To differentiate between oral and published sources (since some interviewees have also written cited books or articles), interview sources are given by name only and published sources by years (or, in the case of multipart articles, by months and years). Multiple interviews or multiple publications within a year are differentiated by the appellations [B], [C], etc. (See Bibliography for complete information.)
All interviews were conducted by the author unless otherwise noted. Interviews with Bill Monroe by Ralph Rinzler are given as “Monroe via Rinzler” followed by the tape’s Smithsonian Folklife file number. (See Bibliography for information, as known, on these interviews.)
Monroe Brothers recording session information comes from McKuen 1967 and Rust 1970. Data on Blue Grass Boys sessions from 1940 to 1974 from Rosenberg 1974; 1974-1985 from American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, Local Union 257, session sheets for Decca Records (“Bill Monroe 1970s” file), archives of Country Music Foundation, Nashville, Tennessee; and 1985-1996 from the database “Bill Monroe Recordings, Complete Chronology 1981-1996” compiled by Neil V. Rosenberg (Rosenberg February 19, 1999). These will not be individually cited except in the case of annotations from these sources.
Information on Billboard chart positions of recordings by Monroe and other artists is primarily from Whitburn 1996 or Whitburn 1997 and in general will not be individually cited.
Abbreviations:
BUF: Bluegrass Unlimited magazine files, Warrenton, Virginia
CMFA: Country Music Foundation archives, Nashville, Tennessee
SFA: Archives of the Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife Programs and
Cultural Studies, Washington, DC
TSA: Tennessee State Archives, Nashville, Tennessee
Principal information about Ohio County, Rosine, and the Monroe family was obtained during the preparation of R. D. Smith 1996 and R.D. Smith 1997. Additional information was gathered during subsequent visits to Ohio County in 1997 and 1998; from personal communications by regional historians Wendell Allen, Jerry Long, and Harry D. Tinsley; and from J. Monroe October 1971 and D. Green January 1973.
1. R. Schumer.
2. H. Smith.
3. Rooney 1971, pp. 80-81; Rinzler 1975.
4. Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0520.
5. J.Penny.
6. Throughout the book, “old-time” music is taken to be rural southern music that has close connections to British Isles traditions, is performed primarily with stringed instruments, and became established prior to the recording and radio eras. Of course, much old-time music carried over into the mass media age, but this broad definition helps differentiate old-time music from later forms, such as bluegrass and country.
7. Battle, etal, 1885.
8. Copy in J. B. Monroe papers, private collection.
9. Rinzler 1975.
10. Ohio County, Kentucky, Circuit Court Records, Equity File 3966, Case 2503 (Ohio County Library, Hartford, KY, Microfilm Box 37).
11. U.S. census of 1900, Rosine Precinct, Ohio County, Kentucky.
12. Bartley, et al.
13. Ohio County Deed Book 27, p. 252. Although a deed search has proven inconclusive, it is likely that this parcel was part of John Monroe’s original Ohio County holdings.
14. Rinzler 1963.
15. Specific information from James Buchanan Monroe’s ledger books encompassing the years 1904-1908 (marked “1904/1905/1906”) and 1910-1923 (both SFA); and the years 1899, 1908, 1911-1912 ,1914, and 1916 (private collection).
16. Bill later created a scorching variation on the traditional fiddle tune “Katy Hill” and named it “Tall Timber” in honor of the old, valuable wood (Rinzler 1965).
17. For Vandiver family history, see Lindeman 1975 and L. C. Anderson (undated).
18. The Hartford Herald of August 3, 1892, noted that the couple was “united in the holy bonds of matrimony at the bride’s home near Horton yesterday.”
19. Foster 1969/70.
20. Ohio County deeds, passim, with indicating marks in place of signatures for Malissa Monroe and Pen Vandiver; also, Malissa’s listing in the 1900 census gives “no” for reads, “no” for writes, and “yes” for speaks English. This may explain the many spelling variations on Malissa’s name in official records: She pronounced it to census takers and clerks, who spelled it as best they could. The author has opted for the spelling used by her family in the Hartford Herald wedding announcement and on her headstone.
21. Bill revealed this to band member Glen Duncan.
22. F.J.Harvey.
23. Rinzlerl975.
24. Kiper, May 14, 1997. The story of Buck swimming the Green River is well known to his and Malissa’s descendants.
25. Birth years for the Monroes from their headstones in the Rosine cemetery and other standard genealogical sources. Census records show that the year 1890 carved on Harry’s headstone is incorrect and should be 1893.
26. Kiper, May 14, 1997.
27. Bill Monroe biography sheet, Buddy Lee Attractions, Nashville.
28. J. B. Monroe 1911 record book, private collection.
29. D. Green January 1973.
30. G. Ruby. Goldie Ruby’s mother was the visitor.
31. J. B. Monroe 1911 record book, private collection.
32. Liner notes by Roy Horton to album Early Blue Grass Music by the Monroe Brothers, RCA Camden CAL 774.
33. R.Schumer.
34. H. Smith.
35. Foster 1969/70; Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0520.
36. D. Green January 1973.
37. Foster 1969/70; Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0520.
38. H. Smith.
39. Sulloway 1996, passim.
40. Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0250. Bill recalled the midwife’s name as Mandy Stuart (handwritten note, collection of John Hartford).
41. B. and P. Logan.
42. J. Monroe October 1971.
43. L. and S. Allen.
44. R.D. Smith 1997.
45. Kiper/Kurtz.
46. H. Smith.
47. J.Monroe October 1971.
48. Bill spoke to Doc Watson about childhood episodes of abuse, but Watson declines to discuss them. The specific episodes involving a sibling’s alcohol use were told by Monroe to band member Butch Robins.
49. Battle, et al., 1885. However, the Vandivers had a reputation for rowdiness, and perhaps there was more alcohol use on that side of the family.
50. For example, J. B. recorded purchasing whiskey for $1.75 from Riley Hunt on September 9, 1911 (record book, private collection).
51. Wolmuthl986.
52. H. Smith.
53. Information on Pen Vandiver from W. Allen 1974; S. Crowder June 1993; Foster 1969/70; D. Green January 1973; and Ohio County marriage and realty records.
54. For example, page 177 of the J. B. Monroe ledger book marked “1904-1906” (SFA) lists payments to Pen Vandiver in 1907. Pen worked in his brother-in-law’s top wage bracket, a dollar a day.
55. Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0262.
56. McNultyl992.
57. Wolfe 1975.
58. Reminiscences by the Monroe brothers of Uncle Pen and the Vandiver family are found on the final track of Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys: Live Recordings 1956-1969, Smithsonian/Folkways SF CD 40063.
59. Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0262.
60. Foster 1969/70.
61. Rinzler 1975.
62. Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0262.
63. Green January 1973.
64. J. Monroe November 1971.
65. Lawrence 1987.
66. J. Monroe November 1971.
67. Kentucky Vital Records, death certificate; Kiper/Kurtz.
68. Tinsley; Monroe via Rinzler FP-1994-CT-0520.
69. The author has reached this conclusion through interviews with Hayward F. Spinks (current owner of the old Monroe property) and Ohio County historian Harry D. Tinsley plus an examination of J. B. Monroe’s ledger book for this period.
70. Kiper/Kurtz.
71. Streeter.
72. This was another childhood memory Bill shared with fiddler Glen Duncan.
73. H. Smith.
74. J.Monroe October 1971.
75. Robins Hubert Stringfield: Rinzler 1975.
76. Bill Monroe, personal communication to the author, 1970.
77. Hurst 1972. Later, while working in Chicago, Bill bought a mandolin for forty dollars (Rooney 1971, p. 26). This was a sizable investment in an instrument in those days, so perhaps it was the Gibson F-7 that he used in the Monroe Brothers, purchased used.
78. Rinzlerl975.
79. See Marini 1989, passim.
80. Wolfe 1975.
81. Rinzlerl975.
82. J. Monroe October 1971.
83. J. Monroe October 1971; Hume 1976. For more on hill foxhunting, see Mitchell 1973.
84. Rooney 1971, p. 56.
85. Green January 1973; Charlie Monroe, personal communication, 1972; L. and S. Allen.
86. H. Smith 1997; Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0262.
87. Lawrence 1980; McNulty Crowder 1993; and Lightfoot 1980.
88. Lawrence 1980.
89. Allen 1974; Ruby; and Hines.
90. Rooney 1971, p. 24.
91. Rooney 1971, p. 23.
92. Rooney 1971, p. 24.
93. Taylor.
94. W.Allen [B].
95. Green January 1973; Tribe 1975.
96. Green January 1973.
97. McCoury.
98. Respiratory ailments plagued the Monroes. Maude was hospitalized for a time at the Hazelwood tuberculosis sanatorium in Louisville (August 16, 1919, entry, J. B. Monroe ledger book, SFA; Kiper [B]), and Birch nearly died of pneumonia when he was a teenager (Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0250).
99. J. Monroe November 1971.
100. J. Monroe November 1971.
101. Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0250.
102. Ruby.
103. McNulty Crowder 1993.
104. J. Monroe October 1971. Even J. B. Monroe had not been immune to his brother-in-law’s wheelings and dealings, as witness a July 8, 1923, ledger book notation: “Pen Vandiver in Hors Trade 25.00” (SFA).
105. J. Monroe November 1971.
106. Foster 1969/70; Bill Monroe, liner notes to the album Bill Monroe’s Uncle Pen Decca DL 75348; Hume 1976; H. Smith.
107. Foster 1969/70.
108. Wolfe 1975; Ruby.
109. H. Smith.
110. Abramson 1980.
111. Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0250.
Primary information about the Monroes in the Chicago area and the subsequent Monroe Brothers act comes from D. Green February 1973; Monroe via Rinzler FP-RINZ-RR-0006; Rinzler 1975; Hurst 1977; J. Monroe November 1971; Wolfe 1975; Wolfe 1996[B]; and Wolfe 1998. These sources occasionally give different details but are in general agreement as to events and chronology.
1. W.Davison.
2. Garkovichl989, p. 104.
3. Garkovich 1989, pp. 105-106.
4. Monroe in the documentary High Lonesome: The Story of Bluegrass Music, Shanachie 604.
5. Green February 1973.
6. Davison.
7. Hurst 1977; Davison.
8. H. Smith.
9. R.Schumer.
10. Krishefl978, p.8.
11. H. Smith.
12. H. Smith.
13. G. Monroe/Allen; “Pneumonie fever” also claimed Pen’s son Cecil when he was only a teenager (McNulty 1992).
14. Foster 1969/70.
15. Lawrence 1980. Despite heart disease being the likely cause of death, some of Shultz’s friends insisted on a scenario like that attached to legendary blues man Robert Johnson—that Arnold had been poisoned by jealous rivals.
16. D. Green February 1973.
17. Tribe 1975.
18. Corbin 1970; Hurst 1984. Another source (Case 1945) gives the Hammond station as WIND.
19. D. Green February 1973.
20. Monroe via Rinzler FP-RINZ-0006.
21. Bruce 1979B.
22. Photocopy of cast photo, BUR
23. Bill said that on his mandolin break for “Sinner You Better Get Ready” he was specifically “trying to copy colored folks” (Monroe via Rinzler FP-RINZ-RR-0006). In particular, the bluesy minor third to major third slide became a hallmark of Monroe’s style.
24. Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0262.
25. In fact, it forced him to develop his quick, accurate falsetto style. “That’s the truth,” Bill later told interviewer Ralph Rinzler (Monroe via Rinzler FP-RINZ-RR-0004).
26. B. Price [B].
27. Davidson Co. No. 34918; grave marker, Monroe family plot, Spring Hill Cemetery, Nashville.
28. J. Monroe November 1971.
29. Bluegrass Star magazine, November 1971, p. 7, photo “Carolyn, Bill and Melissa, 1937.”
30. LeRoy.
31. Kuykendall.
32. H. Smith.
33. D. Green February 1973.
34. Rosenberg 1985, p. 31; Scruggs 1974.
35. D. Green February 1973.
36. Lester Flatt via Marty Stuart in the documentary Bill Monroe—The Father of Bluegrass, Original Cinema OC-10013.
37. Bill Monroe via Skaggs in Bill Monroe—The Father of Bluegrass, Original Cinema OC-10013.
38. D. Green February 1973.
39. D. Green February 1973.
40. Rosenberg 1985, p. 31.
41. J. Monroe November 1971.
42. Official and family records confirm that Carolyn was pregnant with Melissa prior to her marriage with Bill. Melissa Kathleen Monroe’s birthdate is given on her birth certificate as September 17, 1936 (North Carolina State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Mecklenburg County, Certificate No. 1419; Melissa was registered as a nonresident birth at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, her parents residing at 312 Butler Avenue in Greenville, South Carolina). This date is also given on her funeral service program (Madison Funeral Home Chapel, December 5, 1990, BUF) and her obituary in Bluegrass Unlimited (January 1991, p. 14). A September 14, 1936, birthdate was listed by her brother James for her death certificate (Tennessee Department of Health, Verification of Death Facts), but the three-day difference is not significant given the agreement on year. Bill and Carolyn’s wedding date of October 18, 1936, is recorded both on their marriage license (Spartanburg County, South Carolina, Marriage License BookT, p. 591) and in Carolyn’s divorce petition {Monroe vs. Monroe, Davidson County, Tennessee, No. 34918).
43. Hartford [C]; H. Smith; Forrester; Kuykendall.
44. Rosine, Kentucky, cemetery headstone; Wendell Allen [E].
45. Garkovitchl989, p.l07.
46. D. Green February 1973; Rinzler 1975.
47. D. Green February 1973.
48. McKuenl967.
49. Rust 1970.
50. Bluegrass Unlimited, March 1982, p. 7.
51. J. Monroe November 1971; Scott.
52. Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0262.
53. D. Green February 1973.
54. Scott.
55. Scott.
56. D. Green February 1973.
57. Scott.
58. Scott.
59. Rosenberg 1985, p. 35.
60. D. Green March 1973.
61. Charlie Monroe, personal communication, 1972; Bill also specifically denied the rumors that they had broken up over a woman (Nash 1988, pp. 350-351).
62. Rooneyl971, p.32.
63. Nash 1988, p. 350.
64. D. Green February 1973.
Primary information about the hiring of Cleo Davis and the formation of the Blue Grass Boys comes from Erbsen February and March 1982. Additional information about Bill’s first bands via Rooney 1971, J. Monroe December 1971, and Rinzler 1975.
1. Scott.
2. Scott.
3. J. Monroe December 1971.
4. J. Monroe December 1971.
5. Burrison 1977, passim. Monroe was a great admirer of the Skillet Lickers and McMichen. Their uses of multiple fiddles played in harmony obviously influenced his further development of this sound.
6. Krishef l978, p.8.
7. Erbsen February 1982.
8. Erbsen February 1982; J. Monroe December 1971.
9. Erbsen March 1982.
10. Erbsen March 1982.
11. Erbsen March 1982; J. Monroe December 1971.
12. Monroe, personal communication, 1970. Bill also commented that it “gave me confidence that I could handle a solo number” (Monroe via Rinzler FP-RINZ-RR-0004).
13. Wolfe 1975.
14. Hume 1976.
15. These then-unusual keys also demanded increased virtuosity from musicians, especially fiddlers, helping to raise standards of technique in country music.
16. Seckler. For a history of WSM and the Opry, see Krishef 1978, p. 6, and Hagen 1989, p. 5. Additional information from Stubbs and Stubbs [C/D].
17. Hagen 1989, pp. 8-9. There had been earlier presentations of old-time music on WSM, but Thompson’s appearance led to its regular presentation and the subsequent Opry show.
18. Hagen 1989, pp. 24-25.
19. Seckler.
20. Erbsen March 1982.
21. Hagen 1989, p. 51.
22. Nash 1988, p. 334.
23. Hay 1945, p. 52.
24. Erbsen April 1982. Here the recollections of Cleo Davis and Bill Monroe differ. Monroe later spoke of encoring on “Mule Skinner,” but Davis recalled that it was the overall performance that prompted an encore, for which the band dipped into its repertoire for another uptempo number.
25. Seckler.
26. Scott.
27. Williams via Stubbs.
28. Seckler.
29. Hartford [C].
30. Ellis.
31. LeRoy.
32. Erbsen March 1982.
33. Stubbs [C].
34. This collection of Monroe’s personality and physical traits is gleaned from interviews, published sources, and the author’s own recollections.
