Lively, heartfelt, and informative, 'The Bill Monroe Reader' is a fitting tribute to the man and the musician who transformed the traditional music of western Kentucky into an international sensation.

"Tell 'em I'm a farmer with a mandolin and a high tenor voice", Bill Monroe said. Known as the Father of Bluegrass Music, Monroe pioneered a whole new category of music and inspired generations of musicians and fans. Yet from his founding of the original bluegrass band through six decades of performing he remained an enigmatic figure, a mixture of fierce intensity, homespun modesty, and musical integrity.

Determined to play the mandolin in a way it had never been played before, Monroe distinguished himself in the mid-1930s with the Monroe Brothers, then began forming his own band, the Blue...