Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass who combined fast-picking mandolin, banjo and guitar with a "high lonesome" singing style to create the distinctly American sound, died Monday, five months after suffering a stroke. He was 84.
Monroe headlined around the world as a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist and was honored at the White House. He sold more than 50 million records and remained active in his 80s, despite bouts with cancer, pneumonia and heart trouble.Monroe was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970 and won the National Medal of the Arts in 1995. He played at the Grand Ole Opry throughout his career.
Bluegrass, which took hold in the 1940s, relies heavily on banjos, mandolins, acoustic guitars and fiddles, with lightning-fast picking and a yodeling vocal style. It gets its name from Monroe's band, the Blue Grass Boys, and the grass of his native Kentucky.
Musicians who flourished under his personal tutelage include bluegrass giants Vassar Clements, Jimmy Martin, Carter Stanley, Byron Berline, Peter Rowan and Del McCoury. Monroe also influenced bluegrass legends Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs.
Elvis Presley recorded Monroe's "Blue Moon of Kentucky" in 1954 on his way to stardom.