Bill Monroe....43 years ago

[Scotti Adams]

Priceless..thanks for the trip in the time machine. As far as Guitar players with Mun....one cant forget Wayne Lewis....straight and to the point. He fit Bill just as well as anybody. I personally think Bobby Hicks was the best Fiddler Monroe employed.

[Ernie Campbell]

Evan you're so right. As a long time rhythm guitarist, Peter is one of my BG rhythm guitar heroes.



Haleyjo, I'm with you on Del...and Lester was no slouch either.


Re;the picture of the show poster on post #7...Bluegrass Music is NOT 'Folk Music' ! It's only a few years older than Rock and Roll!

Damn! Lester had slipped my mind.

[Brian Ray]

Awesome! Thanks a bunch for posting.

[Spruce]

Did Rowan do his annoying vertical guitar thing even then?

Well, funny timing on that one....

Pete's on record saying that he learned his "vertical guitar thing" from none other than Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones, after catching their infamous show at The Roundhouse in early April of '66...

The rest, of course, is history...

[cooper4205]

Rowan was (and is) awesome, his playing on the live recording of 'Walls of Time', with those powerful bass runs, is perfection to my ears. Oh yeah, along with those already listed, I'd also consider Joe Stuart (and Carter Stanley, though he made his name elsewhere) one of Monroe's guitar players -- just listen to his work on Jerusalem Ridge. Come to think of it, did he ever have any bad guitar men (maybe when he was having a hard time filling a full band in the 50s)?

[Michael Gowell]

Mandozilla, you're right about that but don't forget that the publicity was appealing to the English sensibility about music from the states - blues was also "folk music" to the Brit public. Ironically at the same time the English intellectual & artistic appreciation of blues music was very high, with some of the first blues magazines coming from England, and of course the Rolling Stones....

[Timbofood]

Didn't the "King" of BG music also utilze the "vertical" move? Certainly the "errant cousins" have all learned it form someone!
Stage production, otherwise, Bluegrass is not much more than large band "Folk Music" and wouldn't that just stick in some "Folks" craw!?

[Skip Kelley]

Thanks for the cool pictures! Rowan was never afraid to stick that guitar in the mike! Very good drive on the guitar. The band definately was very tight during that time.

[Kentucky]

Thanks for the great pics. That was quite the line-up. Bill's "Bluegrass Time" album is a great studio recording from that era.

[ilovemyF9]

Cheers to you, for the great photos!

[Fretbear]

Lester Flatt, Jimmy Martin (Tony Rice's favourite rhythm guitar player) Edd Mayfield, Pete Rowan, Wayne Lewis; just some of the finest bluegrass guitar players and lead singers that passed through Bill's band....

[Michael Gowell]

Just happened to watch the '02 PBS Bluegrass Special (thanks, Netflix) and Del McCoury does the same vertical hold for his bass runs in "Can't You Hear Me Pray." It's just the position that gets the guitar soundhole closest to the microphone...whether that is always a good idea is a different question, but it sure looks dramatic. Del kept pounding out the same G run and it sounded great every time.

[Jordan Young]

Man I wish to God I could have seen one of the Bill Monroe shows of that era...Actually I just wish I could have seen a Bill Monroe show from any era. Im 16 years old and I never got to see Mr. Monroe one time but he is my favorite mandolin players of all time. I know there are many many mandolin players around who can play faster, smother, and cleaner than Mr. Monroe could but in my opinion you just cant say that you don't love to hear some of that hard driving blues licks that he created.

[mandozilla]

...I just wish I could have seen a Bill Monroe show from any era. Im 16 years old and I never got to see Mr. Monroe one time but...

Jordon, God Bless You Boy! I does my 55 YO heart good to know that there are youngster's who admire WSM. And yes sir, you missed some powerful musical performances...the last time I saw Old Bill was in 1982...he was about 71 YO at the time but even at that age he was pretty much a Dynamo! Thank the Lord for audio and video recordings!!

William Smith Monroe, one of America's Musical Giants! IMHO. RIP Bill

BTW Jordon, I too was 16 YO when I started picking and singing bluegrass music...Enjoy!

[barry k]

Thanks for posting those pics, bits of bluegrass history that should be shared. As far as members of Bills bands go, im sure there was never a slouch in the bunch, and if you were....well , we all know what happened. Rowen was one of my favorites...still is , Do yall remember what mainstream rock group Green was in? thanks again

[mandozilla]

You mean Seatrain?

