About
William Smith Monroe ( mən-ROH; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter who created the bluegrass music genre. For this reason, he is often called the "Father of Bluegrass".
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The genre takes its name from his band, the Blue Grass Boys, who named their group for the bluegrass of Monroe's home state of Kentucky. He described the genre as "Scottish bagpipes and ole-time fiddlin'. It's Methodist and Holiness and Baptist. It's blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound."
Member of
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Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys eponymous, mandolin
Discography
Albums
Singles
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My Last Days on Earth
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Walk Softly on My Heart
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With Body and Soul / Fireball Mail
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Mary at the Home Place / Shenandoah Breakdown
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Dark as the Night Blue as the Day / Tomorrow I’ll Be Gone
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Scotland
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Letter From My Darlin' / Raw Hide
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Christmas Time's A-Coming / The First Whippoorwill
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Rotation Blues / Lonesome Truck Drivers Blues
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Poison Love / On the Old Kentucky Shore
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I'll Meet You In Church Sunday Morning / Get Down On Your Knees And Pray
Live
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White House Rag (Live Washington D.C. '80)
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In Germany: Far Across The Blue Water
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July 1963 · Two Days At Newport
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Live At Vanderbilt
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Live Radio
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Silver Eagle Cross Country Music Show Presents Bill Monroe
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Live From Mountain Stage
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Live Duet Recordings 1963-1980: Off the Record, Volume 2
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Orange Blossom Special Apple Music
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Bean Blossom Apple Music
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Bean Blossom '79
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1980-08-07: The White House
Compilations
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Anthology: The Father of Bluegrass (Remastered)
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I Saw the Light - The Bill Monroe Essential Collection
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Foggy Mountain Breakdown Apple Music
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The Father of Bluegrass: The Essential Recordings
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Icon
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The Essential Bill Monroe Apple Music
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Bluegrass Breakdown & Other Favorites (Digitally Remastered) Apple Music
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The Father of Bluegrass
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Bill Monroe and Friends / Stars of the Bluegrass Hall of Fame
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Country Music Legends
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My Last Days On Earth
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The Legend Lives On
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Anthology
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The Essential Collection Apple Music
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All the Classic Releases 1937-1949
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Winning Combinations
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RCA Country Legends
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Blue Moon of Kentucky 1936-1949
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Blue Grass Special
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American Traveler
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20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Bill Monroe
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Legends of Bluegrass (Gold Collection)
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The Essential Bill Monroe & The Monroe Brothers
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16 Gems Apple Music
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Blue Grass 1970-1979
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The Music of Bill Monroe from 1936 to 1994
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Blue Moon of Kentucky
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The Country Music Hall of Fame: Bill Monroe
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Blue Grass 1959-1969
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Blue Grass 1950-1958
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Columbia Historic Edition
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The Best of Bill Monroe
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Bill Monroe and Charlie Monroe
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Five Classic Albums plus Bonus Singles
Links
Parent
Sibling
Teacher
Also known as
Albert Price · James B. Smith · Joe Ahr · Joe Arr · Rupert Jones · Wilbur Jones · William Smith Monroe
Tags
- 1970s
- 2008 universal fire victim
- master builder
Identifiers
- MusicBrainz
- 2a2be593-6984-4640-8cf1-717ec7a6e18b
- ISNI
- 0000000073654102
- IPI
- 00024908879
- IPI
- 00087215761
- IPI
- 00087215859
- IPI
- 00243862168
- IPI
- 00243862266
- IPI
- 00243862364
- IPI
- 00243862462
- IPI
- 00243862560
Data from MusicBrainz, saved 14 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.