Considering the range of stars that have claimed Bill Monroe as an influence--Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, and Jerry Garcia are just a few--it can be said that no single artist has had as broad an impact on American popular music as he did. For sixty years, Monroe was a star at the Grand Ole Opry, and when he died in 1996, he was universally hailed as "the Father of Bluegrass." But the personal life of this taciturn figure remained largely unknown. Delving into everything from Monroe's professional successes to his bitter rivalries, from his isolated childhood to his reckless womanizing, veteran...

Compellingly narrated and thoroughly researched, this text is the definitive biography of a true giant of American music - Bill Monroe.