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app Bill Monroe   As a legendary bandleader, Singer-Songwriter,
and an innovative instrumentalist, Bill Monroe is as important
to the development of modern country music as Muddy Waters is to
the development of rock. He was one of the first to popularize
the Bluegrass band paradigm of guitar, acoustic bass, fiddle
mandolin, and banjo. Beginning his recording career in 1936,
Monroe was a demanding bandleader, who sought out (and was
sought out by) the best, most innovative players. Monroe was
known for his dazzlingly fast lead mandolin breaks and his bands
set a standard for playing, operating much like a small jazz
combo; all of the players took plentiful turns soloing between
verses and choruses. With banjo legend Earl Scruggs and
guitarist Lester Flatt's high lonesome vocals (the best known
assemblage), Monroe had a number of hit recordings throughout
the '40s and '50s, most notably "Footprints in the Snow" and
"Blue Moon of Kentucky." Elvis Pre