35. Nash 1988, p. 353.
36. J. Monroe December 1971.
37. Erbsen March 1982.
38. North Carolina State Board of Health, birth certificate; Mauldin Monroe vs. Monroe 1975, Davidson Co. No. A-5787. Information about the Mauldin family from E. and H. Mauldin; L. Mauldin; S. and V. Mauldin.
39. L. Mauldin.
40. Forrester; Kuykendall; Streeter.
41. Mauldin Monroe vs. Monroe 1975, Davidson Co. No. A-5787.
42. L. Mauldin; Mauldin Monroe vs. Monroe 1975, Davidson Co. No. A-5787.
43. Monroe vs. Monroe 1959, Davidson Co. No. 34918; Mauldin Monroe vs. Monroe 1975, Davidson Co. A-5787.
44. Hartford [C]; Forrester.
45. Hartford [C].
46. Forrester.
47. Monroe vs. Monroe 1959, Davidson Co. No. 34918.
48. Hurst 1975, p. 94 and p. 341; Krishef 1978, pp. 48-49.
49. Ryman Auditorium program displays.
50. Rooney 1971, p. 36; James Monroe December 1971.
51. Shumate.
52. Shumate.
53. Rooney 1971, p. 36.
54. Rhodes 1978.
55. Shumate.
56. Shumate.
57. J. Monroe December 1971; Wiseman.
58. Hartford [C].
59. Rinzlerl969.
60. Scott; additional remembrances of the tent show from Kiper [B].
61. Robins; R. Greene.
62. The Bailey story is given in Rooney 1971, pp. 36-37.
63. Wolfe 1982.
64. Monroe picture file, SFA.
65. Information on the five-string banjo’s history from Tony Trischka (personal communications) and B. Keith.
66. Wolfe 1982.
67. Forrester.
68. Rinzlerl975.
69. Sally Ann Forrester sang high harmony on “Nobody Loves Me” and “Come Back to Me in My Dreams,” two bouncy but wistful trios waxed by Monroe on February 13, 1945. “Put Me in Your Pocket,” a wartime song about a soldier carrying his sweetheart’s picture, became her most requested number on the Opry, although it was never recorded (Forrester).
70. Forrester.
71. Forrester.
72. Davidson County, Tennessee, Deed Book 1258, p. 168.
73. Hay 1945, p. 52.
74. The mandolin may have been acquired as late as a January 1945 Florida tour. Bill himself recalled different years during different interviews. The auditory evidence leaves little question, however, that it is the mandolin he played on his first Columbia session on February 13, 1945. The author takes the view of vintage instrument expert Tony Williamson on the October 1943 time period.
75. From Lloyd Loar mandolin database compiled by Tom Isenhour.
76. Country Music, January 1986, p. 19; Williamson. In interviews, Bill variously recalled the price as $ 125 and $ 150.
77. History of the mandolin and other fretted instruments in American folk/country music via Gruhn, Isenhour, and Williamson.
78. Wolfe 1975.
79. Rosenberg 1974 errs in giving the setting as Castle Studios in Nashville. Later research by Eddie Stubbs has revealed the Chicago locale.
80. Rooney l971, p.36.
81. Wiseman.
82. The song was not an original, however, having been brought into the band’s repertoire by Dave “Stringbean” Akeman (Monroe via Rinzler FP-RINZ-7RR-0002).
83. Data on Nelson Gann and his family from State of Tennessee Bureau of Vital Statistics, birth certificate of Nelson Campbell Gann; U.S. Census, for Lebanon, Tennessee, 1920; Smith County, Tennessee, Cemeteries, Volume 1, p. 68 (Microfilm Roll A-6155, TSA); and Nashville city directories, TSA.
84. Even Bessie’s sisters Stella and Virginia are unsure.
85. S.andV.Mauldin.
86. Rosenberg; S. and V. Mauldin.
87. Horstman l986, p. 151.
88. Rao 1999.
89. Shumate.
90. Shumate.
91. Biographical information on Lester Flatt from Rhodes 1979; Lambert/Seckler 1982, passim; and Gladys Flatt.
92. G. Flatt.
93. Rhodes 1979.
94. H. Smith; Haney.
95. Rhodes 1979.
96. Biographical information on Don Reno from Wernick 1967, and D. and R. Reno.
97. Shumate.
1. Rhodes 1979.
2. Scruggs via D. Green 1974; Shumate.
3. Rhodes 1979.
4. Scruggs via D. Green 1974.
5. Scruggs via D. Green 1974.
6. Biographical material on Scruggs, including his early music experiences, from Scruggs via D. Green 1974; Rosenberg 1991; and Rosenberg 1998[A].
7. Scruggs via D. Green 1974.
8. French 1967.
9. Tape of Opry broadcast circa 1946.
10. Tape of Opry broadcast circa 1946.
11. Rhodes 1979.
12. Bush.
13. Scruggs via D. Green 1974.
14. Hartford [D]; Kuykendall.
15. Kuykendall, personal communication, February 1999. Watts would later become a member of HankWilliams’s Drifting Cowboys.
16. Eddie Stubbs [C].
17. The commonalities have long been noted by master bluegrass vocalists. As Peter Rowan has put it, “To me, bluegrass singing is like fiddle playing . . . short bursts of a few notes and then a long held out thing” (Wernick 1976, p. 16).
18. G.Duncan.
19. A typographic error in Rosenberg 1974 has rendered the earlier date as October 2.
20. A Rosine sharecropper family used to sing it, including some extra verses Bill did not perform (Monroe via Rinzler FP-RINZ-RR-0006).
21. O’Brien.
22. Biographical information from John Wright 1993; Reid 1998; and Ralph Stanley.
23. Stubbs [D].
24. Stanley.
25. Garkovich 1989, p. 97. For an analysis of bluegrass as a reinvention of old-time string band music for transplanted southerners, see Cantwell 1984, passim.
26. Live tape of Opry program circa 1946.
27. Rinzlerl975.
28. Stubbs.
29. Gabany.
30. Helm/Davis 1993.
31. Watson.
32. Stubbs [D].
33. Grand Ole Opry member and former disk jockey Charlie Walker remembers “Footprints in the Snow” being a particularly popular record in his native Texas.
34. Rosenberg 1974; p. 42.
35. R.Kiper[C].
36. The story of the writing of “I Hear a Sweet Voice Calling” via Rosetta Monroe Kiper, who was there at the time.
37. Mrs. Kiper also remembers well the writing of “The Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake.” Kiper [C].
38. For example, an analysis (Childrey 1990) of images and metaphors in Monroe’s music considers his version of “Little Joe” but overlooks the wealth of songs about dying or injured children in Bill’s repertoire. Another analysis (Ayers 1975) totally misses this genre of Monroe song. (Ayers even fails to recognize Monroe’s “true songs” about love affairs as a true category, putting “Used to Be” under “Home, Past, Rural Oriented Titles” and completely omitting any discussion of “Can’t You Hear Me Callin’,” “On and On,” “Letter from My Darling,” et al.)
39. B.Robins.
40. H. Smith; Hartford [C].
41. These memories of the farm and Bill’s tours from Kiper [B].
42. GFlatt.
43. GFlatt.
44. GFlatt.
45. Keith.
46. Polk’s Nashville City Directory, 1947 and 1948; Fite via Schott; and Schott.
47. Martin. When asked about the writing of “Along About Daybreak,” Monroe once replied, “Well, there’s a true story behind that song, but it don’t need to be printed.” (Humphrey 1992, p. 29) But Bill related it to Jimmy Martin and its importance is obvious: Not only is this powerful number likely the first autobiographical composition Monroe ever recorded, its construction—stark and bluesy, with heavy use of the pentatonic scale—strongly indicates that it was created independently of Bill’s more mellifluous collaborations with Lester Flatt.
48. KuykendaU.
49. Lashlee.
50. KuykendaU.
51. GFlatt.
52. French 1967; Rosenberg 1998A; and Stubbs [D].
53. GFlatt.
54. G. Flatt.
55. Information on the history of the group from French 1967; Rhodes 1974; Rosenberg 1991; G. Flatt; and Rosenberg 1998[A].
