Born in Rosine Kentucky Sept. 13, 1911. Started picking mandolin when he was 8 and gives credit for his inspiration to his mother Melissa, an accomplished fiddle player. And also to his Uncle Pendleton Vandiver (Uncle Pen) and Arnold Schultz, a black guitarist & fiddler.
Only 18 when he began to perform alongside his brothers Birch & Charlie
whille holding down a job washing and stacking oil drums at the Sinclair Oil
Refinery in East Chicago.
In October of 1939 Bill took his new band called the 'Bluegrass Boys' to the Grand Ole Opry & was hired that day!
Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs joined up with Bill in 1945 shaping the Bluegrass sound as we know it today.
The years that followed saw many musicians graduate through Bill Monroe's 'Bluegrass University.' Here are some of his students:
Lester Flatt - Earl Scruggs - Del McCoury
Tom Ewing - Clarence 'Tater' Tate - Ricky Skaggs
Kenny Baker - Jimmy Martin - Peter Rowhn
Carter Stanley - Don RenoBills Achievements & Awards to Name a Few!
-Elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame 1970
-1986 the U.S. Senate passed resolution #463 in recognition of Bills contribution to the ever expanding world of music in America.
-1989 received the 1st Grammy in a genre of music he created and called "Bluegrass"
-Inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 1991
-Awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993
-1997 Inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame
