On the Bus with Bill Monroe

On the Bus with Bill Monroe
Author: Mark Hembree
Publsiher: University of Illinois Press
Total Pages: 250
Release: 2022-04-26
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9780252053412

Download On the Bus with Bill Monroe Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

A backstage audition led Mark Hembree into a five-year stint (1979–1984) as the bassist for Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. Hembree’s journey included playing at the White House and on the acclaimed album Master of Bluegrass. But it also put him on a collision course with the rigors of touring, the mysteries of Southern culture, and the complex personality of bandleader-legend Bill Monroe. Whether it’s figuring out the best time for breakfast (early) or for beating the boss at poker (never), Hembree gives readers an up-close look at the occasionally exalting, often unglamorous life of a touring musician in the sometimes baffling, always colorful company of a bluegrass icon. The amusing story of a Yankee fish out of water, On the Bus with Bill Monroe mixes memoir with storytelling to recount the adventures of a Northerner learning new ways and the Old South.

The Bill Monroe Reader

The Bill Monroe Reader
Author: Tom Ewing
Publsiher: University of Illinois Press
Total Pages: 350
Release: 2000
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0252025008

Download The Bill Monroe Reader Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Lively, heartfelt, and informative, 'The Bill Monroe Reader' is a fitting tribute to the man and the musician who transformed the traditional music of western Kentucky into an international sensation.

Bill Monroe

Bill Monroe
Author: Tom Ewing
Publsiher: University of Illinois Press
Total Pages: 656
Release: 2018-09-07
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780252050589

Download Bill Monroe Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

The Father of Bluegrass Music, Bill Monroe was a major star of the Grand Ole Opry for over fifty years; a member of the Country Music, Songwriters, and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame; and a legendary figure in American music. This authoritative biography sets out to examine his life in careful detail--to move beyond hearsay and sensationalism to explain how and why he accomplished so much. Former Blue Grass Boy and longtime music journalist Tom Ewing draws on hundreds of interviews, his personal relationship with Monroe, and an immense personal archive of materials to separate the truth from longstanding myth. Ewing tells the story of the Monroe family's musical household and Bill's early career in the Monroe Brothers duo. He brings to life Monroe's 1940s heyday with the Classic Bluegrass Band, the renewed fervor for his music sparked by the folk revival of the 1960s, and his declining fortunes in the years that followed. Throughout, Ewing deftly captures Monroe's relationships and the personalities of an ever-shifting roster of band members while shedding light on his business dealings and his pioneering work with Bean Blossom and other music festivals. Filled with a wealth of previously unknown details, Bill Monroe offers even the most devoted fan a deeper understanding of Monroe's towering achievements and timeless music.

Come Hither to Go Yonder

Come Hither to Go Yonder
Author: Bob Black
Publsiher: University of Illinois Press
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2010-10-01
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9780252090561

Download Come Hither to Go Yonder Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

While other work on Bill Monroe has been written from a historical point of view, Come Hither to Go Yonder is told from the perspective of a musician who was actually there. Filled with observations made from the unique vantage point of a man who has traveled and performed extensively with the master, this book is Bob Black's personal memoir about the profound influence that Monroe exerted on the musicians who have carried on the bluegrass tradition in the wake of his 1996 death. This volume also includes a complete listing of Bob Black's appearances with Monroe, his most memorable experiences while they worked together, brief descriptions of the more important musicians and bands mentioned, and suggestions for further reading and listening. Offering a rare perspective on the creative forces that drove one of America's greatest composers and musical innovators, Come Hither to Go Yonder will deeply reward any fans of Bill Monroe, of bluegrass, or of American vernacular music.

Mandolin Man

Mandolin Man
Author: Bob Black
Publsiher: University of Illinois Press
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2022-06-28
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9780252053320

Download Mandolin Man Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

A No Depression Most Memorable Music Book of 2022 Roland White’s long career has taken him from membership in Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys and Lester Flatt’s Nashville Grass to success with his own Roland White Band. A master of the mandolin and acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, White has mentored a host of bluegrass musicians and inspired countless others. Bob Black draws on extensive interviews with White and his peers and friends to provide the first in-depth biography of the pioneering bluegrass figure. Born into a musical family, White found early success with the Kentucky Colonels during the 1960s folk revival. The many stops and collaborations that marked White's subsequent musical journey trace the history of modern bluegrass. But Black also delves into the seldom-told tale of White's life as a working musician, one who endured professional and music industry ups-and-downs to become a legendary artist and beloved teacher. An entertaining merger of memories and music history, Mandolin Man tells the overdue story of a bluegrass icon and his times.

The Music of Bill Monroe

The Music of Bill Monroe
Author: Neil V. Rosenberg,Charles K. Wolfe
Publsiher: University of Illinois Press
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2007
Genre: Country music
ISBN: 9780252031212

Download The Music of Bill Monroe Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Spanning over 1,000 separate performances, The Music of Bill Monroe presents a complete chronological list of all of Bill Monroe's commercially released sound and visual recordings. Each chapter begins with a narrative describing Monroe's life and career at that point, bringing in producers, sidemen, and others as they become part of the story. The narratives read like a "who's who" of bluegrass, connecting Monroe to the music's larger history and containing many fascinating stories. The second part of each chapter presents the discography. Information here includes the session's place, date, time, and producer; master/matrix numbers, song/tune titles, composer credits, personnel, instruments, and vocals; and catalog/release numbers and reissue data. The only complete bio-discography of this American musical icon, The Music of Bill Monroe is the starting point for any study of Monroe's contributions as a composer, interpreter, and performer.

Three Rivers

Three Rivers
Author: Dan Lee
Publsiher: McFarland
Total Pages: 294
Release: 2023-03-09
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781476649368

Download Three Rivers Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Kentucky is richly blessed with rivers. This book tells the stories of three of the most beautiful and historic: the Rolling Fork, the Nolin, and the Rough. Each is an unpredictable force of nature flowing through a land that varies from wide, sunny meadows to dark, rock-bound hollows.Chapters describe the people who lived in the river valleys, including pioneers, frontier preachers, a future president, cave explorers, Confederate and Union soldiers, desperate killers, hardscrabble farmers, and inspired visionaries. Sometimes they were wasteful and violent and vain; at other times they were inventive and graceful and kind. Their descendants realized that survival had come to mean something new: living in harmony with the land and the rivers.

Bean Blossom

Bean Blossom
Author: Thomas A. Adler
Publsiher: University of Illinois Press
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2011-05-23
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780252078101

Download Bean Blossom Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Bean Blossom, Indiana is home to the annual Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival, founded in 1967 by Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass. Here, Adler discusses the development of bluegrass music, the many personalities involved in the bluegrass music scene, the interplay of local, regional, and national interests, and more.