56. And some of his material. At an October 20, 1950, session for Mercury Records, Flatt and Scruggs recorded “Pike County Breakdown,” a supercharged instrumental reworking of the old folk song “Sweet Betsy from Pike” that Monroe had written under the pseudonym Rupert Jones but not yet recorded. It was released in May 1952 and Bill was quickly forced to cover his own composition at a July 26 Decca session.
57. Wiseman.
58. Haney.
59. The story of this incident and its aftermath via Mac Wiseman.
60. The formation of the Shenandoah Valley Trio and Bill’s bus purchase also via Wiseman.
61. Wiseman.
62. Ewing.
63. Rinzler 1975; Wiseman. Columbia executive Art Satherley knew full well that he might lose Monroe if the Stanleys were signed (J. Wright 1993, p. 55).
64. Stubbs [D].
65. Rumble 1994, p. 54.
66. Wiseman.
67. Duncan.
68. Simpson County, Kentucky, Marriage Bond No. 446; Gann vs. Gann, Davidson Co. No. A-5787.
69. Gann vs. Gann, Davidson Co. No. A-5787.
70. Information for comparison of release dates of Monroe and Williams material from Rosenberg 1974, p. 42, and Escott 1994, pp. 286-289, respectively.
71. Information on Martin’s youth and early career from Martin; Martin [B]; and Skinker 1998[C].
72. Monroe vs. Monroe 1959, Davidson Co. No. 34918.
73. Jimmy Martin clearly remembers Carolyn and Bill conversing civilly, and Bill handing Carolyn money for the children’s support.
74. Martin [B]. There is little question as to her parentage. Delia Streeter (Bill’s second wife and also a friend of Bessie Lee’s) was told by Bessie that the girl was her and Bill’s child. The accounts of Martin and Streeter are confirmed by another person who knew Bessie and Bill but has requested anonymity. (This source relates that the child was not named Rose; the song is a variation on Bill’s earlier “My Rose of Old Kentucky.”) Bill told Delia that it was Bessie’s child, but he did not directly acknowledge paternity (Streeter [B]). He maintained the same position when speaking to his close friend Hazel Smith about the subject (H. Smith). Rosetta Monroe Kiper, one of Bill’s nieces, recalls that Bessie accompanied Bill on a visit to Rosine some time before 1940 and told some Monroe family members that she was pregnant with his child (R. Kiper [D]). This is consistent with Bill’s statements to interviewer Ralph Rinzler (FP-RINZ-RR-0005) that the song was composed around 1949 when the girl was twelve or fourteen years old. Thus she could have been born between 1935 and 1937, bolstering speculation that Bill was already going with Bessie at the time he married Carolyn. Ervin Mauldin, a cousin of Bessie’s, confirms that Bessie had a baby but does not know its gender nor what became of it (E. Mauldin, signed statement). Bessie’s sisters say they are unaware that she had any children, but they also report that she was once out of touch with the family for a year or two (V. and S. Mauldin).
75. Rhodes 1989.
76. Scott.
77. Respecting the woman’s apparent desire for anonymity, the author did not attempt to locate her. However, she did resurface late in Monroe’s life. Bill told Delia Streeter that sometime in the early 1980s, the Georgia Rose had visited him backstage at the Opry (Streeter [B]).
78. Martin [B]. Monroe admired Williams’s material but not his phrasing, holding that Hank “drug it to death” in the singing (Monroe via Rinzler FP-RINZ-RR-0004).
79. Martin and Martin [B].
80. Rinzler 1966; H. Smith.
81. Martin and Martin [B].
82. Martin.
83. Martin [B].
84. Martin [B].
85. Martin.
86. Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0262.
87. The stories of the creations of “Raw Hide” and “Uncle Pen” via Martin.
88. Rinzler 1965.
89. Hugh Ashley was a songwriter from Arkansas and “Ira Wright” was a pseudonym for Eli Oberstein, the same man who had signed the Monroe Brothers to RCA Victor. Oberstein put out Ashley’s song on one of his own labels in the 1940s. He took a share of the songwriting royalties (a standard practice then) and later played the song for Paul Cohen. Although Monroe rather defensively told Ashley that he had written “Uncle Pen” before “The Old Fiddler,” Hugh’s speculation that his song inspired Bill seems quite justified (Rosenberg/Wolfe 1989, p. 17).
90. Nashville Tennessean, April 15 and May 5, 1951.
91. Horstman l986, p. 188.
92. Complicating the evaluation of “Kentucky Waltz” is an assertion by former Monroe lead singer Clyde Moody (“The Hillbilly Waltz King”) that he had written the song. See Moody’s comments in Stubbs 1992.
93. Melaragni 1979.
94. Monroe’s irritation by claims that the five-string had made bluegrass wasn’t wholly prompted by his one-time feud with Scruggs: Bill’s music had been built around the fiddle, and he was proud of keeping old fiddle tunes alive within country music (Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0262). Therefore he became angered when the fiddle’s role was downplayed by banjo-oriented commentators. (See L. M. Smith 1965 and 1967.)
95. The parallels between Monroe and auteur film director John Ford underscore the point. Both had talented proteges (Earl Scruggs for Monroe and John Wayne for Ford) whom they raised from obscurity and who, in turn, helped establish their mentors’ fame. And just as Ford was once critically pigeonholed as a mere director of westerns, causing his overall influence on the cinema to go unrecognized, the “Father of Bluegrass” label has obscured Monroe’s broad impact on American popular music.
96. Martin.
97. And sometimes less. For example, an October 30, 1952, appearance at the Sandy Theater in Crossville, Alabama, yielded an after-tax net of $ 126.14 of which the band received 50 percent, a pitiful $63.07 (financial record, collection of Mike Dunn).
98. Martin.
99. Martin. Monroe later tried to put a positive spin on the Blue Grass Boys’ high turnover in the 1950s and ‘60s, insisting: “I would have never wanted to keep the same group twenty-five years. Bluegrass would never have advanced at all” (Monroe via Rinzler, FP-RINZ-RR-0005).
100. Bradley.
101. Stubbs [D].
102. Bradley.
103. Bradley.
104. Bradley.
105. Information on Melissa Monroe’s recording career from the CMFA.
106. Martin.
107. Martin; H. Smith.
108. Gann vs. Gann, Davidson Co. No. 21303.
109. Mauldin-Monroe vs. Monroe 1975, Davidson Co. No. A-5787.
110. Information on Nelson Gann’s latter years from Polk City directories of Nashville, 1947 through 1975 (TSA); Fite via Schott; and Social Security death records.
111. Country Song Roundup, February 1952.
112. The story of the gouging of the “Gibson” inlay from Fowler 1979 and Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0262.
113. Stanley.
114. Biographical information on Edd Mayfield from Hutchens 1983 and Curtis.
115. Monroe recounted this incident to his friend Hazel Smith.
116. Skinker 1998[B]; Brown County, Indiana, Deed Book 69, p. 456, and Book 107, pp. 131-133; and Rosenberg. Birch was given employment as the park’s manager, and putting the deeds in his name certainly protected Bill’s property in the event of a divorce from Carolyn.
117. Bessie Lee told Mr. and Mrs. Buck White about the final moments before the crash (B. White). Additional information from a newspaper item reproduced in Rosenberg/Wolfe 1989, p. 28.
1. Nash 1988, p. 353; J. Martin.
2. Rosenberg/Wolfe 1989, p. 28.
3. Rosenberg.
4. J. Martin. Monroe later recalled walking into the emergency room under his own power (Nash 1988, p. 353). But so horrible were Bill’s injuries that Martin is skeptical of this recollection.
5. J. Monroe December 1971.
6. Bradley.
7. J. Monroe December 1971.
8. Bluegrass Unlimited, March 1983, p. 11.
9. Bradley.
10. Information on Martha White and its sponsorship of the Flatt and Scruggs band from Williams’s nephew, Wynn Williams.
11. C. Smith.
12. Lester Flatt told the story of this encounter to Lance LeRoy, Flatt’s agent in his latter years. The anecdote also underscores how poor Monroe’s vision was, since Lester first attributed Bill’s behavior to his bad eye.
