Funny, he didn't have anything good to say about Dobro, did he?

quote:

---

Originally posted by From Greylock to Bean Blossom

Great interview from 1966. I had read where Bill said some of these things and have sometimes been strongly rebuked by those that should be in the know, (but aren't like high ranking IBMA officers).
Some key points to me that Bill talked about were keeping the melody first and foremost, keeping the drive in the music, the importance of keeping certain things out of the music being as important as what is put in (like "hot licks" that don't represent melody or drive), keeping it in the right groove.
IMO, great advice for keeping the music healthy, energized, and growing.

Ken

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl_CC8p3ZiM

 

 

---

I think that's Pete Wernick interviewing Bill. He was a DJ at the Columbia University radio station in the 1960's when he was a student there.

Pete Wernick

quote:

---

Originally posted by Nopix

Funny, he didn't have anything good to say about Dobro, did he?

---

Would speculate that that was a direct shot at Flatt and Scruggs, which added dobro as opposed to solo mandolin... and they were FAR more financially successful than was Monroe at that point. Among his other talents, Monroe was known for his ability to carry a grudge.

Chuck, I did not think of Dr Banjo in his youth being there. Thanks for making that point.
Skip, great point about the shot at F&S.
ken

Howdy all,
Without Flatt & Scruggs and their new way of playing bluegrass, dobro and all, Bill Monroe would have ceased to exist as any kind of Major Artist. Bill lived in his own personal narrow world--good as his singing was, Flatt and Scruggs made his Name as great as it became, regardless of his prejudices.

Izzy Young, Marc Silber and I sat with Bill at a local Diner in Greenwich Vilage and what came out of Bill's Racist mouth would have been censored on any kind of broadcast show. I remember Black Subway workers and Jews turned their heads to see who this Man was--
it was very embarrising.

I admired Bill's attention to keeping Country Music alive, but that was about it. Peter Wernick has his own opinions of course. I remember editing his well known Beginner Banjo Book....

Flatt and Scruggs gave Bluegrass its life...Jack

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jack Baker

Howdy all,
Without Flatt & Scruggs and their new way of playing bluegrass, dobro and all, Bill Monroe would have ceased to exist as any kind of Major Artist. Bill lived in his own personal narrow world--good as his singing was, Flatt and Scruggs made his Name as great as it became, regardless of his prejudices.

(snip)

Flatt and Scruggs gave Bluegrass its life...Jack

---

Amen.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jack Baker

Howdy all,
Without Flatt & Scruggs and their new way of playing bluegrass, dobro and all, Bill Monroe would have ceased to exist as any kind of Major Artist. Bill lived in his own personal narrow world--good as his singing was, Flatt and Scruggs made his Name as great as it became, regardless of his prejudices.

Izzy Young, Marc Silber and I sat with Bill at a local Diner in Greenwich Vilage and what came out of Bill's Racist mouth would have been censored on any kind of broadcast show. I remember Black Subway workers and Jews turned their heads to see who this Man was--
it was very embarrising.

I admired Bill's attention to keeping Country Music alive, but that was about it. Peter Wernick has his own opinions of course. I remember editing his well known Beginner Banjo Book....

Flatt and Scruggs gave Bluegrass its life...Jack

---

Jack,

I want to be clear that I am not disputing what you said happened or that Monroe did not say what he said, but I think that story alone gives a false image of Monroe. His language & vernacular at that time I think probably represented his upbringing from a very rural area in an isolated part of KY. For the following reasons. 1. As a young boy he used to play music and travel with Arnold Schulz, a black man who was a great guitar player (maybe forerunner to Travis style). Bill always spoke highly of him. 2nd he toured with Deford Baily (a great black musician of his time) and played Deford's song Evening Prayer Blues on his mandolin at Deford's funeral. 3rd Charlie Pirde used to talk about him playing and jamming with Bill in his dressing room at the Grand Ole Opry. Charlie said his father's favorite musician was Bill. I heard Melvin Goins in the year he died, talk about how Charlie would stay with Bill lick for lick and that he knew all his music. 4. About the Jewish comments: Bill later had Gene Lowinger, a NY man of Jewish faith fiddle ( who you probably knew) with him in his band. Bill was proud of that and used to introduce him as such. It was a bit of embarrassment to Lowinger. 

People evolve with exposure to different people and ideas. I think it is incorrect to leave Bill with a final judgment that he did not grow in these areas. 

Yes: Flatt and Scruggs did a great deal to spread the music and may have given it more life, but Bill, no one ever played music with that timing before ( and Butch Robins says or since). If Flatt and Scruggs gave the music its life, then Monroe gave it its life blood. And Bill was Huge in the southeast. 

