Bill Monroe and Dobro

Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

Today the resonator guitar is included in many bluegrass bands. However, to the best of my knowledge, Bill Monroe never had a Dobro player in the Blue Grass Boys band. Interesting.

If someone knows of a an exception in Monroe's band--which had a whole lot of personnel changes over the years--please tell us.

Alan Kirk · From: Scotia, CA, USA

I thought Josh Graves played with him for a while? There's pictures in Stacy Phillips' dobro book showing Graves and Monroe playing together.

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Howard Parker · From: Maryland

Monroe did not have a Dobro player in the Bluegrass Boys! It just was not part of his sound.

He did have some great fiddle players with him through the years though.

It was Flatt and Scruggs who brought Buck Graves in to the bluegrass fold. The first bluegrass Dobro recorded on Sept. 2, 1955 at Bradley Studios, Nashville, where they waxed:

Randy Lynn Rag
On My Mind
Blue Ridge cabin Home
Some Old Day

Probably more than you wanted to know!

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Howard Parker
poobah@resoguit.com
www.resoguit.com
ListOwner RESOGUIT-L

David Doggett · Posted 17 Mar 2003 1:58 pm

I read somewhere that before Bill Monroe refined his act he once traveled with a steel guitar and a baseball team! But seriously, at a very small bluegrass festival near Cosby, TN sometime around 1975 I found myself standing next to Bill watching the music. I asked him why he never used a Dobro player. He said that during the lean years he simply couldn't pay that many band members, and that was all there was to it. Reading between the lines it seems he thought the Dobro was more dispensible than any of the other bluegrass instruments. To bad b0b wasn't there to talk to him about that banjo.

Tom Olson · From: Spokane, WA

It might be because of several factors. According to what I've read, back in the 40's and 50's the Dobro was mainly used for Hawiian and "old time" music. I believe that Buck Graves was really the first to use a Dobro in a true Bluegrass band and that was in Flatt and Scruggs. Flatt and Scruggs had both left Bill Monroe's band on somewhat less than amicable terms. I believe that I also read (as has already been pointed out) that Bill Monroe didn't think the Dobro had a place in Bluegrass. Plus, another reason is probably that Flatt and Scruggs were one of the first to have a Dobro player and Bill almost certainly didn't want to be seen as emulating Flatt and Scruggs. Just my thoughts

Howard Parker · From: Maryland

Through Bill monroe's Extensive career and long life he had both good and bad things to say about the use of Dobro in bluegrass.

The bad things were _much_ more entertaining.

Bill mellowed considerably as he aged!

One of my favorite concerts was Bill and boys sharing the concert stage with the Seldom Scene..Mike Auldridge on Dobro. John Duffy was just hounding Bill. Bill amazed the crowd by taking a break in the Scene's (then) signature tune..."I Know You Rider". The crowd went wild. I'm sure I saw Monroe and Auldridge smiling....

HowardP

Jeff Au Hoy · From: Honolulu, Hawai'i

c c johnson · From: killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.

according to the liner notes on a Tut Taylor album I have. he played with Bill at one time. He used and still does a flat guitar pick to play. I don't know if this was before the Bluegrass Boys were formed. You might check out Tuts webb site or email him at add shown on the webb.

Stephen Gambrell · From: Over there

Tom got it about right. lester and Earl left Bill, then went on their own, but it wasn't till 1955 that Josh came aboard. F&S used very little mandolin, except as a rhythm instrument(Lester to Curly Seckler,"Seck, you can't play that mandolin worth a durn, but I like the way you look holdin' it.")
It was always said that Bill didn't want a Dobro in his band, to keep them sounding different than Flatt and Scruggs. Bill could be vindictive, as hundreds of former sidemen could attest. But he was enough of a musician to recognize talent, so he jammed with Tut, Mike Auldridge, and who knows who else.
BTW, Bill did have a baseball team, as well as an accordian player at one time. AN ACCORDIAN, BUT NO DOBRO??????

nick allen · From: France

In Stacy Phillips' "The Complete Dobro Player", there is an interview with Josh Graves that discusses this subject... as has been said above, Monroe's "official" position was that the dobro had no place in bluegrass, but an exception was made for those he liked

Nick

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

Bill Monroe pretty much defined his style in 1945-1947, and of course it was the standard Bluegrass band, mandolin, fiddle, string bass, banjo and guitar.
Over the years he stuck to that, as many other groups did, of course there were variations in the style as he hired pickers from other states and bands that brought in something different, Bill Keith, etc.

As noted in previous posts Buck Graves move to dobro in '55 with Flatt & Scruggs helped revive that group (they dropped the mandolin from their sound in 1962, and although as soon as he formed his own band, Flatt hired on a mandolinist, Scruggs never did have one in his Earl Scruggs Revue.

It's interersting to note that Graves mainly played dobro as an old timey player, and when he first joined Flatt & Scruggs he came in on bass, eventually switching to dobro when Flatt & Scruggs saw the potential.

After Flatt & Scruggs split Monroe the recording ban was in place, so when they finally did record it's interesting to note that Flatt & Scruggs 1948 sessions seem to have have the loudest banjo cut at that time, real in your face stuff, awesome.
While Monroe's first post Flatt & Scruggs sides were quite subdued on the banjo side of things.

David Doggett · Posted 18 Mar 2003 7:30 am

Once at a late night jam in the '70s in Nashville, Josh picked up a banjo and started showing me banjo licks. He said he played banjo before he played Dobro. You can hear that in his Dobro style - three-finger rolls, repetitive picking of the top string, etc. He's my all time favorite, and Randy Lynn Rag is my favorite of his solos.

Mike Cass · Posted 28 Mar 2003 9:17 am

Mr Monroe once told me (& confirmed in an interview I later saw somewhere),that his earlier comments about Dobro not being a bluegrass instrument were misquoted. He said "its not bluegrass unless its Josh playing it".

The pic referred to in an earlier post was taken at the annual ('73?) radio broadcast of the "Bluegrass Extravaganza", held onstage at the Opry House during Fanfair week.
If youre curious as to what Mr. Bill would've sounded like with a Dobro, go hear Josh & Kenny Baker when they appear in your area.
Their sound is pretty awesome & the 2 styles compliment each other perfectly. KB seems to draw the "Bill" out of those he plays with, and the band at times is very reminiscent of the 'Boys..with Uncle adding what he calls the "blues flavor" that set he distinction between Monroe & F&S.
On the F&S numbers & Josh's instrumentals,that same old "Columbia" feel is evident, too
What i cant believe is that at 74 & after having both legs amp'ed at the knees, Uncle still gets out there most weekends with Kenny & gets after it..& quite masterfully too, i might add

...now theres yer National Treasure

Stephen Gambrell · From: Over there

ATTABOY, MIKE!! Ain't no fiddler like Kenny Baker, and there's only one Josh...ever wiil be, either. Don't just take MY word for it, though. Ask Mike, Jerry, Randy, Rob....we're ALL Josh's boys!

Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

Those recordings Josh Graves and Kenny Baker made together are some of my favorites. On several of the cuts Kenny plays guitar. Baker is a fine guitar player as well one of the bluegrass fiddle greats.

[This message was edited by Bob Stone on 28 March 2003 at 10:23 AM.]

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