13. Martin.
14. Wiseman.
15. Sumner County Deed Book 156, pp. 35-38.
16. J. Monroe December 1971.
17. B. Price [B].
18. L. Mauldin; V. and S. Mauldin.
19. H. Smith [B];J. Martin [B].
20. J. Martin [B].
21. Elvis Presley—The Sun Sessions CD, RCA Victor 6414-2-R.
22. Cited in Perkins/McGee 1996, p. 78. Elvis was widely identified as a country singer at this stage of his career. In 1954, a booking agent wrote in response to an inquiry by Scotty Moore, Presley’s guitarist: “I don’t have anything at present where I could place your artist. There are few outlets for hillbilly entertainers around Chicago” (cited in Kuntz 1999).
23. Guralnick 1994, pp. 128-129.
24. Martin.
25. Morrison 1996, p. 59.
26. Stanley.
27. DeCurtis 1996.
28. Recollections of Monroe’s influence on Perkins and Presley music from Perkins/McGee 1996, pp. 11-26.
29. Rumble 1994, p. 60.
30. Perkins/McGee 1996, pp. 219-220.
31. Perkins/McGee 1996, pp. 215-216.
32. Cash/Carr l997, p.289.
33. Cash/Carr l997, p.ll0.
34. Curtis. Holly’s early bands contained two other Monroe fans, Sonny Curtis and Waylon Jennings.
35. Hicks [B].
36. Stubbsl998.
37. J.Martin.
38. Rosenberg May 1984.
39. Rosenberg January 1985.
40. The Foggy Mountain Boys now had the stable—and phenomenal—lineup of former Charlie Monroe sideman John “Curly” Seckler on mandolin, singing superb tenor to Lester’s leads; fiddler Paul Warren, equally adept at playing scorching hoe-downs or lilting ballads; lovable bassist/comedian “Cousin Jake” Tullock; and Burkett “Uncle Josh” Graves, who renewed the Hawaiian-style resonator guitar’s popularity in country music and made it the perfect acoustic alternative to the electric pedal steel guitar.
41. LeRoy.
42. LeRoy.
43. LeRoy.
44. LeRoy.
45. Seckler.
46. Keith; G. Flatt; LeRoy.
47. LeRoy.
48. W.Williams.
49. Seckler.
50. T. Ellis; C Smith.
51. J. Martin [B].
52. LeRoy.
53. Rosenberg.
54. LaBella.
55. H. Smith.
56. D. and R. Reno, with other recollections of Bessie via Ellis, Rosenberg, and Streeter.
57. S. and V. Mauldin; R. Mauldin. Bessie’s statements to her family are highly credible. Had she been lying about her songwriting, she surely would have laid claim to Monroe numbers more famous than “Cheyenne” or “Voice from On High.”
58. Martin; McCoury.
59. Seckler.
60. Stubbs[C].
61. Wiseman.
62. G. Duncan; Stubbs [D]. As noted, Monroe did not originate or even pioneer the use of harmony fiddles. He owed a particular debt to the prior recordings of string band leaders Gid Tanner and Clayton McMichen and western swing giant Bob Wills.
63. H. Smith.
64. Kershaw.
65. C. Smith. Smith feels that Monroe is equally its composer, since Charlie was playing the bluegrass music that Bill had created and taught him.
66. Nashville Tennessean, September 27, 1958. The loss of the Cadillac and the forced use of Bessie’s station wagon must have particularly galled Bill, who favored fine touring cars (Wesbrooks/McLean/Grafton, p. 132; Price [B]).
67. The last days of Mayfield from Hutchens 1983; Monroe via Rinzler FP-RINZ-RR-0005.
68. H. Smith.
69. PeteSeeger l961, p.32.
70. Lomaxl959.
71. Rosenberg 1974, p. 3.
72. Tate.
73. Cooke.
74. Hartford [C].
75. Rosenberg 1985, p. 151.
76. Rosenberg 1985, p. 151.
77. Monroe vs. Monroe 1959, Davidson Co. No. 34918. The information and quotes that follow are from the case file.
78. Mauldin Monroe vs. Monroe 1975, Davidson Co. No. A-5787.
79. Information about Don Owens and the first one-day, all-bluegrass show from Stubbs 1998.
80. Rosenberg 1985, pp. 135-136.
81. Rosenberg 1985, p. 178.
82. Cited in Rosenberg 1985, p. 181.
83. Recorded on July 6, 1951, and credited to Audrey Butler, this became Bill and Carter’s most popular vocal collaboration. Monroe later stated that it was written by Betty Blazer, one of several professional wrestlers who made Nashville’s Tulane Hotel their headquarters (Monroe via Rinzler FP-RINZ-7RR-0002). If so, perhaps “Betty Blazer” was Ms. Butler’s ring nom-de-plume!
84. The Monroe-Stanley exchange was captured by several persons who taped the show. It is cited in Rosenberg 1985, p. 179.
85. Rosenberg 1985, p. 180.
86. Rosenberg 1985, pp. 180-181.
87. Stubbs 1998.
88. The Hatch Show Print advertising poster order records (CMFA) confirm the recollections of sidemen that Monroe was actually quite busy during this period. But he was earning scant money because of declining crowds and percentage-only payments.
89. Tate.
90. Ellis.
91. McPeake.
92. Ellis.
93. Bradley; McPeake.
94. Ellis.
95. Ellis.
96. Ellis.
97. Ellis.
98. McPeake; Ellis.
99. Rosenberg 1991, p. 7.
100. B.Anderson.
101. Rumble 1994, p. 54.
1. Rumble 1994, p. 62.
2. Perkins/McGee 1996, p. 286.
3. B.Anderson.
4. Ellis.
5. Ellis.
6. For more on its origins, see Rosenberg 1985, pp. 5,11-13,88-90,111-116.
7. Louise Scruggs, Madison, Tennessee, letter to Dave Magram, January 8, 1963.
8. Louise Scruggs, Madison, Tennessee, letter to Dave Magram, March 2, 1964.
9. The story of Ralph Rinzler’s first encounters with Monroe from Rooney 1971, pp. 77-80; Rinzler 1975; Rinzler 1993; M. Seeger; R. Stanley; and H. Dickens.
10. Seeger 1997.
11. Rooney 1971, p. 79.
12. Biographical and personal information on Rinzler from SFA, passim; Swarth-more 1970; R. D. Smith 1979; Harrington 1994; K. Rinzler; and Werman.
13. Werman.
14. Goldsmith 1998, p. 262.
15. Watson.
16. R.D. Smith 1979.
17. Biographical information via M. Seeger.
18. Biographical information via H. Dickens.
19. H.Dickens.
20. This and the anecdote about the microphones via Mike Seeger.
21. Rooney 1971, p. 77.
22. Smith 1979.
23. Rinzler 1963.
24. Rinzler later shared these thoughts with Monroe during a taped interview (Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0262).
25. H.Dickens.
26. Rooney 1971, p. 79; Rinzler 1975, p. 204.
27. Seeger.
28. Rinzler datebooks, SFA, May 4, 1962, notation.
29. The story of the meeting between Monroe, Rinzler, Seeger, Mauldin, and the Stanleys primarily from Mike Seeger but confirmed by Ralph Stanley.
30. M. Seeger.
31. Rosenberg 1985, p. 180.
32. M. Seeger.
33. Rinzler 1993, p. 5.
34. Rinzler 1993, p. 6.
35. Rooney 1971, p. 79.
36. Rinzler 1993, p. 6.
37. Rinzler 1963.
38. Gentry 1961, p. 273.
39. By the late 1950s, Monroe had taken over emcee duties in concert, partly because his shyness had abated but probably out of necessity, since the lead singer/guitarist position had become a revolving door. However, his stage patter had been limited to quick perfunctory comments. (“Thank you thank you and now I’m gonna sing a couple of solo numbers, the first one’s called ‘My Little Georgia Rose.’”) Although Rinzler may not have specifically directed Bill to talk about Pen or Arnold, Ralph showed him that audiences were interested in his roots.
40. Rinzler datebooks, SFA.
41. Logan.
42. Gerrard.
43. McCoury.
44. Dickens.
45. McCoury.
46. Rinzler 1993, p. 6.
47. Rinzler 1993, p. 6; Seeger.
48. Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0262. Seeger was also a good friend to Earl Scruggs. The feuding parties never forced mutual friends to take sides.
49. Rinzler shared these impressions with Monroe during the same taped interview (Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0262).
50. Information on his background and early music career from B. Keith.
51. One writer has claimed that Baker had to convince a “dubious” Monroe to hire Keith. But Keith’s recollection suggests that Monroe made his mind up very quickly.