Ken

I agree with Ken from all I’ve read about Bill Monroe. I was always impressed with his rhythm - F&S had more bounce (not swing / paired 1/8ths) but I wasn’t fussy about the dobro either (I’ll duck now!). Steve Arkin had some good and bad things to say about Bill and his being Jewish, but I’ve heard that kind of talk re lots of races (I’m not excusing it, however). Jim Rooney, Bob Black, Mark Hembree and other’s books give more insights into Bill. I kind of chuckle though how he defends “his turf”. He makes sure to mention that bluegrass music started in 1939 , not 1945 when Earl joined his band. As far as F&S saving Bill Monroe and bluegrass music, imho, that’s a stretch. Bill's laconic character worked against him and he didn’t seem to be a good businessman,, F&S had Louise.

https://youtu.be/JFrMXMuql0Q?si=HpMgThiNQu4_tnxM

Hi Ken and all,
These words are so true. "If Flatt and Scruggs gave the music its life, then Monroe gave it its life blood. And Bill was Huge in the southeast."...Yes I agree. Please understand that I was only relating and probably unwisely, what my experience was with Bill when he visited NYC.

I realize that much of what Bill said was because of his early Southern roots and that he of course did interplay with Black people etc. Bill did bring a much needed energy to String Band Music at the time. Earl Scruggs' banjo I think further expanded what Bill really did bring to this great American Music and I spoke a little too quickly I think and for that, I apologize....my best to you, Jack Baker   p.s. Chuck, where do you think Bluegrass would be without those "hot licks"? .......HA

Below is a YouTube link to a substantial part of another Monroe interview that was done with Ralph Rinzler sometime in the Sixties.  Monroe was pretty clear about his opinions of the purpose, the importance, and the deficiencies of the banjo in Bluegrass Music.

Monroe Interview With Ralph Rinzler

Wasn't it Elvis that pretty much killed off bluegrass in the 50's? Then it got popular among white college students in the 60's - many of them not from the rural South? Flatt & Scruggs were great, but you can't "save" anything without an audience. I met Bill a couple of times in the 70's. He was always nice to me, that's all I can say.

Ironically though, Elvis took Blue Moon of Kentucky to a whole new audience surely. But yes, Bluegrass went into the doldrums because of the Rock and Roll boom; the same happened in the UK with a Rhythm and Blues boom killing off acoustic skiffle music. Such is the fickle nature of popular music fans.

"Bluegrass Music" was invented when Earl Scruggs joined the band. Without him, there wouldn't be a "bluegrass scene". Nobody in 2026 would care at all what Bill Monroe thought, if it weren't for Flatt & Scruggs keeping the music relevant. Without F&S, Bill Monroe would have faded into obscurity by 1950. There would be no bluegrass festivals. Banjohangout certainly wouldn't exist.

All that is to say, that the "big tent / all are welcome" approach to music (and life) that Earl Scruggs promoted is much more true to Bluegrass than anything Bill Monroe ever said.

quote:

---

Originally posted by KCJones

"Bluegrass Music" was invented when Earl Scruggs joined the band. Without him, there wouldn't be a "bluegrass scene". Nobody in 2026 would care at all what Bill Monroe thought, if it weren't for Flatt & Scruggs keeping the music relevant. Without F&S, Bill Monroe would have faded into obscurity by 1950. There would be no bluegrass festivals. Banjohangout certainly wouldn't exist.

All that is to say, that the "big tent / all are welcome" approach to music (and life) that Earl Scruggs promoted is much more true to Bluegrass than anything Bill Monroe ever said.

---

Bill Monroe would have hired Don Reno before Scruggs. Reno was his 1st choice and wouldl have taken the job, but he had to go in the service. The beat would have gone on. 

ken

quote:

---

Originally posted by From Greylock to Bean Blossom

 

---

Bill Monroe would have hired Don Reno before Scruggs. Reno was his 1st choice and wouldl have taken the job, but he had to go in the service. The beat would have gone on. 

ken

---

No way to know, of course, but I'm not so certain this is the case. Reno was indeed a great player - and I think it's fair to say that he was technically better than Scruggs, at least on the left hand. That's no dig at his right hand... his use of single-string was pretty amazing, especially for its time.

But with that said, there's something about Scruggs's right hand and feel that's very different from Reno's. Additionally, would Reno have found a partner to bring the music forward to a larger audience the way Scruggs did with Lester?

These are the kinds of things I ponder while waiting for hockey season to start. 

Skip, I agree with much of what you said: especially about Earl's right hand. It has always been amazing to me how in bluegrass we have had some classic unions that seemed almost perfect...the best with the best... which propelled the music: Monroe & Scruggs, Duffey & Waller, J.D & Tony Rice.
The point I was thinking of when I made my post is that I think Don Reno would have electrified the Opry & the national WSM listening audience the same as Earl did had he played that Dec 8, 1945 session instead of Scruggs. Very few had heard the banjo played that way before. Monroe gave the banjo the perfect venue and timing to shine.
After that, the rest is speculation.
It was the Osbornes that were the 1st bluegrass group to play at a college campus. How much that paved the way for F&S bringing the music out of the rural SE..I don't know.
Ken

I have to agree with KCJones. If Earl Scruggs had been hired by Roy Acuff, instead of Bill Monroe, today, we'd all be playing Smoky Mountain Music.

? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIsVCEZHLs0

To me...not anywhere near the same fit. 

A Scruggs vs Reno discussion is interesting. 90% of bluegrass music is songs, not tunes and Earl wrote the book on how to approach a song. If you go to any jam session you can see that approach continues to this day.