Bill monroe on other instruments

[lightnbrassy]

I was wondering, did Bill Monroe ever play other instruments besides the mandolin? Even a mandola? Guitar, fiddle, and so on.

[ronlane3]

Gene,

I have seen/heard that he could play guitar. Not sure of other instruments.

[Steve Cantrell]

"Can't You Hear Me Callin'" recounts a time when Monroe was visiting friends--it might have been Bill Keith--and shocked everyone by playing the guitar. He also plays it on his Homespun DVD where he's interviewed by Hartford.

[ronlane3]

Steve, those would have been where I saw and read that then.

[allenhopkins]

Monroe played the lead guitar run on the very first song recorded with the Blue Grass Boys, New Muleskinner Blues, in 1940. His guitarist at the time, Clyde Moody, played (inaudible) mandolin. I understand that Monroe used to insist that his guitarists play Monroe's '40 herringbone D-28, at least for recording, for years afterwards, because it had the sound he wanted.

(Ref.: Neil Rosenberg, Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys; An Illustrated Discography, c. 1974)

[evanreilly]

here u go...

[evanreilly]

and....

[swampstomper]

Agree about Dog House Blues. This is pure Elvis Presley rhythm 12 years before Elvis.

[Bob Simmers]

Since Bill had that G run in Muleskinner Blues in 1940 I guess that IS the Bill Monroe G run, since that was about 5 years before Lester Flatt???

[Peter Hackman]

Since Bill had that G run in Muleskinner Blues in 1940 I guess that IS the Bill Monroe G run, since that was about 5 years before Lester Flatt???

I recall a workshop in Bean Blossom in 1969 where Monroe attributed this run
(as used on guitar in string band music)
to some obscure old-time musician, an old friend of his,
who also appeared at the festival.
I forget his name. Perhaps some collector can dig out a program from
that festival and identify the fellow.

[GBG]

He said in an interview that he played some fiddle, but not good enough to play in public.

[hokelore]

Bob Black mentions in his book seeing Monroe always twiddling his fingers on tabletops. Black says one day he asked about it, and Monroe said he was practicing his banjo rolls.

[sam b]

There's a very cool photo of Monroe playing Tony Rice's guitar with Tony looking on from an old Frets Magazine.

[Rick Schmidlin]

What kind of guitar was he playing on Homespun?

[Cedartop]

Oddly enough, an Ovation.

[sgarrity]

The parent company of Ovation, Whose name excapes me at the moment, was a sponsor of the taping.

[evanreilly]

Kaman.

[Scotti Adams]

There's a very cool photo of Monroe playing Tony Rice's guitar with Tony looking on from an old Frets Magazine.

..now..I would love to see that.

[Darryl Wolfe]

Slight hijack here, but any rumors as to the whereabouts of the Monroe herringbone. Also, I assumed that it was a '37 ish model. Is there any substantiation to it being a '40

[Geno]

Here's the pic of Bill showing Tony a few licks.

[allenhopkins]

Responding to Darryl's "hijack":
I referred to Monroe's herringbone D-28 as a "1940" due to a picture in Rosenberg's Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys: An Illustrated Discography (Country Music Foundation Press, 1974). The picture on page 26 is captioned, "Bill Monroe, c. 1940, at the WSM microphone with a new Martin D-28 'herringbone' decorated guitar." I should have been more cautious, since Rosenberg only states it was "about" 1940, and a 1937 model would have been new enough (although the guitar in the photo looks "mint").

Rosenberg also states (p.24), "Monroe's battered Martin D-28 guitar was used on most recording sessions from the late forties until 1965 when it was stolen from James Monroe's car in Nashville."

Later addition: the picture in the Rosenberg book is the same as the one in evanreilly's second Dec. 11 post on this thread.

[GVD]

"...stolen from James Monroe's car in Nashville."

What I know 'bout what I know 'bout James Monroe makes me kind of wonder just who did the stealin'.

GVD

[Scotti Adams]

"...stolen from James Monroe's car in Nashville."

What I know 'bout what I know 'bout James Monroe makes me kind of wonder just who did the stealin'.

GVD

You said it brother...

[Fretbear]

Now you boys stop it.....Thanks for the pic Geno....

[f5loar]

It was stolen under Peter Rowan's watch! It had forward bracing and wide neck so that put's it pre '39 and more likely he bought it used after leaving brother Charlie in '38.