Bill Keith stepped on the stage.

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 02/08/2021:  10:03:34

quote:

---

Originally posted by steve davis

I like how Bill found the best in players.

The world went nuts again when Bill Keith stepped on the stage.

---

The first time I saw Monroe was in the late 70's. I heard his band and they dragged. he was a white haired old man and I thought he was past it. Well I saw him a couple months later with that same band and they were jumpin and jivin hot. He had just had a turn over in players when I first saw  him and it took him a little to get them all on "bluegrass" time but boy he got them there. I gave that white haired old man a lot more respect and that lasted for the rest of his life because his right hand was maybe the best ever at making a band have timing. STRONG!

Last year I talked to Peter Rowan and he talked about Walls of Time having 2 meanings and the first to him was the unstoppable force of Monroe's right hand.

ken

1935tb-11 - Posted - 02/08/2021:  12:17:34

i don't know this for fact but its a pretty good guess,, you can go anywhere in the world (practically) and say the name earl scruggs and most folks will know who it is. the same for bill monroe ,,,,,, but can you say that about anyone else in the bluegrass/banjo sphere ?

Edited by - 1935tb-11 on 02/08/2021 12:18:01

KCJones - Posted - 02/08/2021:  18:19:43

quote:

---

Originally posted by From Greylock to Bean Blossom

quote:

---

Originally posted by KCJones

 

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KCJONES " In fact I'd even say that bluegrass 'as a genre' exists in spite of Bill Monroe, not because of him. "

WOW. "in spite of Monroe" WOW!

---

I'll admit, I chuckled a bit when I wrote that. 

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 02/09/2021:  06:03:55

Terry,

It's been a good topic and you got some good people involved. Thanks. Love it when Linwood posts as he really knows his stuff and is a great one to learn from.

ken

1935tb-11

Edited by - From Greylock to Bean Blossom on 02/09/2021 06:05:40

corcoran - Posted - 02/09/2021:  07:42:57

quote:

---

Originally posted by steve davis

I like how Bill found the best in players.

The world went nuts again when Bill Keith stepped on the stage.

---

Bill Keith first appeared with Monroe on the Grand Ole Opry in March 1963, a bit over 17 years after Scruggs's debut. We are lucky that a recording of that show is floating around (and unfortunately there apparently is no comparable recording available of Scruggs's debut). The host of that segment of the show was absolutely blown away by Keith's banjo playing and asked him to do an extra number, Sailor's Hornpipe. As Steve said, the crowd went nuts. So Monroe had a history of seeking out and adding outstanding banjo pickers to his band -- Reno in 1943 (although he was unable finally to join the BGB until years later), Scruggs in 1945, and Keith in 1963. He obviously had definite ideas about what his music should sound like, and this, it seems to me, bears on the issue of whether he is rightfully considered the "Father of Bluegrass."

steve davis - Posted - 02/09/2021:  07:48:18

Bill always chose a melodic capable player after Keith.

janolov - Posted - 02/09/2021:  08:02:47

quote:

---

Originally posted by 1935tb-11

who do you consider the real father of bluegrass or was it a joint invention of 2 ?



without bill monroe would scruggs created bluegrass?

or

without scruggs would monroe created bluegrass ?



personally i think that earl is what pushed monroe from string music to bluegrass.

---

And who was the mother?

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 02/09/2021:  08:24:57

quote:

---

Originally posted by janolov

quote:

---

Originally posted by 1935tb-11

who do you consider the real father of bluegrass or was it a joint invention of 2 ?



without bill monroe would scruggs created bluegrass?

or

without scruggs would monroe created bluegrass ?



personally i think that earl is what pushed monroe from string music to bluegrass.

---

And who was the mother?

---

With Monroe  on guitar (I believe) in 1940 before Earl,  this does not sound like "string music". Listen to the jump & jive in the music.

youtube.com/watch?v=lIuuI00XY_Y

Bill there sounds more similar to the wonderful Sister Rosetta Tharpe than string band AND Bill was doing this before Sister Rosetta

youtube.com/watch?v=Y9a49oFalZE

youtube.com/watch?v=jOrhjgt-_Qc

IMO anyway.

ken

Edited by - From Greylock to Bean Blossom on 02/09/2021 08:25:37

Ebanjo - Posted - 02/11/2021:  17:27:43

Ken, You've gotta remember Bill spent all that time when he was young playing music with Arnold Schultz. That might account for the comparison you made to Sister Rosetta Tharpe. And there ain't nothing wrong with that either.
Eric Ellis

Five4fun - Posted - 02/22/2021:  11:32:57

Apologies for dragging this topic to the front again but I came across this interesting article.

bluegrasstoday.com/from-the-si...-for-all/

I read through it, wondering just how much this guy simply made up for print. My favourite quote is this one "he hired a young banjo player from North Carolina, Earl Scruggs (sometimes called “Don Reno”)."

I have barely any knowledge of bluegrass compared to most folks on this site(or in general) but I noticed enough to get a laugh from the creative writing employed here.

Edited to include link... 

Edited by - Five4fun on 02/22/2021 11:34:30

JohnnyShayne - Posted - 02/22/2021:  12:56:46

quote:

---

Originally posted by Five4fun

Apologies for dragging this topic to the front again but I came across this interesting article.

bluegrasstoday.com/from-the-si...-for-all/

I read through it, wondering just how much this guy simply made up for print. My favourite quote is this one "he hired a young banjo player from North Carolina, Earl Scruggs (sometimes called “Don Reno”)."

I have barely any knowledge of bluegrass compared to most folks on this site(or in general) but I noticed enough to get a laugh from the creative writing employed here.

 

Edited to include link... 

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Let me just say that Chris Jones is known for writing tongue in cheek.  Trust me, he is legit; and as you noticed having a little fun making. 

Five4fun - Posted - 02/22/2021:  13:08:22

That's good to know! And another player to check out too!

arnie fleischer - Posted - 02/22/2021:  14:40:19

Chris writes a regular humor column for Bluegrass Today and is a prominent bluegrass bandleader (Chris Jones and the Night Drivers).

chuckv97 - Posted - 02/22/2021:  15:22:02

Chris Jones is married to an Alberta girl,, he spends a lot of time up in the Peace River country,, calls it his “northern studio” on his Sirius xm radio show. That photo of him on the side of the road is likely from up there.

Edited by - chuckv97 on 02/22/2021 15:23:03

arnie fleischer - Posted - 02/24/2021:  08:18:08

As for the topic, I think it's clear who the "father of bluegrass" is. The real question is, who is the first cousin twice removed of bluegrass?