[sunburst]

They'll be grainy and scratched, but I tell myself that adds to the period charm.......

Maybe, but a few minutes of photoshop can clean them up a lot. Ain't technology grand?
There are probably thousands of digital cameras at every concert now days. The days of finding old negatives will soon be over...

[sprucetop1]

John...thanks for improved image of one of my pix., and I must have a go with Photoshop myself. It has been amazing that these old pix. have generated so much interest....thanks to all......John

[Ivan Kelsall]

Back in those days,the early to mid.'60's,the great Folk Music boom was in full swing over here as in the USA. Bluegrass music was seen as more akin to Folk music than it was to Country & Western,& the Folk clubs were the main venues for Bluegrass.The guy that played Mandolin in my band,Tom Bowker,was also a great Banjo player,in fact he was the FIRST Banjo player i saw & heard play Bluegrass. He must have been one of very,very,few at the time. The best know one over here,was Pete Stanley who is still playing fine music. Tom's previous band had split,& i was trying to get a band together with his cousin,Mike,who told me one night that Tom was willing to join us on Mandolin.We got together one evening & went through about 20 songs & instrumentals with no problems - we were off !.
I played Banjo,Mike sang lead & played Guitar & Tom played Mandolin,but we also did some double Banjo tunes,where one would pick the main melody line & the other would play a harmony
line. We did "'Bye,Bye Blues" that way one night at a working men's social club & got a standing ovation - i kid you not.We eventually got a great Bass Fiddle player to join us,a guy named John Henderson,a Jazz Bassist & probably the best musician in the band at that time. With John,the sound just filled out & we began to sound really professional at what we were doing.
Our main venue,where we did most of our practice was a very well known Folk club in Manchester,the MSG (Manchester Sports Guild). Most of the funds raised through the music,went to sponsor amateur sport. We'd had some of the best bands in the USA play there,the New Lost City Ramblers were regulars when they were over. Another very well known US Bluegrass band leader Bill Clifton,was living in Seven Oaks,down in Kent,in the South East of England & Bill was another regular.
Bill Monroe & The boys were booked to play the MSG,much to my amazement & infinite delight.
I was asked if my band would open.We were the ONLY Bluegrass band around,so there wasn't much choice at the time.We of course said yes,& the rest as they say is history. I just wish i could get my hands on those darned photos.The MSG is long gone,pulled down as part of the massive re-development which Manchester has undertaken ober the last 30 years or more - but the memories remain,
Saska

[ralph johansson]

how can you discuss monroe's guitar players without even mentioning benny williams, the most creative of them all?

[goose 2]

Ed Mayfield can still pick. He lives in my neck of the woods. Great pics. Thanks.

[mandolirius]

Jordon, God Bless You Boy! I does my 55 YO heart good to know that there are youngster's who admire WSM. And yes sir, you missed some powerful musical performances...the last time I saw Old Bill was in 1982...he was about 71 YO at the time but even at that age he was pretty much a Dynamo! Thank the Lord for audio and video recordings!!

William Smith Monroe, one of America's Musical Giants! IMHO. RIP Bill

BTW Jordon, I too was 16 YO when I started picking and singing bluegrass music...Enjoy!

zilla, I just saw this thread and was going to write something similar, but you've summed up my sentiments perfectly.

Jordan, I saw B.M. several times. If I could, I'd give one of those times to you.

[grassrootphilosopher]

Ed Mayfield can still pick. He lives in my neck of the woods. Great pics. Thanks.

No rub intended, but your Ed Mayfield is certainly not Bill Monroe´s Edd Mayfield, who died about 40 years ago.

Anyhow, Edd Mayfield was the one who really made me dig bluegrass guitar and listening closely you´ll hear some of Edd´s guitar proficiency in Peter Rowan´s playing as well, if I´m not mistaken.

And by the way, I allways thought Lamar Greer a unique banjo player. I read in an interview that he quit playing (profesionally) all the way after joining some "secret" government agency. That makes the Monroe recordings pretty much the only ones with Lamar Greer on them, right. Also, are there any recordings of Mr. Monroe out there with Don Lineburger on them (lefty banjo picker)?

[Timbofood]

"Lamar Greer, Deputy Director, Federal Bureau of Bluegrass" Hmmm... Pretty high toned for a Banjo player don't you think?

[ralph johansson]

Lamar Grier, not Greer - same spelling as his son David!

I believe Edd Mayfield died in 1959, while on tour with the BG Boys.