Back in 1997, Tom T. Hall released a song called Bill Monroe For Breakfast. Like so many of his compositions, it was a wistful look back at his own childhood, where he recalled listening to the music of Bill Monroe each morning on the radio while his family had their morning meal.
The closing line of each verse, “And we had Bill Monroe for breakfast every day,” stuck in the imaginations of bluegrass and country music fans, both for the cleverness of the phrase, and for the romance of the image it conveyed.
But now, thanks to an auction on eBay, Monroe fans have the chance to actually have their breakfast with Bill, by using his old Proctor Silex toaster to prepare their meal! The seller purchased it from a Monroe estate sale in 2001, and has kept it safely preserved since that time. As the auction listing claims, the toaster has never been cleaned since it was obtained, suggesting that Big Mon’s DNA may actually still reside on the appliance.
A letter of authenticity from Bill’s son, James Monroe, is included with the toaster, verifying that the item had been owned by the Father of Bluegrass, and purchased directly from the estate sale.
Imagine the looks of surprise on the faces of your family and friends when they see the old Monroe toaster from the 1970’s on your kitchen counter, and you explain its proud provenance.
The auction closes this Saturday at 4:51 p.m. (EST) and the opening bid of $300 has yet to be received.
Visit eBay to see additional photos of this item.
