Bill Monroe, the "Father of Bluegrass" who influenced everyone from Ricky Skaggs to Jerry Garcia, was born 115 years ago today in Kentucky.

With his mandolin playing and his high, lonesome tenor voice, Bill Monroe gave birth to the bluegrass genre. More of an alchemist than an ordinary musician, Monroe fused gospel harmonies and Celtic ...

101 Brown County Breakdown / Mandolin. 102 My Little Georgia Rose / Mandolin. 103 The Old Fiddler / Mandolin. 104 Alabama Waltz / Mandolin. 105 Boat of Love / Mandolin. 106 I'm Blue, I'm Lonesome / ...

The ripple created in 1945 by Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys has spread ever outward through the decades, absorbing new influences and spinning off subgenres. Sunny skies and seasonably warm ...

Smithsonian Institution, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, 600 Maryland Ave., S.W., Suite 2001, Washington ...