Bill Monroe painting on Kentucky Monthly

Bill Monroe cover for Kentucky MonthlyDespite living much of his life in Tennessee, Bill Monroe will always be inextricably linked with Kentucky, the state of his birth, whose nickname serves as the designation for the music he created.

He is being remembered anew in the June issue of Kentucky Monthly, a general interest magazine for the bluegrass state, in conjunction with an article on the annual ROMP festival put on by the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro.

The magazine has commissioned celebrated artist and Owensboro native Aaron Kizer, who has produced a stylized portrait of Bill Monroe to serve as the cover of their June/July 2013 issue. The poster was created with ink and watered-down wall paint, and 10 numbered and signed commemorative prints will be offered as prizes during ROMP, which occurs June 27-29.

A limited run of 500 prints will also be available for sale during the festival, for which the magazine is serving as a sponsor.

Kentucky Monthly’s editor and publisher Stephen Vest says that they are proud of this cover feature.

“We are honored to have Aaron’s art grace our cover. To be able to highlight a community-minded and philanthropic artist such as Aaron, in an issue that features stories related to his hometown and the region’s cultural heritage, and sponsor a festival dedicated to our state’s musical legacy—it is the embodiment of our company’s mission to celebrate the best of our Commonwealth.”

A feature piece on Kizer is also included in this next issue, scheduled to hit newsstands the first week of June.

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.