Bill Monroe was a mandolin player, singer, songwriter and bandleader who, with his band The Bluegrass Boys, based their name on the characteristic blue grass of the Kentucky landscape. In so doing, he effectively gave his name to an entire sub-genre of music - Bluegrass – which did not really exist under that name before he made his unique mark on the country scene in the 1940s. With its roots in Celtic music and old-time fiddle music for dancing, it also borrowed from blues and jazz, and was characterised by impressive high-speed virtuoso musicianship, with his band during this era providing a career platform for Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. 

This 80-track 3-CD collection comprises selected A & B sides from his releases on Bluebird, Columbia and Decca from this era, and includes at least one side of just about all his releases. It features all his career hits in the US country chart, including the No. 3 “Kentucky Waltz”, the No. 5 “Footprints In The Snow”, and the Top 15 hits “Little Community Church”, “Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong”, “Wicked Path Of Sin”, “Toy Heart”, “When You Are Lonely”, Poison Love” and “Gotta Travel On”. 

As an original pioneer of the genre, his music is essential listening for every fan of bluegrass, and this substantial overview of the first two decades of his band’s career offers an enlightening and enjoyable insight into the roots of bluegrass.

Tracks

CD 1
1. MULE SKINNER BLUES  (Bluebird 8568) 1940 
2. NO LETTER IN THE MAIL  (Bluebird 8611) 1940 
3. KATY HILL  (Bluebird 8692) 1940 
4. I WONDER IF YOU FEEL THE WAY I DO  (Bluebird 8813) 1940 
5. BLUE YODEL NO.7  (Bluebird 8861) 1941 
6. ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL  (Bluebird 8893)  
7. COUPON SONG  (Bluebird 8893)  
8. SHAKE MY MOTHER'S HAND  (Bluebird 8953)  
9. HONKY TONK SWING  (Bluebird 8988) 1941 
10. ROCKY ROAD BLUES  (Columbia 20013) 1945 
11. KENTUCKY WALTZ  (Columbia 20013) 1945 
12. TRUE LIFE BLUES  (Columbia 20080) 1945 
13. FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW  (Columbia 20080) 1945 
14. MANSIONS FOR ME  (Columbia 20107) 1946 
15. BLUE YODEL NO. 4  (Columbia 20189) 1946 
16. BLUE MOON OF KENTUCKY  (Columbia 20370) 1946 
18. HOW WILL I EXPLAIN ABOUT YOU   (Columbia 20384) 1946 
19. I'M TRAVELIN' ON AND ON  (Columbia 20402) 1947 
20. SWEETHEART, YOU DONE ME WRONG   (Columbia 20423) 1947 
21. MY ROSE OF OLD KENTUCKY  (Columbia 20423) 1947 
22. I HEAR A SWEET VOICE CALLING  (Columbia 20459) 1947 
23. LITTLE COMMUNITY CHURCH  (Columbia 20488) 1948 
24. THAT HOME ABOVE  (Columbia 20488) 1948 
25. WICKED PATH OF SIN  (Columbia 20503) 1948 
26. SUMMERTIME IS PAST AND GONE  (Columbia 20503) 1948

CD 2
1. WHEN YOU ARE LONELY  (Columbia 20526) 1949 
2. IT'S MIGHTY DARK TO TRAVEL  (Columbia 20526) 1949 
3. TOY HEART  (Columbia 20552) 1949 
4. BLUEGRASS BREAKDOWN  (Columbia 20552) 1949 
5. REMEMBER THE CROSS  (Columbia 20576) 1949 
6. HEAVY TRAFFIC AHEAD  (Columbia 20595) 1949 
7. I'M GOING BACK TO OLD KENTUCKY  (Columbia 20612) 1949 
8. MOLLY AND TENBROOKS  (Columbia 20612) 1949 
9. GIRL IN THE BLUE VELVET BAND  (Columbia 20648) 1949 
10. TRAVELIN' THIS LONESOME ROAD  (Columbia 20676) 1949 
11. MY LITTLE GEORGIA ROSE  (Decca 46222) 1950 
12. THE OLD FIDDLER  (Decca 46236) 1950 
13. BOAT OF LOVE  (Decca 46254) 1950 
14. MEMORIES OF YOU  (Decca 46266) 1950 
15. UNCLE PEN  (Decca 46283) 1950 
16. ON THE OLD KENTUCKY SHORE  (Decca 46298) 1951 
17. POISON LOVE  (Decca 46298) 1951 
18. RIVER OF DEATH  (Decca 46305) 1951 
19. PRISONER'S SONG  (Decca 46314) 1951 
20. SWING LOW, SWEET CHARIOT  (Decca 46325) 1951 
21. ROTATION BLUES  (Decca 46344) 1951 
22. I'LL MEET YOU IN CHURCH SUNDAY MORNING  (Decca 46351) 1951 
23. SUGAR COATED LOVE  (Decca 46369) 1951 
24. BRAKEMAN'S BLUES  (Decca 46380) 1951 
25. THE FIRST WHIPPOORWILL  (Decca 46386) 1951

CD 3
1. LETTER FROM MY DARLING  (Decca 46392) 1951     
2. I'M ON MY WAY TO THE OLD HOME  (Decca 28045) 1952 
3. WHEN THE CACTUS IS IN THE BLOOM  (Decca 28183) 1952 
4. A MIGHTY PRETTY WALTZ  (Decca 28356) 1952     
5. IN THE PINES  (Decca 28416) 1952     
6. WALKING IN JERUSALEM JUST LIKE JOHN  (Decca 28608) 1952 
7. CABIN OF LOVE  (Decca 28749) 1953     
8. LITTLE GIRL AND THE DREADFUL SNAKE  (Decca 28878) 1953     
9. I HOPE YOU HAVE LEARNED  (Decca 29009) 1953     
10. CHANGING PARTNERS  (Decca 29021) 1954     
11. GET UP JOHN  (Decca 29141) 1954     
12. HAPPY ON MY WAY  (Decca 29196) 1954     
13. CLOSE BY  (Decca 29289) 1954     
14. I'M WORKING ON A BUILDING  (Decca 29348) 1954     
15. CHEYENNE  (Decca 29406) 1955     
16. LET THE LIGHT SHINE DOWN ON ME  (Decca 29436) 1955 
17. PUT MY LITTLE SHOES AWAY  (Decca 29645) 1955     
18. ON AND ON  (Decca 29886) 1955     
19. SITTING ALONE IN THE MOONLIGHT   (Decca 30178) 1955 
20. A FALLEN STAR  (Decca 30327) 1957     
21. FOUR WALLS  (Decca 30327) 1957     
22. I'M SITTIN ON TOP OF THE WORLD  (Decca 30486) 1957 
23. SCOTLAND  (Decca 30739) 1958     
24. GOTTA TRAVEL ON  (Decca 30809) 1959     
25. TOMORROW I'LL BE GONE  (Decca 30944) 1959     
26. LONESOME WIND BLUES  (Decca 31031) 1960     
27. PRECIOUS MEMORIES  (Decca 31107) 1960     
28. LINDA LOU  (Decca 31218) 1960     
29. FLOWERS OF LOVE  (Decca 31346) 1961     

All selections by Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys