The first official Bluegrass band, Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys, prominently featured the mandolin. Bill Monroe, who is credited with the invention of Bluegrass music, played the mandolin in the Blue Grass Boys. The band also featured the fiddle, the acoustic guitar, the banjo and the upright bass.

Bill Monroe began his musical career in the 1930’s alongside his brother, Charlie Monroe, in their band, the Monroe Brothers. The band broke up in the late 1930’s and both brothers continued to make music. In 1939, Bill formed the Blue Grass Boys. During this time, he completed the transition of mandolin music from the traditional parlor sound to the modern Bluegrass sound. Later in 1939 he joined the Grand Ole Opry. The Opry’s radio broadcasts spread Monroe’s music throughout the South and inspired many country musicians to begin playing the mandolin.

Monroe played the lead melodies of his music similar to a fiddler. He also created a percussive chord sound, which was referred to as “the chop.” Monroe also perfected the sparse, percussive blues style on mandolin.

Monroe’s style of mandolin Bluegrass has been highly influential on many of his successors. His style has been emulated, developed and modified by many mandolin musicians.

Stylistically, his most influential followers included second-generation Bluegrass musician Frank Wakefield and current musicians Mike Compton (of the Nashville Bluegrass Band) and David Long. Other major Bluegrass mandolin musicians who emerged after Bill Monroe in the 1950’s include Jesse McReynolds, of Jim and Jesse, and Bobby Osborne, of the Osborne Brothers.

Modern Bluegrass mandolin players include Herschel Sizemore, Doyle Lawson, and Sam Bush, who also plays rock, reggae and jazz music. In addition, Ronnie McCoury, of the Del McCoury Band, has been awarded numerous times for his Monroe-style mandolin playing. Finally, John Duffey, of Country Gentlemen and Seldom Scene, helped to popularize Bluegrass mandolin among folk and urban music fans.

Bluegrass mandolin has had a large influence on American music. For example, Jack White, of the White Stripes, is an accomplished mandolin player. He played mandolin for the film Cold Mountain. He also plays mandolin on the White Stripes’ songs, “Little Ghost”, “Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn” and the hit “Icky Thump.”

Other popular musicians who play the mandolin include David Bowie, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Martin Barre and Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, Win Butler of the Arcade Fire, Lol Creme of 10cc, Kevin Hearn of the Barenaked Ladies and George Harrison and Paul McCartney of the Beatles, among many others. In addition, fans of the Grateful Dead know that Jerry Garcia was in a Bluegrass band with mandolin player David Grisman, called Old and in the Way.

Bluegrass mandolin music has a unique, lively sound unlike anything else. It’s sound can be sweet, mournful or electrifying. It is a wonderful style of music appropriate for many occasions, including weddings.

If you’re interested in having live Bluegrass mandolin music at your event, contact us today!

We have even more exciting news for the fans, friends and clients of Perfect Music for Weddings: the artistic director and feature violinist, fiddler and composer for Perfect Music for Weddings (and member of the Silver Mountain Fiddle Band and the Sparrow Lane String Quartet), Chris Murphy, recently attended highly critically acclaimed violinist and fiddler Mark O’Conner’s performance at UCLA. He was fortunate enough to meet with Mark and discuss violin music and fiddle music. The two musical Renaissance men met and discussed Classical, Jazz, Folk and Bluegrass music. We at Perfect Music for Weddings were very excited about this, as Mark O’Connor is one of the most acclaimed violinists and fiddlers in the world. His music encompasses and adeptly blends the Classical, Jazz, Folk and Bluegrass genres and his talents as a violinist and fiddler are world renowned. In fact, remarking on his composition “The Appalachian Waltz” former president Bill Clinton stated enthusiastically that it was “one of the most important pieces of American music in many, many years, uniting the strains of classical music with American hill country music, which is an important part of my heritage.”

Mark O’Connor won the National Junior Fiddling Championship in 1974. He studied under Texas fiddle musician Benny Thomasson and Jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli. O’Connor has won two Grammy awards. His first was for his album, “New Nashville Cats”, and his second was for his album “Appalachian Journey”, on which he worked with Yo-Yo Ma and Edgar Meyer. O’Connor was also named “Musician of the Year” by the Country Music Association for six years in a row, from 1991 to 1996. Since then, he has continued to compose, arrange, and record a variety of music, from Classical and Jazz to Country and Bluegrass. O’Connor has composed six violin concertos, and arranged string trios and string quartets, as well as choral works and a Symphony. He has worked and recorded with a wide variety of artists, including James Taylor, Alison Krauss, Bela Fleck, and Wynton Marsalis.

The most exciting part of Chris Murphy meeting with Mark O’Connor is their similar interests in musical genres and their performance styles. Chris’ independent work and his performances with the Sparrow Lane String Quartet and the Silver Mountain Fiddle Band, in particular, bridge the genres of Classical, Jazz, Country and Bluegrass. We hope that both musicians were able to take away some valuable knowledge from their meeting.