Musical pioneer Bill Monroe is known as “the father of bluegrass music.” He and his Blue Grass Boys created a new musical genre out of the regional sounds of his rural upbringing in Rosine, Kentucky that led to the birth of Western Swing and honky-tonk. From his founding of the original bluegrass band in the Thirties, he refined his craft during six decades of performing. In so doing, he brought a new level of musical sophistication to what had previously been dismissed as “rural music.” Both as ensemble players and as soloists, Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys upped the ante in their chosen genre much the way Duke Ellington’s and Miles Davis’s bands did in jazz.

Monroe was a looming cultural figure in the South and the 28 songs recorded by Blue Grass Boys for Columbia Records in 1946 and 1947 soon became classics of the genre, including ” Monroe’s most famous song, “Blue Moon of Kentucky.” Recorded by Elvis Presley in 1954, it appeared as the B-side of his first single for Sun Records. Monroe gave his blessing to Presley’s rock-and-roll cover of the song, originally a slow ballad in waltz time, and in fact re-recorded it himself with a faster arrangement after Presley’s version became a hit. Oh – and the A-side? It was “That’s Alright Mama.”

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Bill Monroe in the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame
The NPR 100: Blue Moon Of Kentucky
Country Music Hall of Fame – Bill Monroe