Bill Monroe once sat down to discuss the bluegrass genre of music he pioneered. He explained how he originated this style of music, and shared his thoughts on the emergence of electrified contemporary bluegrass.
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The Father of Bluegrass sat down once with Karl Dallas in 1979 for Rock's Backpages. There, Dallas asked Monroe questions about the origins of bluegrass and his opinion on electrified mandolins.
Naturally, the creator of the genre wasn't too keen on deviating from the very style he created. Although that's not to say he disliked the direction contemporary bluegrass was heading in.
When Karl Dallas asked Bill Monroe about how he originated his style, he said, "I wanted to have music of my own to start with, Karl."
"Where I could say that I wasn't copying no man. And so I went to putting different sounds from the time I was a kid, that I would hear," he continued.
Monroe then explained the influences he threw into his style. "I put some blues in it, you know. A little bit of jazz. Scotch bagpipe. Baptist, Methodist and holiness style of singing in it. I really put a solid beat in it. A drive in. A driving beat. So it would be different."
Bill Monroe's Thoughts On Electrifying His Trusty Mandolin
Not only is the mandolin the first instrument Bill Monroe learned to play, it's the crux of his style. And that's the string mandolin, thank you very much. Considering all the electrified mandolins hitting the scene, however, Dallas couldn't help but ask Monroe his opinion.
"Have you ever thought of electrifying your mandolin?" Dallas asked.
"I don't think I could play it right if I had it electric. I don't think it do better for me if I'd done it. People they're sold on it this way, and I don't think they'd like it electric."
"Karl, I'd never leave the old time."
Although he was adamant that he'd never change bluegrass nor adopt the electric mandolin, he didn't overtly dislike the new music hitting the scene.
Dallas later asked him of his opinion of the Dillards, "or any of those people bringing in contemporary lyrics or using electric instruments."
"Well, I guess it's alright for what they do. For their style. And the different kind of places they would play. I'm well acquainted with the Dillards and I worked with them years and years ago, when they was really young, just starting in the bluegrass music. I haven't gotten to hear them in a long, long time."
