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Every modern bluegrass band was influenced in some way by Kentucky’s “Father of Bluegrass Music”, Bill Monroe.
Born in Rosine, KY in 1911, he was a musical alchemist when it came to blending unique, ancient tones to create his own style of sonic gold. Monroe brought together fiddle and bagpipe sounds from the British Isles, African-American blues, gospel and hill country dance into his fast-paced rhythms.
Monroe named the new genre in honor of his band, the Blue Grass Boys. When Earl Scruggs joined the band in 1945, bluegrass took on the classic five-piece ensemble that’s been a staple ever since.