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| Bluegrass
Timeline
- 1911 Bill Monroe is born September 13 near Rosine, Kentucky.
Youngest of 8 Children.
- 1920s Radio and Records bring music to rural America
- 1922 First "Country" recording featuring fiddler Eck Robertson.
- 1925 Radio Station WSM (We Shield Millions) is formed
and includes a "barn dance".
- 1927 Grand Ole Opry grows from the WSM barn dance.
- 1927 Jimmy Rodgers and the Carter family record the first
"hillbilly" records.
- 1930s Barn Dance Radio Programs and Record sales grow
for "rural" musicians
- 1935 Monroe Brothers are a huge success with high vocals,
fast tunes, and fiery mandolin.
- 1936 Monroe Brothers Record February 17th, biggest hit:
What Would You Give in Exchange and This World Is Not
My Home.
- 1938 Monroe Brothers Split.
- 1939 Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys join the Grand
Ole Opry in October. His first song is Mule Skinner Blues.
(This is NOT a "bluegrass" band).
- 1940s Elements of Bluegrass come together
- 1943 Bill buys his 1923 Gibson Lloyd Loar F-5 mandolin
(#73987) in a barber shop in Florida for $150.
- 1944 Lester Flatt joined Bill’s band.
- 1945 In September, Stringbean leaves and Earl Scruggs
joins in Dec. His first song on the Grand Ole Opry is Whitehouse
Blues.
- 1946 First recording of bluegrass by Bill’s band
with Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Chubby Wise, and Howard
Watts.
- 1947 Stanley Brothers start their career.
- 1948 Flatt & Scruggs leave Bill Monroe. Stanley Brothers
release Molly and Tenbrooks, the first recorded copy of
Bill’s style.
- 1950s "Bluegrass" becomes a genre with a name, rock
causes problems, bluegrass dabbles in rock.
- 1951 Reno & Smiley. Tons of songs and tunes. Reno has
a new banjo style and flatpicks the guitar.
- 1952 Jim & Jesse. Jesse crosspicks the mandolin. Their
harmonies inspire the Everly Brothers and Beatles.
- 1954 Jimmy Martin forms band with the Osborne Brothers.
- 1954 Elvis records and plays Blue Moon of Kentucky on
the Grand Old Opry.
- 1955 Flatt & Scruggs add Josh Graves on Dobro.
- 1957 Country Gentlemen. Seeds of Newgrass.
- 1960s Beginning of the Folk Scene.
- 1960 Doc Watson "discovered" by Ralph Rinzler. The start
of fiddle tunes on the guitar.
- Osborne Brothers perform at Antioch College in Ohio, first
ever bluegrass concert for college audience.
- 1961 Bluegrass Day at Luray, VA. (a one day festival).
- 1962 Ralph Rinzler becomes Monroe's manager. Markets him
as the "Father of Bluegrass".
- 1962 Beverly Hillbillies brings Flatt & Scruggs back
to TV.
- 1963 "High Lonesome" coined.
- 1963 Bill Keith becomes the first "Yankee revivalist"
in Bill’s band. Melodic banjo licks.
- 1963 The Dillards play the Darlings on the Andy Griffith
show.
- 1964 Clarence White with the Kentucky Colonels. Clarence
advances on Doc Watson's guitar.
- 1965 Carlton Haney's holds first bluegrass festival near Roanoke, Virginia,
- 1965 Jerry Garcia of Palo Alto gives up bluegrass to do
other things, electric folk passes up acoustic folk.
- 1966 Bluegrass Unlimited begins publishing.
- 1966 Carter Stanley dies. Ralph Stanley continues on.
- 1966 Osborne Brothers add an electric bass.
- 1967 Bonnie and Clyde brings Foggy Mountain Breakdown,
Flatt & Scruggs mainstream.
- 1969 Flatt & Scruggs split.
- 1970s Beginning of the Festivals, Newgrass takes off
- 1972 Deliverance brings Dueling Banjos and "Squeal Like
a Pig" into American culture.
- 1973 Clarence White dies. Tony Rice takes Clarence's guitar
to the next level.
- 1973 Festivals get big. Mademoiselle included bluegrass
festivals in a list of ideas for fashionable vacations.
- 1980s Beginning of Nashville New Traditionalists: Skaggs,
Stuart, Whitley, Gill
- 1982 Skaggs & Rice album brings the brother duet to
the next level.
- 1985 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)
forms.
- 1990s Beginning of Alternative Country and Americana
Radio
- 1994 Doyle Lawson brings back the single mike.
- 1995 Allison Kraus makes millions doing crossover bluegrass/country/pop.
- 1996 Bill Monroe dies on September 9, 1996.
- 2000s Internet fuels bluegrass discussions and web site info
- 2000 Brother Where Art Thou send bluegrass/old-time to new commercial heights.
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2006 California legend Vern Williams passes away on 6/6/06.
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