Don Reno was the first to play a banjo breaks with many fewer grace notes and rolls----mostly melody notes one after the other.

This style was refined by Bill Keith-----called "Brad Keith" when he was in Monroe's band because B.M. wouldn't have TWO Bills in his band. He WAS Bill----and that was that. Keith's style allowed him to do fiddle tunes note-for-note on a banjo. It blew us away when Bill Keith's "Sailor's Hornpipe" showed up on an LP of Bill Monroe's band, This was a HUGE innovation----and folks were surprised at the seeming openness of Bill Monroe who was most times seen as a rigid keeper of the bluegrass flame. But a flame will go where the fuel is located.

Art Thieme

Art Thieme