On the Bus with Bill Monroe: My Five-Year Ride with the Father of Blue Grass (Music in American Life) - Softcover

Hembree, Mark

Softcover

ISBN 10: 025208649X ISBN 13: 9780252086496

Publisher: University of Illinois Press, 2022

Synopsis

A backstage audition led Mark Hembree into a five-year stint (1979–1984) as the bassist for Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. Hembree’s journey included playing at the White House and on the acclaimed album Master of Bluegrass. But it also put him on a collision course with the rigors of touring, the mysteries of Southern culture, and the complex personality of bandleader-legend Bill Monroe. Whether it’s figuring out the best time for breakfast (early) or for beating the boss at poker (never), Hembree gives readers an up-close look at the occasionally exalting, often unglamorous life of a touring musician in the sometimes baffling, always colorful company of a bluegrass icon.

The amusing story of a Yankee fish out of water, On the Bus with Bill Monroe mixes memoir with storytelling to recount the adventures of a Northerner learning new ways and the Old South.

About this title

About the Author

Mark Hembree is a bassist, vocalist, writer, and editor. From 1979 to 1984, Hembree worked for Bill Monroe as a Blue Grass Boy. He cofounded the Nashville Bluegrass Band in 1984 and was a member until 1988.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 025208649X
• ISBN 13: 9780252086496
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 226