Like his jazz-related cousin Louis Armstrong, Bill Monroe created and became the epitome of a new style of music through musicianship and vocals, being called “The Father of Bluegrass”. This three disc, 79 song set includes some of the most exciting picking and grinning as well as most homespun vocal harmonies you’ll ever come across. Jazz musicians including Bill Frisell have been bitten by the Monroe bug, and all genres of music are the better for it.
The anthology begins with his exciting take of Jimmie Rodgers’ “Mule Skinner Blues”, a tune that still sounds fresh today. The torrid tempos swing as hard as anything by Jimmie Lunceford even though the instruments consist of mandolin, banjo and guitar.
And speaking of which, the bringing in of Lester Flatts/g and Earl Scruggs/banj into the “Original Bluegrass Band” made Monroe the Duke Ellington of country, with an incredible of high standard tunes like “Blue Grass Breakdown”, “Molly and Tenbrooks” and, of course “Blue Moon Over Kentucky” that caught the ear of a chap named Elvis Presley and created a whole new genre of music. Later incarnations of the band included Carter Stanley/g for pieces like “Raw Hide” while Jimmy Martin was in a later formation which included pieces like “On and On”. Though styles and tastes changed over the years, Monroe’s music has aged like a fine wine. Even today, it sounds fresher than all those posers with cowboy hats and Chevys.