The influences of Bill Monroe

Subject: The influences of Bill Monroe
From: GUEST,gleaner
Date: 27 Dec 06 - 07:57 PM

Bill Monroe was a proud man, but he did admit of some influences to his development as a musician and songwriter. The influence of church music is fairly obvious, but where in his music can we hear the influence of blues, folk ballads, or other roots forms, and the influence of other artists?

Subject: RE: The influences of Bill Monroe
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 28 Dec 06 - 04:26 AM

Big Mons main blues influence was a blues singer and guitarist called
Arnold Shultz and Bills Uncle, Pendleton Vandiver { Uncle Pen ] taught him old timey fiddle tunes etc.

eric

Subject: RE: The influences of Bill Monroe
From: GUEST,gleaner
Date: 28 Dec 06 - 10:36 AM

Thanks, eric.

As to blues influence, I may have been listening too much for blue notes, which aren't all there is to blues.

Subject: RE: The influences of Bill Monroe
From: JedMarum
Date: 29 Dec 06 - 09:59 AM

The music his mother favored, when he was younger is said to be British-American folk songs. So many of the Brititsh isles ballads and dance tunes would likely have been known to Bill, before he began a carreer. Bill called his music, folk music - the rest of the world eventually called it bluegrass.

Subject: RE: The influences of Bill Monroe
From: GUEST,gleaner
Date: 29 Dec 06 - 10:39 AM

It might be that I would find a bit more musical kinship in Piedmomt blues than in Delta blues and Chicago blues. I don't come across as much of the Piedmont kind on radio.

Subject: RE: The influences of Bill Monroe
From: Richie
Date: 29 Dec 06 - 10:48 AM

Hi Guest Gleaner,

Monroe was not a blues player, not that he didn't know some traditional blues tunes. There's an African-American (blues) influence to many bluegrass/folk songs. There are also white blues (not traditional 12 bar blues that you are associating with Piedmont/delta/Chicago).

Richie

Subject: Bill Monroe Ploughmens Bunch Song
From: GUEST,wacko jacko
Date: 29 Dec 06 - 12:19 PM

This is a bit of a blatant plug but Ploughmens Bunch have a song Do-Si-Do (To Bill Monroe) which you can hear and download at www.myspace.com/ploughmensbunch.

Subject: RE: The influences of Bill Monroe
From: GUEST,gleaner
Date: 29 Dec 06 - 08:01 PM

While listening this week to a live recording of a breakdown done by Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, played on BGR 108, something struck me. The timing of what they played, within the beat structure, was different, with a spontaneous, propulsive feel reminiscent of jazz. So, for me anyway, it's easier to find the blues influence there than to try to parse the chromatics.

Peter Rowan spoke of a term, 'ancient tones,' used by Monroe for what Monroe absorbed from the folk music of the region and expressed in his own compositions. It's easier heard than defined.

I was curious how such an influential musician and songwriter was himself influenced. While recognizing Monroe's virtuosity and creative contributions, I haven't quite been a fan, and I didn't expect to be moved by anything I found. Some anecdotes about got to me, though, such as an account of how Monroe, in advanced age, would start singing "I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger."