Bill Monroe receives Pioneer Award from ACM
While we were IBMA last week, Brance and I focused our attention on the activities at the Nashville Convention Center. Of course, many things ocurred elsewhere – in Nashville and beyond – and we’ll catch up on them over the next few days as we recover from our week at IBMA.
One terrific bit of news came last Tuesday (9/26) when The Academy of Country Music honored Bill Monroe with a posthumous Pioneer Award. It was bestowed during the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Celebration, held at The Grand Ole Opry House during IBMA week in Nashville. James Monroe accepted the award on his father’s behalf.
Rod Essig, ACM President, shared these words in the ceremony.
"It is my honor to present this award to Bill Monroe on behalf of the Academy of Country Music. I find it fitting that we are here at the Opry, where a 28 year old Monroe was introduced by Opry founder, George D. Hay, and received not one, not two but three encores when he took the stage that evening. His pioneering sound has become legendary, and his contribution to bluegrass remains immeasurable. It is my pleasure to present Bill Monroe the Academy of Country Music’s Pioneer Award for his outstanding contribution to bluegrass."
Opry VP and General manager Pete Fisher added:
"We are pleased to join the Academy of Country Music in honoring the pioneering work of Bill Monroe by hosting this presentation of the Pioneer Award on the Opry stage as part of our annual Bill Monroe Bluegrass Celebration. Although he left us just over 10 years ago, his name and his music can be heard almost every weekend at the Opry."
In a related bit of news, an historical marker was unveiled at The Ryman Auditorium on Friday (9/29), designating it as the birthplace of bluegrass music. The text of the marker reads:
In December 1945, Grand Ole Opry star Bill Monroe and his mandolin brought to the Ryman Auditorium stage a band that created a new American musical form. With the banjo style of Earl Scruggs and the guitar of Lester Flatt, the new musical genre became known as “Bluegrass.” Augmented by the fiddle of Chubby Wise and the bass of Howard Watts (also known as Cedric Rainwater), this ensemble became known as “The Original Bluegrass Band,” which became the prototype for groups that followed.
There is a more detailed story that ran in The Tennessean over the weekend.
Email This Post
| Print | Top | 0 Comments
Some of bluegrass music's top present-day stars will honor Bill Monroe on September 30 in the annual Bill Monroe Bluegrass Celebration, which will take place on Tuesday, September 30 at the Opry House in Nashville.
The Bill Monroe Bluegrass Celebration, presented by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store...
OK... it's part of a celebration of the Grand Ole Opry's 80th anniversary, not Bill Monroe's birthday, but the Opry is hosting a special Bill Monroe Bluegrass Celebration on October 15 at 1:00 p.m. The show will feature performances by Larry Sparks, Melonie Cannon, Shawn Camp, The Grascals and Opry members...
This post is another contribution from Richard Thompson, who has provided several special pieces to The Bluegrass Blog as we recall Bill Monroe today.
In light of this ten year anniversary, many aficionados have organised special events to mark the occasion. Last night there were concerts in Athy,...
Here's a bit of lighthearted bluegrass history for your post-Christmas climbdown...
The anecdote comes from multi-instrumentalist and singer Orrin Starr. It involves a phone conversation between fiddler Jim Moss and James Monroe. Jim is a prominent west coast fiddler, and he spoke with James (son...
The Recording Academy has announced the newest additions to its Grammy Hall Of Fame, adding to this timeless list that now includes 826 titles.
Among the 28 recordings so honored is Bill Monroe's October 1940 recording of Mule Skinner Blues released on the Bluebird label.
The song was one of eight...
Following our recent story about the agreement between the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and the Trustees of the Estate of the late Robert W. McLean concerning the ownership of instruments such as Bill Monroe's mandolin and Maybelle Carter's guitar, the HOF has started a $1.1 million fundraising...
The 100th anniversary of the birth of Bill Monroe is still four years away, but long term strategic planning is already underway to commemorate the occasion. This morning's (6/25) edition of the Owensboro, KY Messenger-Inquirer has a story about this effort, and the collaboration among a number of entities...
We recently had some great posts reflecting on and remembering the life and career of Bill Monroe. Those posts were published on the anniversary of his death. Today is Bill's birthday and thought we should remember that as well. So...
Happy Birthday Bill!...
Leave a comment
Comments are open and unmoderated for our registered users, only your first comment will require approval before publication. Comments do not necessarily reflect the views of The Bluegrass Blog. Obscene, abusive, silly, or annoying remarks may be deleted, but the fact that particular comments remain on the site in no way constitutes an endorsement of their content by The Bluegrass Blog.
You must