"[Ewing] neatly winnows out the chaff and gathers into a bundle what emerges as a complete mosaic of the artist. . . . Indispensable. "
-- Chuck Hicks, Pop Matters

"Excellent. . . . Especially intriguing are the various interviews conducted with Monroe throughout his career. . . . Editor's comments following each article are well worth the price of admission in themselves. Ewing's years with Monroe and in-depth research add much to the pieces as he corrects misinformation or expounds upon the history."
-- Jonathan Colcord, Country Standard Time

"Tell'em I'm a farmer with a mandolin and a high tenor voice," Bill Monroe said. Known as the "Father of Bluegrass," Monroe pioneered a whole new genre of music and inspired generations of musicians and fans. Yet from his founding of the original bluegrass band through six decades of performing, he remained an enigmatic figure, a mixture of fierce intensity, homespun modesty, and musical integrity.

Determined to play the mandolin in a way it had never been played before, Bill Monroe distinguished himself in the mid-1930s with the Monroe Brothers, then began forming his own band, the Blue Grass Boys, in 1938. By the mid-1940s other bands had begun copying his sound, and a new style, bluegrass music, was born. While country music moved toward electrification, Monroe maintained his acoustic ensemble and developed his "high, lonesome sound," performing nearly up to his death in 1996.