From October 1, 2010 through to the end of September 2011, we will, each day, celebrate the life of Bill Monroe by sharing information about him and those people who are associated with his life and music career. This information will include births and deaths; recording sessions; single, LP and CD release dates; and other interesting tidbits. Richard F. Thompson is responsible for the research and compilation of this information. We invite readers to share any tidbits, photos or memories you would like us to include.
- January 7, 1954 Recording Session – During a three-hour afternoon session for Decca Records at the Bradley Studio, Bill Monroe recorded On and On, I Believed In You Darling, New John Henry Blues and White House Blues, two trio numbers and a couple of Monroe solos. Assisting were Jimmy Martin [guitar], Rudy Lyle [banjo], Charlie Cline [fiddle] and Ernie Newton [bass]. *
- January 7, 1957 Single released – You’ll Find Her Name Written There / Sitting Alone In The Moonlight (Decca 9 – 30178, 78rpm ; 30178)
- January 7, 1998 Owen Bradley died, age 82. **
* On and On and I Believed in You Darling (Decca 9-29886) were released on a single on April 30, 1956.
On and On and White House Blues were included in the album The High, Lonesome Sound (Decca DL 4780), released on June 13, 1966.
** Decca Records’ producer, Owen Bradley learned to play the piano at an early age and began playing in local nightclubs and roadhouses while he was still a teenager.
When he was 20 years old he got a job at Radio WSM, in Nashville, where he worked as a musician and arranger. In 1942 he became the station’s musical director and was also the leader of a dance band that played at parties all over the city.
That same year Bradley co-wrote Roy Acuff’s hit Night Train to Memphis. He kept his band up until 1964, although in the intervening years, his work as a producer far overshadowed his career as a performer.
In 1947 Bradley was appointed to the post of an assistant producer and songwriter at Decca Records, where he worked with Paul Cohen on recordings by some of the biggest talents of the day, including Ernest Tubb, Burl Ives, Red Foley and Kitty Wells.
Learning from Cohen, he eventually began to produce records on his own. When his mentor left the label in 1958, Bradley became vice-president of Decca’s Nashville division and, with Chet Atkins and Bob Ferguson, began pioneering what would become the Nashville Sound, shaping the careers of Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty and Buddy Holly.
One of the most influential producers in country music history, Bradley was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1974.