52. Monroe’s prediction and Del’s private reaction via McCoury.
53. Keith.
54. McCoury. Even Bessie Lee had the same impression.
55. Keith.
56. Von Schmidt/Rooney 1994, p. 158.
57. McCoury.
58. Keith.
59. Biographical information on Kenny Baker from Rooney 1971, pp. 68-69; J. Monroe January 1972; and Skinker 1998.
60. Dillards/M. Jayne.
61. Dillards/Webb.
62. Keith.
63. H. Smith.
64. Dillards/Jayne.
65. Watson.
66. Rinzler 1993, p. 7.
67. Rosenberg 1998[B].
68. Watson.
69. He later diplomatically shared his regrets about the Keith situation with Monroe during a 1966 taped interview. Bill didn’t explain why he hadn’t continued to record Brad Keith (Monroe and Greene via Rinzler FP-RINZ-7RR-0004).
70. Shelton 1963[B].
71. Gerrard; for more about the uneasiness some southern string band musicians had with the folk revival, see Cantwell 1996, pp. 298-303.
72. Dillards/Jayne.
73. Rosenberg.
74. Rosenberg.
75. Bill Turbeville, Rock Hill, South Carolina, letter to Ott Devine of WSM, June 17, 1963, Rinzler papers, SFA.
76. John McKenzie, Gloucestershire, England, letter to Bill Monroe, May 24, 1963, Rinzler papers, SFA.
77. Irv Dinkin, New York, N.Y., letter to Ralph Rinzler, June 11, 1963, Rinzler papers, SFA.
78. Rosenberg 1991, p. 3.
79. Schmidt/Rooney 1994, pp. 157-158.
80. Harry Cooke, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, letter to Ralph Rinzler, June 10, 1963, Rinzler papers, SFA. Joe A. Bryan, Boaz, Alabama, letter to Bill Monroe, June 27, 1963, Rinzler papers, SFA.
81. Rosenberg.
82. Rosenberg. Birch Monroe was widely loved, but these impressions are universally shared by friends and acquaintances.
83. The confrontation was witnessed by Jim Rooney, who later rode back to Nashville with Keith and Monroe. Von Schmidt/Rooney 1994, pp. 159 and 162.
84. Rosenberg.
85. Rosenberg.
86. Rosenberg.
87. Rinzler 1975, pp. 205 and 219. In 1982, Ralph entered into a tentative agreement with the University of Illinois Press. But other projects, his later responsibilities as head of the Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife Programs, and a final illness prevented Rinzler from doing any writing on the book (McCulloh).
88. Monroe via Rinzler FP-RINZ-RR-0005.
89. In the liner notes to the 1966 Columbia The Versatile Flatt and Scruggs, Nat Hentoff wrote that “it is a mistake to categorize Flatt and Scruggs as only a ‘bluegrass’ combo although they are certainly masters of that bristling idiom.” The term was soon dropped entirely from the duo’s albums.
90. Bradley.
91. Neil Rosenberg, Bloomington, Indiana, letter to Ralph Rinzler, June 8, 1963, Rinzler papers, SFA.
92. Keith.
93. The story of Bill and Bessie’s surprise visit to the “Bluegrass Rest Home” from Von Schmidt/Rooney 1994, p. 157, and Bill Keith.
94. The story of the visit to Rosine from Rooney 1971, p. 80; Rinzler 1993, pp. 20-22; and Blue Grass Boys/McCoury.
95. Rinzler 1993, p. 20.
96. Rinzler 1993, p. 21.
97. Reflecting on the visit to Rosine, Del McCoury agrees with this interpretation.
98. 1963 datebook, Rinzler papers, SFA.
99. McCoury.
100. This compilation of Monroe road stories from Rooney 1971, pp. 85-87; Rinzler 1993, pp. 21-22; Keith 1997; Blue Grass Boys/Keith and McCoury October 1997; and McCoury.
101. Keith.
102. Al Steiner, personal communication, 1995.
103. Keith.
104. Keith.
105. Rosenberg 1985, p. 186.
106. Bessie Lee Mauldin, letter to Ralph Rinzler, February 14, 1964, Rinzler papers, SFA.
107. Streeter; Bessie’s death certificate lists her occupation as “music secretary.”
108. Cash/Carr l997, p. 289.
109. The timing is clear in McCoury’s mind because he was married shortly thereafter.
110. McCoury. Del has no ax to grind against Bessie, speaking well of her as a person and praising her bass playing as highly underrated.
111. Mauldin Monroe vs. Monroe, Davidson Co. No. A5787.
112. Rooney 1971, p. 92.
113. Arkin, personal communication, 1995.
114. Blue Grass Boys/Arkin.
115. Blue Grass Boys/Lowinger.
116. Blue Grass Boys/Lowinger.
1. LeRoy. Lance LeRoy was in the dressing room when Haney pitched his festival concept to Monroe.
2. Biographical information about Carlton Haney from Haney; Bartenstein; and Bartenstein 1998.
3. LeRoy.
4. Rosenberg 1985, p. 204.
5. Haney.
6. Haney.
7. Haney.
8. Rinzlerl975.
9. This feeling is stressed by numerous attendees (Bush; Isenhour; Magram; and L. Martin).
10. Stanley.
11. Biographical and career information via Rowan and Rowan [B].
12. Rowan [B].
13. And it matched the vagaries of his financial situation. During better times, Monroe was more forthright about recruiting musicians.
14. In particular, Bill stressed that certain words should be emphasized and filled with meaning (Wernick 1976, p. 16).
15. Biographical information via R. Greene.
16. Bush.
17. Program, 1st International Folk-Bluegrass Festival, July 10, 1966, Lake Whip-porwill Park, author’s collection.
18. Carlson 1966; Stubbs [D].
19. Artis 1975, p. 38; Wright 1993, pp. 4 and 84-85.
20. Bluegrass Unlimited, December 1966 and January 1967. Carter’s death was attributed to a liver ailment (Rosenberg 1985, p. 320).
21. Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0262.
22. Stanley.
23. H. Smith.
24. R.Greene.
25. Greene and Monroe expounded on Bill’s fiddle theories in a unique seminar-style private demonstration taped by Ralph Rinzler (Monroe and R. Greene via Rinzler FP-RINZ-RR-0004 and FP-RINZ-RR-0006).
26. R. Greene.
27. P. Rowan [B].
28. Stauffer; R. Greene; D. Green; and P. Rowan [B].
29. Rowan [B].
30. Rosenberg; R. White; V. Stauffer; P. Rowan [B].
31. Rowan [B].
32. Rowan [B].
33. The story of the fallout over this song via R. Greene and P. Rowan [B].
34. R.Greene.
35. R. Greene.
36. P. Rowan [B].
37. P. Rowan [B].
38. R. Greene.
39. R. White.
40. R. White.
41. Biographical information from H. Smith.
42. H. Smith.
43. H. Smith.
44. R. White.
45. Johnston had also produced Dylan for Columbia (Rosenberg 1991). See also Koon 1974 regarding the duo’s divergence from bluegrass.
46. Artis 1975, p. 56; Lambert/Seckler 1982, pp. 52-54.
47. Lambert/Seckler 1982, p. 56. Several sources erroneously list their appearance on the Tennessee state float in Richard Nixon’s inaugural parade as their last appearance together.
48. Lambert/Seckler 1982, pp. 55-56.
49. Biographical and career information on James Monroe from Kuykendall 1973.
50. Hurst 1972.
51. Kuykendall 1973.
52. Allen 1998. Additional information about Charlie’s difficulties and the sale of the old Monroe land from Green March 1973; Ohio County Deed Book 164, pp. 75-78; and Spinks.
53. Bradley.
54. H. Smith; R. White.
55. H. Smith.
56. Gerrard. Rinzler, who was recovering from a broken leg, sat on the stage, put his leg up on a piano bench, and smiled happily.
57. Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0262.
58. Bluegrass Star, December 1971.
59. Billboard 1970.
60. Sumner County, Tennessee, Lien Book 5, pp. 406 and 450; Book 6, p. 69; Book 7, pp. 26,138, and 185; and Book 15, pp. 559 and 594.
61. B. Price.
62. Lundy 1983; Kuykendall. Haney’s version is that he and Bill had accomplished all they could together and mutually decided to move on (Haney).
