The Bill Monroe Emails
What the people who knew the 'Father of Bluegrass said about him.
Bill Monroe - the Father of Bluegrass.
13th September, 1911 - 9th September, 1996
Bill Monroe was the Father of Bluegrass Music. He touched many people very deeply and was a pioneer in many ways. He died on 9th September 1996, and many people have felt moved to tell the rest of us about their brushes with the man who gave us all the music we love. Here in the words of people who knew him, slightly edited for brevity, are their comments.
Click on one of the links below.
Emails from those who knew him
This is a word portrait of the most significant man in bluegrass music, told in the words of the colleagues and fans who knew him
Click on one of the links below. Their story will appear in a new window.
And Tears Fell On Rosine (MaryE Yeomans)
Brief Biography (Judy McCulloh)
Bill Monroe's Funeral (Tom Holzen)
The Memorial Service at the Ryman (MaryE Yeomans)
Another Good Monroe Story (Doug Bright)
Bill Knowlton (Bill Knowlton)
Larry Robinson Meets Bill Monroe (Larry Robinson)
EmmyLou Harris at the Memorial (EmmyLou Harris)
Ricky Skaggs & Bill Monroe (MaryE Yeomans)
Lisa Husted Dances with Mr Bill (Lisa Husted)
Bill Holt Reports from England (Bill Holt)
Sean Barry's First Encounter with Bill Monroe (Sean Barry)
My Last Days on Earth (Steve Goldfield)
Goodbye Bill (Steve Bode)
Elizabeth Burkett reports about the LA Times (Elizabeth Burkett)
Bill Ellis Sits on Bill Monroe's Lap (Maurice Crouse)
Walt gets an autograph (Walt Smith)
The Death Of A Father (Barry Brower)
Rain Doesn't Stop the Music (Dick Kimmel)
Jeff Takes a Picture (Jeff Bush)
Our Guru Is Gone (Bill Knowlton)
Bus Juggling ( Rossi)
The Angel Band on Fiddlers Green ( Sheila)
Who Will Watch the Home Place? (Barry Brower)
Monroe at a Square Dance ( OJNAB)
From the Washington Post (Dr Mike Kelly)
Francis DeLorenzo (Francis DeLorenzo)
Monroe's Funeral in Rosine (Paul F Wells)
Monroe at Arnie Solomon's Bar Mitzvah (Jon Biltchik)
ABC Nightly News (Carolyn Boselli)
Monroe at a High School (Casey Henry)
Bill Monroe a Rare Individual (Bruce Morgen)
Two from a Tex Logan party... (Winnie Winston)
Tributes in Ottawa (Stephen L. Hanes)
Canadian Country Music Awards (Bruce Macpherson)
Tribute from Tasmania (Andrew Smith)
When Randy Smith First Met Bill Monroe (Randy Smith)
He was a class act (Rob Hakanson)
John Hartford's Tribute (Steve Goldfield)
the San Diego Bluegrass Club (Elizabeth Burkett)
One of my heroes is dead (Lee Taylor)
Duffey Gags Mr Bill (Dan Mazer)
Monroe Upstages The President of The USA (Jim Moss)
The Greatest Taproot of The Bluegrass Music (Gregg TeHennepe)
Brian Peel's Wish (Brian Peel)
You Ain't No Bill Monroe! (Bill Knowlton)
Jerry Garcia and Sandy Rothman Chicken Out (Jay King)
You'll Never Be Forgotten Or Far Away (Walt Smith)
From Mr. Komori, a Japanese Mandolin player (Milton B. Crotts)
I Have Never Seen Bill Monroe Perform Live (Mike Day)
Tuesday Night's Salute to The Music (Randy Burns)
...I Wasn't Sure If You Still Played It (John Bird)
Mr. Monroe, Thank You For The Music, Friends And My Life (Bo McCarty)
...The Best Thing I've Seen Here All Week (Jamie L Peterson)
Northern Lights Tribute (Linda Bolton)
Memphis Coverage of Bill's Death (Maurice Crouse)
Bye Bill (Warren Dodd)
My Favorite Bill Monroe Memory (Peter Lorch)
Marty Cutler Auditions For Bill Monroe (Marty Cutler)
Bill Monroe The Human Being, The Friend (MaryE Yeomans)
Bill Died Very Peacefully (MaryE Yeomans)
The Washington Post's Coverage (Penny Clapp)
Sense Of Humor (Les McIntyre)
Rest In Peace Bill (Brink Brinkman)
So many memories! (Winnie Winston)
You Will Be Missed Bill (Joe Meadows)
I Guess We All Knew This Time Would Come ( MandoCen)
Monroe and Duffey at Winterhawk (Bill Knowlton)
Terrifying and Revealing (Bruce Morgen)
...Very Honored ( dsf123)
A Random Rambling Thought (Geff King)
From Small And Far Country of Estonia (Jaanus Vainu)
Bluegrass Music since 1929... (Howard Bonner)
The Cross Eyed Child (Dick Bowden)
Can't Believe He's Gone (Norris Grant)
Father of Bluegrass Dies (Lee Neugent)
You Were A Living Inspiration Bill, We Will Miss You (Gary Smith)
Long Live Bluegrass, Right On! (Larry Klein)
My Only Encounter With The Great Man (Mark Johnson)
Bill Monroe, the mandolin player died? (Tom Woodle)
True To His Own Vision (Jon Weisberger)
Cherished Forever (Sheila Wingate)
Monroe Was Meant To Be Playing The Music (Arthur Berman)
May His Music Live On Forever (Bob Cherry)
Thank You Mr. Monroe. You Will Be Missed (Lorrie Sanders)
Say A Prayer ( kheller)
May God Bless Bill Monroe (Dan Mazer)
He Had Fun! (Jeff Wall)
He Will Be Fine, And Probably Never Without A Great Mandolin ( Methuselah)
Who Can Take It From Where He Left Off? (Tom Holt)
The Crowd There At Blueberry Loved Him (Al LaMonaca)
Thanks Bill... (Stephanie Ledgin)
What a Rush! (Steven Freedman)
Goodbye old pal... (Les Irvin)
Liberated (Barry Roth)
His Breathtaking Talent (Bill Knowlton)
His Music Puts A Smile On My Face! (Randy Burns)
If They Have e-mail In Heaven..... ( Ric-O-Chet)
A Magical Moment In Bluegrass (Bob Sachs)
Mr. Bill Monroe Is Truly Free At Last (Gary Smith)
That's Gotta Be Some Jam Session Goin' On There Tonight! (r hadley)
God Bless. We Will Miss You! (Bill Foster)
The Man (Joe Wages)
Mr Bill Impresses a young polio victim (Paul E Brewer)
Bill sang off pitch (Brian Mansfield)
The Last Trip Home (Doug Hutchens)
Remembering Big Mon after 8 years (David Blood)
Remembering Big Mon after 8 years (Michael Ramsey)