[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 126 (Friday, September 13, 1996)] [Senate] [Pages S10539-S10540] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] TRIBUTE TO BILL MONROE Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, the music world lost one of its most devoted artists on Monday when the legendary Bill Monroe passed away at the age of 84. The Bible says: The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Bill Monroe lived to be 84. His bluegrass music--the hybrid of folk, country, blues, and gospel styles--originated in the United States more than 60 years ago and continues to be popular across the country. Nowhere is this more true than in the Appalachian States, where it embraces the spirit of that region. Bluegrass is brought to life by combining high tenor vocals with instruments like the mandolin, fiddle--or violin--guitar, banjo, and bass, and is most often associated with Monroe, the creator and master of the style. I was fortunate to have been able to play my fiddle with Bill Monroe in Boone County, West Virginia, when he appeared there years ago. I remember how enlivening it was to make music with such a first-rate musician. Monroe's stage performance exuded the passion and dedication he had for music. He told me how he believed in a, ``good, clean show.'' Bill Monroe was a true gentleman. He never drank, smoked, or used offensive language. I remember he referred to liquor as ``slop,'' and would tell aspiring musicians to go onto the stage, ``looking right and smelling right,'' meaning that they should have no traces of whiskey on their breath. Indeed, Monroe was a role model for the more than 200 performers who played with The Blue Grass Boys throughout all of their Saturday evening appearances at the Opry. Musicians would travel to Nashville just to be able to say they had had a chance to work with the legendary performer. And I would imagine that the Senator who is presently presiding over this great body has been out to the Grand Ole Opry himself on a few occasions, being fortunate in that the Grand Ole Opry was in his native State of Tennessee. Musicians would travel to Nashville just to be able to say they had had a chance to work with this legendary performer. William Smith Monroe was born in Rosine, Kentucky, on September 13, 1911. His parents died when he was still young, and he went to live with his Uncle Pen, a fiddle player. There is a tune called ``Uncle Pen,'' and I am sure that it was the product of Bill Monroe's prolific musical mind and written in honor of his uncle, Uncle Pen. As the youngest of eight children in a musical family, Monroe learned about music early on, influenced by secular and religious folk traditions, gospel, blues, and Scottish and Irish fiddle tunes. He would later tell people that his mastery of the mandolin stemmed from the fact that his older siblings took their first pick of other instruments. Later on, this proved to be a blessing, since much of Monroe's success is attributed to his mandolin's unique sound which became the signature instrument of his bluegrass music. Monroe and two of his brothers--Charlie, who played the guitar, and Birch, who played the fiddle--moved to Chicago in 1930. The music they played there for dances and house parties was a traditional country style, but even in those early years, it was characterized by a faster tempo and the high- pitched harmonies that later evolved into Monroe's bluegrass trademark. In 1938, Monroe auditioned for the Grand Ole Opry. The audition with Opry chief George Hay--the solemn old judge--was such a success that when Hay signed Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, he told them, ``If you ever leave the Opry, it'll be because you fired yourself!'' Monroe's debut at the Opry marked the first time in the hall's history that the audience demanded an encore. By the 1940's, Monroe's style was moving further from traditional country music and toward its own distinct sound. The country music scene considered his music too old fashioned to be called country music and the folk music scene wanted to maintain its image as a more affluent style. Monroe finally found a place for his music where he always wanted it--in its own class. His style became known as Bluegrass, as identified with his band, the Blue Grass Boys. In the late 1940's, the classic Blue Grass Boys lineup featured Lester Flatt on the guitar, and Earl Scruggs, who mastered the three-finger-roll banjo technique which added to their distinct sound. As a boy, I used to listen to people in West Virginia play the banjo. They [[Page S10540]] played it claw-hammer style. But when Bill Monroe came along--Earl Scruggs developed a three-finger roll, which was very lively. That three-finger roll had a great deal to do with putting the stamp on the music as bluegrass music. Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys continued to please crowds at the Opry through the 1950's, and, in the 1960's, they began to appear in auditoriums throughout the country. In 1970, Monroe was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Bluegrass music is no longer confined to rural communities in the heart of the Appalachian States. Today, Bill Monroe's songs are not limited to public radio or the Nashville Network. The popularity of Bluegrass has expanded, and is now an internationally recognized and appreciated form of music. Monroe's legacy will endure through the sounds that he invented, and in the bands that play his songs. He was an innovative and very gentlemanly performer who was an inspiration to other musicians, especially to country musicians. And I am thankful to have had Bill Monroe as a friend. Although Bill Monroe will be missed dearly, his music and his legend will live on. His influence has forever changed the shape of the American music industry, and I know that his sounds will continue to reverberate throughout the Appalachian Mountains and through the hills and mountains and hollows of West Virginia and throughout the world for all years to come. ____________________