Walls of Time: Bluegrass Legends Inspire a New Generation

On Facebook, a niche mandolin community was established in 2013. The community has now grown to over 6,000 members who honor the music of Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass music, and encourage each other to keep his unique mandolin style alive. I found this community, the Monroe Mandolin Appreciation Society, early in the pandemic. I was a 10-year-old boy stuck at home with a brand new mandolin who had fallen in love with the music of Bill Monroe. I was quickly welcomed and always encouraged by the folks within this community on my Monroe-style musical journey. 

In 2020, Christopher Henry began a Monroe-style tune-writing contest within the group. The goal was to encourage members to create new music in the style of Bill Monroe. At that point, I had never written a tune but decided I’d try to write one with my first teacher, Roscoe Morgan. Our co-written tune “Bluegrass Part II”, a sequel to Monroe’s “Bluegrass Part I,” won the contest the first year. Writing mandolin tunes sparked a creative side of me that I didn’t know existed. 

I started writing a lot of tunes after that,  and in 2021, I won the contest again with a solo entry. The tune that I wrote in 2021 was called “Blue Smoke ” (Shaconoge).  It was inspired by the Native CherokeeThe Great Smokey Mountains around me, and the music of Bill Monroe. I recently recorded that tune with an all-star bluegrass band and it will be released on my upcoming debut album. I even played it live at Cave Fest at The Caverns in Pelham, Tennessee a few weeks ago! I then went on to write many other original tunes during my twelfth year! I can’t wait for you guys to hear the special tunes inspired by or co-written with some of my biggest mandolin heroesl!

Fast forward to 2022, I had the honor of playing mandolin at former Bluegrass Boy Peter Rowan’s Induction into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame at the IBMA Awards Show. I got to kick off “The Walls of Time,” an iconic song written by Peter and Bill Monroe. The experience was one I will never forget. After playing the Induction, Peter invited me to perform again the following night, an old Bill instrumental “Frog on the Lilly Pad,” with my teacher Christopher Henry who I had filled in for on mandolin the night before. On my way to the big show, My mom and I ran into Peter in the lobby of the hotel. We said hello, and as we were waiting on the driver to pick us up, Mom decided to tell Peter that I had played a very special mandolin the night before at his induction ceremony. Peter was eagerly listening to her as she told him the mandolin I had played was formerly owned by another bluegrass legend, and friend of Peter’s, Marty Stuart. She went on to say that Marty had played the now 98-year-old mandolin at a star-studded concert to raise funds for Bill Monroe’s gravestone. At the exact moment, my mom said the words “Bill Monroe’s gravestone,” a huge gust of wind swept down and blew Peter’s signature cowboy hat 15 feet off of his head! We were all speechless. Peter laughed and slyly said, “You said Bill Monroe’s name.” A few weeks later, it was time for the annual Monroe-style tune-writing contest. I couldn’t think of a better inspiration for a Monroe-style tune; that windy moment with Peter was one for the books. Now you know the story behind “The Winds of Rowan County.”  

Walls of Time: Bluegrass Legends Inspire a New Generation

Over on Facebook, a niche mandolin community was established in 2013. The community has now grown to over 6,000 members who honor the music of Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass music, and encourage each other to keep his unique mandolin style alive. I found this community, the Monroe Mandolin Appreciation Society, early in the pandemic. I was a 10-year-old boy stuck home with a brand new mandolin who had fallen in love with the music of Bill Monroe. I was quickly welcomed and always encouraged by the folks within this community on my Monroe-style musical journey. 

In 2020, Christopher Henry began a Monroe-style tune writing contest within the group. The goal was to encourag members to create new music in the style of Bill Monroe. At that point, I had never written a tune, but decided I’d try to write one with my first teacher, Roscoe Morgan. Our co-written tune “Bluegrass Part II”, a sequel to Monroe’s “Bluegrass Part I,” won the contest the first year. Writing mandolin tunes sparked a creative side of me that I didn’t know existed. 

I started writing a lot of tunes after that,  and in 2021, I won the contest again with a solo entry. The tune that I wrote in 2021 was called “Blue Smoke ” (Shaconoge).  It was inspired by the Native CherokeeThe Great Smokey Mountains around me, and the music of Bill Monroe. I recently recorded that tune with an all-star bluegrass band and it will be released on my upcoming debut album. I even played it live at Cave Fest at The Caverns in Pelham, Tennessee a few weeks ago! I then went on to write many other original tunes during my twelfth year! I can’t wait for you guys to hear the special tunes inspired by or co-written with some of my biggest mandolin heroesl!

Fast forward to 2022, I had the honor of playing mandolin at former Bluegrass Boy Peter Rowan‘s Induction into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame at the IBMA Awards Show. I got to kick off “The Walls of Time,” an iconic song written by Peter and Bill Monroe. The experience was one I will never forget. After playing the Induction, Peter invited me to perform again the following night, an old Bill instrumental “Frog on the Lilly Pad,” with my teacher Christopher Henry who I had filled in for on mandolin the night before. On my way to the big show, My mom and I ran into Peter in the lobby of the hotel. We said hello, and as we were waiting on the driver to pick us up, mom decided to tell Peter that I had played a very special mandolin the night before at his induction ceremony. Peter was eagerly listening to her as she told him the mandolin I had played was formerly owned by another bluegrass legend, and friend of Peter’s, Marty Stuart. She went on to say that Marty had played the now 98-year-old mandolin at a star-studded concert to raise funds for Bill Monroe’s gravestone. At the exact moment my mom said the words “Bill Monroe’s gravestone,” a huge gust of wind swept down and blew Peter’s signature cowboy hat 15 feet off of his head! We were all speechless. Peter laughed and slyly said, “You said Bill Monroe’s name.” A few weeks later, it was time for the annual Monroe-style tune writing contest. I couldn’t think of a better inspiration for a Monroe-style tune; that windy moment with Peter was one for the books. Now you know the story behind “The Winds of Rowan County.”  

https://youtu.be/PHrl_2sc77k
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