Award Recipient

The Father of Bluegrass Music, Bill Monroe, is one of the only people to have bestowed upon America an entire musical genre. Monroe began his professional career in music in the early 1930s and as a member of WSM’s Grand Ole Opry for more than half a century he nurtured the music that took its name from that of his band. Born William Smith Monroe in Rosine, Kentucky, he wrote and recorded with his famous mandolin hundreds of compositions including “Uncle Pen” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” the latter of which is an official State Song of Kentucky. Honors accorded by heads of State and countless organizations are numerous and bear testimony to the fact that the music of Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys has expanded to virtually all parts of the world.