63. Haney.
64. Mauldin Monroe vs. Monroe 1975, Davidson Co. Chancery Court A-5787.
65. Stauffer.
66. Wiseman.
67. Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0250; R. Smith 1985; Stauffer.
68. Hurst 1972; Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0262.
69. “The White Folks Ain’t Treating Me Right” was renamed “Poor White Folks” for the album. The “Lee Weddin Tune” was, as Bill understood it, not named after a marriage ceremony but a Kentucky fiddler named Lee Weddin (Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0262).
70. In March 1976, he recorded Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe (County 761), a collection of Monroe tunes (many of which were certainly shaped by Baker himself). Kenny didn’t even hire a mandolin player for the sessions, knowing full well that Bill would just show up (K. Baker, personal communication, 1976).
71. H. Smith 1973.
72. Bill Vernon, personal communication, 1995; F. J. Harvey.
73. Rinzler 1975.
74. Bluegrass Unlimited, January 1999.
75. King; Rumble 1994, p. 43.
76. Rosenberg 1985, p. 197.
77. Rosenberg.
78. Smith 1996.
79. The story of Lester and Bill’s reconciliation via LeRoy.
80. Flickinger.
81. R. White.
82. G. Flatt; Seckler.
83. Rhodes 1978. In 1971, James also started The Bluegrass Star. Although informative and entertaining, the magazine attracted scant advertising and was eventually sold to Bluegrass Unlimited.
84. Koon 1970.
85. Cantwell 1972.
86. Hurst 1972.
87. Hurst 1972.
88. Monroe via Rinzler FP-RINZ-7RR-OOO2. In his liner notes for the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers album Kentucky Bluegrass (Starday/Nashville NLP 2020), Bill wrote that he liked to get together with this band to hunt, play music, and “perhaps make a little fun of the current crop of commercial singers who claim to be country performers.”
89. Koskela.
90. H.Dickens.
91. H. Dickens; B. and P. Logan.
92. J. Martin 1997. Jimmy’s recollections are confirmed by Gloria Belle Flickinger, then Martin’s bass player, who went on the visit and later played for Charlie during his comeback.
93. Green March 1973.
94. J.Pruett.
95. Krishef 1978, pp. 62-63 and 68.
96. H. Smith.
97. Rosenberg; Rosenberg June 1, 1998.
98. H. Smith.
99. Elkinsl970.
100. Gabany.
101. H. Smith.
102. H. Smith.
103. Bessie Lee’s complaints regarding her claimed common-law marriage to Bill are found in the case file for Mauldin Monroe vs. Monroe 1975, Davidson Co. No. A-5787.
104. However, in her filing Bessie did not include one additional claim she made to family members—that she and Bill had gone through a marriage ceremony in Mexico (E. Mauldin, signed statement).
105. H. Smith.
106. Charlie and Myrtha Monroe, personal communication, 1972.
107. H. Smith.
108. Associated Press in Trenton EveningTimes, September 29, 1975; Haney.
109. H. Smith.
110. Biographical information via Julia LaBella.
111. LaBella.
112. Information about Bill’s farm via Lundy 1983; Wolmuth 1986; Feller Brown 1994; LaBella; and B. Smith.
113. Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0250.
114. Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0250.
115. B. Smith.
116. Hurst 1977.
117. Rooney l971, p. 85.
118. Lundy 1983.
119. Bill was well aware of this dynamic, once observing that working on the farm “brings you back to the way you was raised” (Wolmuth 1986).
120. Blue Grass Boys/Lewis.
121. Bush.
122. Bush.
123. Watson. Bill thus expressed severe displeasure on a variety of subjects. He would also grouse that an especially disappointing person or situation was “sorry” (as in “That’s a sorry job you did fixin’ that fence right there”).
124. Saall970.
125. The story of the meeting of Monroe and Dylan via Grisman.
126. Cited in a 1994 MCA Records publicity release for The Music of Bill Monroe 1936-1994.
127. The story of Baker, Monroe, and the newgrassers via Bush.
128. Bush.
129. The signing of Monroe and information about Bill’s latter career via Conway.
130. Robins.
131. Carlson 1967.
132. Robins.
133. Koskela.
134. Robins; Gabany.
135. Robins.
136. Robins.
137. Robins.
138. B. H. Monroe vs. J. Monroe 1968-1980, Davidson Co. No. 53319.
139. Biographical information from Streeter.
140. Streeter.
141. R.D. Smith 1985.
142. LaBella.
143. Dillards/R. Dillard.
144. Gabany.
145. LaBella.
146. LaBella.
147. Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0250.
148. LaBella.
149. H. Smith.
150. Hartford [C].
151. LaBella.
152. Gabany.
153. The story of the recording of “My Last Days on Earth” from R. D. Smith 1985; LaBella; and Rosenberg 1998 [C].
154. Tate.
155. LaBella; B.White.
156. Hill 1982.
157. Hill 1981; menu, BUR
158. Bluegrass Unlimited, June 1982, p. 4.
159. LaBella; Conway.
160. Lundy 1982; Bush; and Grisman.
161. Bush.
162. Lundy 1983; H. Smith; and LaBella.
163. E. Mauldin, signed statement; S. and V. Mauldin.
164. Streeter.
165. C. Harris.
166. North Carolina Department of Vital Records, death certificate.
167. Hartford [C].
168. S. and V. Mauldin. However, Bessie’s sisters report that Nelson Gann wrote them offering his condolences.
169. S. andV. Mauldin.
1. R.D. Smith 1985.
2. Gabany.
3. Lundyl983.
4. E.Harris.
5. Cited in a 1994 MCA Record publicity release for The Musk of Bill Monroe 1993-1994.
6. This insight from active Nashville session player and former Blue Grass Boy Glen Duncan. For more on Monroe’s profound impact on American fiddling, see J. Wood 1997.
7. Monroe biography sheet, Buddy Lee Attractions.
8. Cumming. The story of Conway and Monroe’s visit to the White House and its aftermath from T. Conway. Bill told the identical story to Hazel Smith.
9. Conway.
10. Conway.
11. Sometimes he even pulled this on close friends, which hurt their feelings (H. Smith [B];T.Taylor).
12. M. Seeger; Gabany.
13. M. Seeger.
14. Rinzlerl975.
15. Keith.
16. Hume 1976.
17. M.Williams.
18. Davis; B. White; and Skaggs.
19. The story of Bill’s visit to Israel via Nash 1998, pp. 339-340, and M. Williams. Also accompanying Bill on the trip was Didi Prestige, an aspiring singer and Monroe protegee who later changed her stage name to Diana Christian.
20. M.Williams.
21. Information on Bill’s performance fees, contract riders, and problems with missing money via Conway.
22. Conway.
23. Conway.
24. Mclnturff. In another Monroe contradiction, although Bill was sloppy about most business details he was scrupulous about others. For example, he invariably called Mrs. Mclnturff at the Monroe Enterprises office precisely at 9 a.m. to check on his appointments and receive messages. She was the last of a line that had included Wilene Forrester, Gladys Flatt, and ex-wife Carolyn Brown Monroe, women he trusted implicitly with business matters and with whom he had platonic, thoroughly professional relationships. Clearly, his lifelong comfort with women extended beyond his love life.
25. Conway; Mclnturff; and Kuykendall.
26. Lundyl983.
27. Meniusl984.
28. Invitation, BUF.
29. Descriptions of the museum and hall of fame from Hutchens 1984; Henson.
30. This observation and the quote that follows from S. Davis.
31. Information from Monroe family plot markers, Spring Hill Cemetery, Nashville.
32. Lundyl983.
33. The exact date of Baker leaving the Blue Grass Boys via his biography on the 1999 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Hall of Honor ballot. Baker spoke of the circumstances of his departure during an oral history session videotaped at the 1995 IBMA “World of Bluegrass” convention in Owensboro, Kentucky. (During the taping, Kenny also stressed his tremendous respect for Monroe.) Additional details via Julia LaBella, with whom he subsequently discussed the breakup. Baker’s dilemma was, unfortunately, not unique: Some Blue Grass Boys were forced to consult the Blue-grass Unlimited calendar listings to find out where they’d be next month (Stubbs [B]).
