View Full Version : Did Bill Monroe, ever play other instruments?
hungry mountain boy
May-24-2005, 8:00pm
I wondered if Bill Monroe ever played any of the other mandolin family instruments, if so what recordings are available if any? #Check out the web site below
Skaggs and Others. (http://www.capekinstruments.com/gallery/html/)
evanreilly
May-24-2005, 8:13pm
He did a good job playing guitar, as well as entertaining the ladies.
Peter Hackman
May-25-2005, 4:21am
I wondered if Bill Monroe ever played any of the other mandolin family instruments, if so what recordings are available if any? Check out the web site below
Skaggs and Others. (http://www.capekinstruments.com/gallery/html/)
He recorded on mandlin almost exclusively, never the
bigger mando family instruments.
Also recorded with guitar on his first Victor session.
The songs are Mule Skinner Blues and Dog House Blues.
Rosenberg missed the latter in his discography but to my ears at least it's obvious because it has the same beat
as Mule Skinner.
Now, that gal on his right has a "poker face", don't she http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
Scotti Adams
May-25-2005, 5:58am
sho 'nuff http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif
csstanley
May-25-2005, 6:27am
On the Homspun videos with Ralph Rinzler, HArtford and Sam Bush, Bill plays a guitar.
Can't remember what he played, but he did a good job. Played like a mandolin. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
swampstomper
May-25-2005, 7:49am
He played the intro to Muleskinner Blues at Hartford's request. To be honest, it was not very good, as he himself said, he hadn't played guitar in many, many years. Probably his last serious guitar playing was back in the Dog House Blues / Muleskinner Blues days, until he got Lester Flatt and Jimmy Martin who could really play, and he didn't need to. That would be about 1945.
csstanley
May-25-2005, 12:44pm
Well, I gotta say then if he hadn't seriously played guitar in over 40 years, then he did a pretty darn good job.
But hey, what do I know? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
Charlie Derrington
May-25-2005, 4:58pm
When I was with the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble ('93 I think), Mon came up to me at a gig at the Country Music Hall of Fame and asked to play my mandolin (it was a mandola). He played about 4 notes, handed it back to me and said, "Boy, that ain't right !" http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
Charlie
pickinpox
May-25-2005, 5:58pm
"Yeah, I hate that"
"That ain't no part of nuthin'"
"Boy, that ain't right"
I love Bill's one liners http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif
evanreilly
May-25-2005, 9:19pm
To the best of my recollection, Bill played an Ovation guitar on the Homespun tape.
Tom Ewing was playing one aslo, as Kaman (sp?) was a sponsor of the event.
swampstomper
May-26-2005, 12:18am
Evan, can you say more about this? I always wondered why Ewing was playing such a **** guitar (overall and especially in a BG setting). Money talks as they say, but who is Kaman?
evanreilly
May-26-2005, 8:07am
Kaman (sp?) was the parent company of Ovation guitars. Apparently, they supported the effort to make the recordings and their payment in part was the use of the Ovation guitar by Bill and the Blue Grass Boys.
Charlie: A great story! - Thanks for sharing. Mr. Bill in true form. hee... hee... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif
glauber
May-26-2005, 11:14am
who is Kaman?
Kaman (http://www.kaman.com/) makes helicopters, and Ovation instruments.
Pete Martin
May-26-2005, 11:17am
I thought that guitar sounded like a copter!
Big Joe
May-26-2005, 11:35am
Let's not forget Takamine...another great Kaman product http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif
floyd floar
May-26-2005, 10:02pm
Up here in Connecticut, we are proud to have the Kaman Corp. turning out fine Ovation guitars, mandolins, and Trace Elliiot amps.
I understand the preference for traditionally-braced instruments and recognize the greatness of Gibson, Martin, Collings et al. but there's no need to dis Ovation. The feel and speed of their guitar's necks is a thing of beauty and they came up with a unique resin-based design that doesn't compromise tone in the guitar's back. For mandolin jazz, their eletric mandos are as good and natural as it gets for amplification-IMHO. I'm not a paid endorser- just a swamp Yankee with pride in local business that exhibits Yankee ingenuity. Plus I've got an old ad of Tony Rice endorsing Ovation. Nyah-Nyah! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
monroerules
May-26-2005, 10:41pm
I bet the lady on the left could swing a pretty mean fireplace poker, huh?
