William Smith Monroe was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who contributed to the development of the style of music known as bluegrass. Because of this, he is commonly referred to as the "Father of Bluegrass".The genre takes its name from his band, the Blue Grass Boys, named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 69 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader. Wikipedia
“It ain't only the colored folks has the blues; there's many a white man that's had 'em.”
Can't You Hear Me Calling: The Life of Bill Monroe, Father of Bluegrass (2009) by Richard Smith
“The word "hillbilly", I've never liked that, and I've never used that in my music.”
The Bill Monroe Reader (2000) edited by Tom Ewing