34. Skaggs.
35. The story of Bill’s participation in the “Country Boy” video from Blue Grass Boys/Skaggs; Conway; and Skaggs.
36. G. Duncan.
37. The story of the raucous concert version of “Wheel Hoss” via G. Duncan.
38. Duncan; Streeter.
39. Mclntyre.
40. Sexton.
41. Wolmuthl986.
42. Streeter.
43. H. Smith; R. White.
44. Entered with financial statement appendage in Sumner County Deed Book 511, pp. 728-736.
45. The story of the vandalism and threats via Duncan and Streeter.
46. R. White. Roland White was especially worried about Bill’s poor diet and declining health. He raised his concerns directly to Bill and James on more than one occasion.
47. Duncan.
48. Louvin.
49. Louvin.
50. Menius. Other IBMA organizers, however, believe that the Monroes remained suspicious of the organization until the last years of Bill’s life.
51. Menius.
52. Sherborne 1985. This crime was apparently not linked to the threats and acts of vandalism directed at Bill, however.
53. The story of the break-in and smashing of the mandolins from Appleton 1995; Country Music 1986; and Streeter.
54. Streeter.
55. Goldsmith/Dearmore 1985; Country Music 1986; Goldsmith 1986; and Lan-ham 1986.
56. Duncan.
57. Appleton 1995.
58. Sherborne 1985.
59. Goldsmith 1986; Lanham 1986; and Streeter.
60. Streeter.
61. Gruhn.
62. Compton.
63. Canfieldl986.
64. McCampbell 1987.
65. Information on Monroe’s Bluegrass Country from club promotional flier, BUF. The Monroes also planned at one time to build an amusement park near Beaver Dam, Kentucky, on land used for their Ohio County bluegrass festival. But the project was never begun, causing anger in some quarters back home {Times-News, October 17, 1991).
66. Information on the divorce proceedings via Monroe vs. Monroe 1987, Sumner County No. 4676-C.
67. Streeter.
68. Streeter.
69. Pareles 1996.
70. Gabany. Vic Gabany, who would later independently produce Monroe, helped engineer the Southern Flavor sessions.
71. Broum County Democrat 1988.
72. Carpenter 1989.
73. The story of the May 1989 assault charges against Monroe and his vindication from Appleton 1989; Nashville Banner 1989; Davis 1989; Goldsmith/Watson 1989.
74. RoUingStone 1989, p. 69.
75. Orrl989.
76. Bill’s typical weekly jamming schedule at the end of his life via Baldassari; Duncan; and LaBella.
77. R. Howard.
78. Stubbs[D].
79. LaBella.
80. Duncan.
81. H. Smith; G. Flatt; M. Williams; and Duncan.
82. Bluegrass Unlimited, January 1991, p. 14; Nashville Banner, December 4, 1990; Tennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Records, death certificate.
83. Correspondence, Rinzler files, SFA.
84. Bush.
85. Gabany. Vic Gabany, who personally funded several Monroe studio and in-concert recording sessions, is quite definite that Bill was no longer with the label. A source well acquainted with Monroe’s recording career supports his assertion.
86. Not only are bluegrass records smaller sellers compared to hit country disks, bluegrass does not receive the airplay enjoyed by mainstream country.
87. Angie Jenkins Smith office, MCA Records, Nashville, Tennessee, personal communication, June 2, 1999.
88. Ewing.
89. Blue Grass Boys/Sykes.
90. Gabany.
91. Gabany.
92. Gabany.
93. Brown County Democrat 1992. Some Rosine residents maintain that the remaining structure on Tuttle Hill contained little, if any, of Pen’s final dwelling when workers from Nashville arrived to cart it off (Times-News, October 31, 1991).
94. Hutchens [B].
95. Peter Rowan learned this while visiting Bill at his farm, and it provided the inspiration for his bittersweet composition “Let the Harvest Go to Seed” (Rowan).
96. E.Harris.
97. LaBella.
98. Feller Brown 1994.
99. Conway.
100. Sumner County Deed Book 426, pp. 348-351; Feller Brown 1994.
101. Conway.
102. Conway.
103. LaBella; Dunn.
104. Sumner County Deed Book 536, pp. 85-87; Sumner County Record Book 404, pp. 712-715.
105. DeParle.
106. J.Monroe 1994.
107. Davidson County Record Book 5842, p. 306.
108. Davidson County Record Book 6401, p. 281.
109. Davidson County Chancery Court No. 86-1411-1.
110. Davidson County Record Book 7605, p. 306.
111. Ohio County Mortgage Book 188, p. 704-706; Davidson County Deed Book 8889, pp. 439-442; Davidson County Deed Book 9281, pp. 698-701.
112. He was also well aware of how much money the enterprises were losing. During questioning by a lawyer trying to arrange support for Delia Streeter, he was asked about the amount of his indebtedness. “It’s a way on up there,” Bill replied (Sumner County No. 4676-C).
113. Conway.
114. Streeter.
115. Anderson.
116. LaBella.
117. Jeff Place, SFA, personal communication, 1997.
118. Abrahams. Rinzler talked about his condition with Prof. Abrahams, who was a college classmate, and other close friends.
119. M. Seeger; Rosenberg; Abrahams.
120. Dickens; LaBella; Gerrard; and Watson.
121. Watson.
122. M. Seeger. The performance has been preserved on the videotape Ralph Rinzler: A Celebration of Life, Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife Programs & Cultural Studies, 1995.
123. Robins.
124. Chiavola.
125. Grisman.
126. R.D. Smith 1985.
127. Tommy Goldsmith, personal communication, 1997. There are some tapes of the composition in private circulation, however.
128. Gruhn.
129. Blue Grass Boys/Skaggs.
130. Blue Grass Boys/Tate.
131. Blue Grass Boys/Skaggs.
132. And most Blue Grass Boys remain unsure to this day.
133. Louvin.
134. LaBella.
135. Gabany.
136. Haney.
137. R.D. Smith 1996.
138. R.D. Smith 1996.
139. Conway.
140. Conway.
141. LaBella.
142. Hutchens [B]; C. Smith.
143. S. Davis.
144. Letters, Bluegrass Unlimited, March 1996. Sandy Rothman, a California-based former Blue Grass Boy, also circulated “True Life News,” a one-time newsletter criticizing the article and including additional letters of protest.
145. Gabany.
146. Monroe via RinzlerFP-1993-CT-0262.
147. LaBella.
148. CD booklet information, Billy and Terry Smith, Bill Monroe Tribute K-Tel 3642-2.
149. B. Smith.
150. B. Smith.
151. Information on Monroe’s final Opry appearance via Stubbs [C].
152. Conway; LaBella; and Gabany.
153. Streeter.
154. S. Davis.
155. Conway; Stuart.
156. List of health care facilities via Stubbs [E].
157. Stuart.
158. Chiavola.
159. H. Smith.
160. R. White.
161. Blue Grass Boys/Tate.
162. Wiseman.
163. B. Smith.
164. J.Martin.
165. State of Tennessee, Office of Vital Records, death certificate. The cause of death was listed as probable myocardial infarction and atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.
166. Monroe’s influence was formally recognized in May 1997 when he was posthumously elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the roots artist category.
167. Hartford [C].
1. Stephenson; Stubbs [C].
2. Accounts of Monroe funeral services in Nashville and Rosine from Yeomans November 1996[A] and 1996[B]; Reuters 1996; E. Harris; Hutchens; Skaggs; Stuart; and Stubbs [C].
3. E. Harris; Skaggs; and Stuart.
4. R.Howard.
5. Blue Grass Boys/Lewis; Duncan.
6. S.Davis.
7. Streeter.
8. Blue Grass Boys/Lewis.
9. Sumner County Will Book, pp. 633-639.
10. Dunn.
11. Kiper[C].
12. Conway; LeRoy; and Stubbs [C].
13. Vied 1997.
14. At the April 17, 1997, event, Ricky Skaggs performed “Uncle Pen” on Bill’s famous mandolin, which James Monroe had displayed at the Ryman for the occasion (Yeomans). Shortly thereafter, Skaggs purchased a Gibson F-5 also signed by Lloyd Loar on July 9, 1923. A comparison of the wood grains of mandolins approved on that date indicates they were literally made from the same tree (Isenhour).
15. Monroe via Rinzler FP-1993-CT-0520.
16. Kiper [D]; photo of puppy on grave with information on reverse, BUR