You gotta love him.
swampstomper
May-27-2005, 12:40am
I'm dissing Ovations because they sound, to my ear, like thudding pieces of plastic. But it's (still... barely...) a free country over there so let the market decide.
om21ed
May-27-2005, 5:45am
I was wondering whether Monroe played guitar. So, did he have one lying around the house and what type was it? It seems likely he might have had a guitar, or a fiddle (did he play any fidldle ?) although probabably not a banjo around the house to noodle on or for a guest to play. Anybody know?
Peter Hackman
May-27-2005, 6:55am
I was wondering whether Monroe played guitar. So, did he have one lying around the house and what type was it? It seems likely he might have had a guitar, or a fiddle (did he play any fidldle ?) although probabably not a banjo around the house to noodle on or for a guest to play. Anybody know?
As you can read in Rosenberg's discography he used
to own a D28, which was used on many recording sessions,
presumably to maintain an identifiable sound regardless of
player. It was stolen from J Monroe's car in 1965
or thereabouts.
Back in the early 80’s Bill played my mandocello for about 15 minutes. #It was between takes in the studio. #It was quite a sight. #I wish I had a photo of that.
#Also it was great fun to have Red Rector play it. #It’s a 1915 red burst K-2 & looks just like a huge A-4. #Red’s main mando was a red A-4. #
Larry Sledge
ironlionzion
May-27-2005, 1:29pm
i was at a seminar in mass at the joe val bluegrass fesatival and Dr. Richard Brown and a few others that where friendly with Bill said that if he stuck with the fiddle he could of been one of the best thank god he stuck with the 8 stringer, give me something to strive for....
evanreilly
May-27-2005, 6:48pm
Bill primarily wanted to be a fiddle player; Birch got the fiddle.
Bill secondarily wanted to play guitar; Charlie got that.
Tough being the youngest. But, as he said: "That was the deal of it".
Scotti Adams
May-27-2005, 6:59pm
Evan..I really appreciate your insight and knowledge on Mun...its greatly appreciated.....dont think that it isnt...
Bob Sayers
May-28-2005, 8:54pm
I think I remember reading somewhere that Peter Rowan was playing Monroe's old herringbone D-28 when it was stolen. As I recall, that put a bit of a strain in their relationship. Has anyone else heard this?
Bob
evanreilly
May-29-2005, 12:17pm
I was under the impression that the old herringbone disappeared from the car while James & Peter Rowan were wandering around in Nashville.
Another friend thinks it went missing during a visit in Ohio.
I am curious as to whether or not it has ever surfaced.
F5G WIZ
Jun-01-2005, 6:39am
Beleive it or not Bill's first time on the grand old opry was playing a guitar.
evanreilly
Jun-01-2005, 6:02pm
Yeah...
He played some old Jimmie Rodgers' number and let Cleo Davis twang his F-7 mandolin..... <VBG>
Scotti Adams
Jun-01-2005, 6:26pm
..and he played the intro to "Muleskinner Blues" on the guitar.....correct me if Im wrong...but I thought MSB's was the fist song Mun did on the Opry..
evanreilly
Jun-01-2005, 8:39pm
'Blue Yodel #8', A.K.A. 'Muleskinner Blues', was a song Monroe learned from Jimmie Rodgers, who had recorded it July 11th, 1930.
It was the first number Monroe did on the Opry live, and was also one of the numbers he used for his audition at WSM.
07-F HOLE 3 POINT
Jun-04-2005, 11:53pm
EVAN, your 100% correct! believe it or not i have the recording of Mr.Bills first night at the opry! It didn't come cheap got it thru Marty Stuart.....
Just a "side-note" of recognition... ; as many of you know, Mssr. Stuart KNOWS his roots - and appreciates them. Never mind the spikey-hair & Johnny Cash coat! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
evanreilly
Jun-06-2005, 7:21pm
And Marty has played with Bill for many years....
evanreilly
Jun-06-2005, 7:23pm
Now, ain't that a good pic of Marty?
Doing Blue Grass Mandolin 101 at a tender age...
Ken Waltham
Jun-06-2005, 10:19pm
That is a great photo of Marty, and... one of the best I've ssen of Bill.
Great profile shot.
evanreilly
Jun-06-2005, 10:24pm
There is a great sequence of Marty playing 'Southern Flavor' with Bill at one of Bill's late birthday parties on one of the Monroe videos.
Philip Halcomb
Jun-07-2005, 1:49pm
Wow, Marty even had a mullet back then... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif
Evan: Thank you - for sharing that pic! - (Say!...Bobby Hicks will be at a venue in July - 'bout an hour's drive for me - in Pennsylvania - I'm goin' - just to tell him "thanks"..) http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif Moose.