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The term "bluegrass" comes from the band that started it all -- Grand Ole Opry star Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, named after his home state of Kentucky. Considered the father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe mixed elements of country and blues music with the Celtic influences of his Appalachian mountain heritage. While it draws on plenty of musical traditions, bluegrass music was born in the rural south after World War II. On his page at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
web site, Monroe attempts to describe bluegrass music: "It's got a hard drive to it. It's Scotch bagpipes and old-time fiddling.... It's blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound. It's plain music that tells a story. It's played from my heart to your heart, and it will touch you." By 1946, Bill Monroe had assembled a legendary band featuring Lester Flatt on guitar, Earl Scruggs on banjo, and Chubby Wise on fiddle. This classic band contributed to the stature of bluegrass music much as Duke Ellington and his renowned orchestra did for jazz. The O Brother, Where Art Thou? phenomenon has thrown this musical genre back into the spotlight -- bluegrass festivals are packing them in.
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