“Father of Bluegrass” Bill Monroe Dead at 84

Nashville, TN. Bill Monroe, bluegrass trend-setter and star of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry for more than half a century died yesterday at Northcrest Home and Hospice Center in Springfield. He was 84 years old. Monroe had suffered a stroke earlier this year, said Tony Conway, his booking agent.

Monroe was a regular at the Opry starting in 1939. He recorded and broadcast constantly throughout his career, except for the war years 1941 – 1945. He recorded for RCA Victor, Columbia, and Decca/MCA. He sold more than 50 million records and remained active well until a couple of years ago.

His innovative emotional singing style and hot mandolin work inspired generations of musicians, including 1950’s rockers like Elvis Presley, folk revivalists of the 1960’s, and country stars of the current generation like Ricky Skaggs. In the mid and late 1940’s, his band the Blue Grass Boys featured Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, who went on to become influential bluegrass stars in their own right.

Monroe received the National Medal of the Arts from U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1995.