Thanks to the folks at The Mandolin Cafe, where we first saw this story about the rebirth of a stage show featuring the music and life story of Bill Monroe. The show is titled Back to Bean Blossom: The Life and Music of Bill Monroe, and will feature a mix of musical performance, visual images and live narration. It is scheduled to be presented on November 18, 2005 at the Basile Theatre/Indiana History Center in Indianapolis, IN as part of their Sounds Of Indiana concert series.

We were able to reach a number of the folks involved in this program for some background on its creation and evolution, as well as the “back story” of Bill Monroe and the state of Indiana.

This show is the brainchild of Indianapolis mandolinist Mike Butler, who was inspired to pursue this venture after he participated as a performer in a similarly themed presentation for Indianapolis area blues players staged by the Indiana History Center. He approached them about a program on Bill Monroe, and with an eye towards Monroe’s “Indiana connection,” they agreed that the show would go forward under their auspices.

Many people connect Bill Monroe primarily with Kentucky, and for good reason, but he also lived in Indiana several times, both as a young man in his twenties, and later in his life after his purchase of the Brown County Jamboree Park in Bean Blossom, where he also took up residence from time to time. In addition to regular shows in Bean Blossom, Monroe performed regularly all over the state, and was even twice recognized as a Sagamore of the Wabash by the Governor of Indiana, the highest honor that is bestowed by that office.

Back To Bean Blossom will feature live performances of 15 Monroe songs, and include three former Monroe sidemen on stage:

Roger Smith (fiddle) - a former Bluegrass Boy and member of the Brown County Jamboree Barn staff band who played with Monroe periodically in the 1970s, and also worked with Jim Eanes and Charlie Monroe.
Vernon McQueen (guitar) - also both a Bluegrass Boy and Brown County Jamboree staff player.
Dwight Dillman (banjo) - played as a Bluegrass Boy in 1974 before subsequently working with Jimmy Martin. Dillman purchased the Brown County Jamboree Park from the Bill Monroe estate in 1998.

Musical performers also include Mike Butler on mandolin and Joe Toole on bass, plus guest appearances by Aaron and Talmadge Law (a father and son vocal duet), and Homer Pass who will play guitar and sing tenor vocal parts.

Mike Butler wrote the basic script, and found photographs and short video clips to accompany the spoken portions of the show, while Mark Szobody of the Indiana Historical Society handled most of the staging and lighting design. They first presented this show to a sold out house in February of 2002, and Mike changed a few of the songs in the program for this re-staging. He has also modified the script slightly from the debut, and brought in some different narrators, but otherwise it remains intact.

Mike voiced particular appreciation for the support he received from the Indiana Historical Society, during the early development of the show:

“The Indiana Historical Society, by doing this show, proves they support roots and American music as well as the more “high brow” arts fare. I give Mark Szobody, Senior Director of Special Events, at the IHS credit for recognizing the importance of Bill Monroe’s music and the impact it has had, not only on Indiana, but on the entire world.