To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Monroe’s birth, on August 23 Rounder will release a 2-disc 28-track set titled The Bill Monroe Centennial Celebration: A Classic Bluegrass Tribute. The album includes performances by an all-star roster of Rounder’s top bluegrass artists, including Ricky Skaggs, Tony Rice, Dailey & Vincent, and The Bluegrass Album Band.
Bill Monroe was both the father of bluegrass music and one of the genre’s most prolific writers, with a legacy that remains a benchmark for instrumentalists and vocalists alike. Monroe created a distinctive music, a genre of its own that proved itself compelling and enduring. Over 60 years after its birth, bluegrass is as healthy as it’s ever been, with 500 festivals each year around the United States, and bands in more than two dozen other countries.
Complete Track Listing:
Disc 1
1. Tall Timber – The Bluegrass Album Band
2. Will You be Loving Another Man – The Grascals
3. Dark as the Night, Blue as the Day – Michael Cleveland with Dan Tyminski and Vince Gill
4. Cheyenne – The Bluegrass Album Band
5. Close By – Dailey & Vincent
6. I Hear a Sweet Voice Calling – Joe Val & The New England Bluegrass Boys
7. Shenandoah Breakdown – Wyatt Rice
8. My Florida Sunshine – Claire Lynch
9. I’m Blue I’m Lonesome – Nashville Bluegrass Band
10. Toy Heart – Ricky Skaggs
11. Wheel Hoss – The Bluegrass Album Band
12. On the Old Kentucky Shore – The Bluegrass Album Band
13. Come Back to Me in My Dreams – Al Jones and Frank Necessary & The Spruce Mountain Boys
14. Wicked Path of Sin – Blue Highway
Disc 2
1. Old Brown County Barn – Michael Cleveland
2. You’d Better Get Right – The Vern Williams Band
3. Voice From on High – Joe Val & The New England Bluegrass Boys
4. Lonesome Moonlight Waltz – The Bluegrass Album Band
5. Dog House Blues – Nashville Bluegrass Band
6. Walls of Time – The Johnson Mountain Boys
7. Big Mon – Tony Rice
8. Footprints in the Snow – IIIrd Tyme Out
9. Jerusalem Ridge – Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
10. Mansions for Me – Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-press
11. In Despair – Ralph Stanley and The Clinch Mountain Boys featuring Charlie Sizemore
12. You’re Drifting Away – Nashville Bluegrass Band
13. True Life Blues – Hazel and Alice
14. Goodbye Old Pal – Joe Val & The New England Bluegrass Boys
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
