Bill Monroe Museum Archives

The Dillards inducted into the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Hall of Fame

It’s a long way from Mayberry, NC to Bean Blossom, IN, but that’s exactly the road that Rodney Dillard has trod on his way to seeing The Dillards inducted last month into the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Hall of Fame, located in The Bill Monroe Museum at the park where Big Mon put on his festival while he was alive.

The honor was bestowed on September 24 during the 48th annual Uncle Penn festival in Bean Blossom, IN. Rodney brought his current edition of The Dillards to perform, alongside fellow bluegrass legend Bobby Osborne.

As the only living member of the original band – Rodney Dillard on guitar, Doug Dillard on banjo, Dean Webb on mandolin, and Mitch Jayne on bass – Rodney accepted the induction for his deceased bandmates.

He tells us that he was filled with pride accepting the induction for the band.

“I was very blessed and very honored to finally be a member of the Bill Monroe Hall of Fame. It is among the greatest tributes I have ever received. All the guys would have loved this. I accepted the honor for all the other guys.

They were so nice to us in Bean Blossom. They have really fixed that place up. We stayed in a little cabin on site. I am really impressed by that Museum. There is a lot of history in that room. There’s Bill Monroe’s smashed mandolin case in there. That really meant a lot to me to see that.”

The following is the biography of the band that will be displayed in the Bill Monroe Museum.

The Dillards, besides being a band that made wonderful and time tested music, are amongst bluegrass’s greatest ambassadors, innovators and contributors.

Through a variety of means, the Dillards introduced people to bluegrass and influenced people in a major way. As teenagers Rodney and Doug Dillard, Mitch Jayne, and Dean Webb left Salem, Missouri for California with $10.50 in their pocket. They brought their Ozark Mountain Bluegrass sound to LA’s blossoming folk scene where they made fans and influenced musicians.

Their classic episodes on the Andy Griffith Show have been bringing bluegrass to the world for over 60 years. The Dillards are the most watched bluegrass group in history! Later they toured with rock acts such as Sam the Sham, Mitch Ryder, Bill Cosby, The Byrds, and Elton John where they brought the bluegrass sound and energy to young rock fans.

The Dillard’s were innovative and experimented with new sounds through their whole career. They added electric bass, drums, steel guitar, and orchestra to bluegrass triad harmonies, and brought the bluegrass feel to other folks. They were the first bluegrass band to cover a Bob Dylan tune. Rodney was one of the very first musicians to layer vocals in the studio in order to create a full choral sound from 3-4 voices. The Dillards played a crucial role in bringing two brand new music genres to mainstream America – bluegrass and country rock. Rolling Stone magazine called Rodney Dillard “The Father of Country Rock.”

Doug Dillard had a very distinctive sound on his banjo, and featured unique rolls and licks. He played banjo for the soundtrack of the hit movie, Bonnie & Clyde, which caused a great bluegrass revival. (Scruggs did Foggy Mountain Breakdown).

The Dillards have had substantial influence on many musicians. John McEuen, one of the founding members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, said he would not be playing music except for the inspiration of the Dillards. John Paul Jones, Linda Ronstadt, Steve Martin, Buffalo Sprinfield, Sam Bush, Billy Strings, and The Avett Brothers all cite the Dillards as an influence. Dean Webb helped The Byrds arrange the vocals on their first #1 hit, Mr. Tambourine Man.

The Dillards have been top songwriters, having composed hundreds of songs including such classics as Old Home Place, There Is A Time, Dooley, Doug’s Tune and Ebo Walker. Their songs have been covered by artists from Alan Jackson to Phish to The Kingston Trio. They had many great albums ranging from traditional to progressive including Back Poarch Bluegrass, Live!!!!Almost!!!, Wheatstraw Suite, Copperfields, and Pickin’ & Fiddlin’.

Not only were the Dillards great musicians, they were also lovable showmen and entertainers. Mitch Jayne was an exceptional MC. Both he and Rodney used their keen wit and humor to bring laughter to all. Audiences left their shows in a great mood. The Dillards are also members of the International Bluegrass Music Association Hall of Fame.

In 2022, Rodney carries on the Dillards, is an ordained minister, and has a Christian themed “Mayberry Values” ministry.

Talking about being inducted brought on a recall stream of consciousness for Dillard, now 80 years old.

“We first met Monroe when we were kids. I remember he came up to me one time and said, ‘Hey Dillard. How’d you get on that Andy Griffith Show?‘

You can’t do what those guys did… Bill Monroe, the Stanleys. You can’t copy what these guys did, and the young people in bluegrass today are taking it in their own direction. I’m so happy to see that. I don’t believe in suppressing creativity.

When we first started on Elektra, the New York critics really slaughtered us.

But I remember Earl said to me, ‘I like to see music progress. When I first started learning banjo, I wasn’t playing bluegrass, I was playing banjo.’ I was lucky to get to know those guys.

It’s been a good run. When I can’t hear anymore, or can’t sing on key, I’ll be done. But for now, I’m having a blast.”

Long live The Dillards!

Bill Monroe Museum: Construction update

Construction work on the Bill Monroe Museum on Bill Monroe Avenue, US Highway 62 in Ohio County, KY, is progressing well with the outside of the wood frame structure complete.

Despite some inconvenience due to snow and ice during January, work has advanced so much so that the Ohio County Tourism Commission, the owners, hosted a sold out fundraising dinner in the hall last Saturday, January 27, 2018, to pay for a security system and display cases. Funds are to be used for exhibits, furniture, and to perform some much-needed restoration on delicate items.

During the evening that began with hors d’oeuvre, there was a meet and greet and tours of the museum, with guides indicating where exhibits are expected to be on view when the museum is opened. Guest speakers were on hand, along with music from the King’s Highway bluegrass band: Mark Hargis (mandolin and vocals), Zeb Hargis (guitar and vocals), Kristy Richards Westerfield (bass), and young Isaac Tieman (fiddle and vocal).

The museum made one of Bill Monroe’s mandolins available for use by Mark Hargis, who played Monroe’s Lonesome Moonlight Waltz for the audience, and Aaron Jacob, from Becky and the Butler County Boys, during what was the finale of their performance.

The official opening is scheduled for September 13, 2018, marking 107 years since Monroe’s birth in 1911.

Kristy Richards Westerfield has provided a selection of photographs taken by her during the evening of the benefit.

Groundbreaking for the Monroe Museum

As previously reported, ground-breaking for the Bill Monroe Museum to be erected on land at a site in the Everett Park in Rosine, Kentucky, took place as scheduled on Tuesday morning, May 22, 2017.

The event, more ceremonial than the turning of the first piece of turf was essential, the ground-breaking was attended by Bill Monroe’s son, James William Monroe and Bill Monroe’s grandson, James William Monroe II. Also present were a few Ohio County dignitaries and officials, Ohio County Judge, Executive David Johnston; Chamber President Seth Southard; OCEDA Director Chase Vincent; Property Valuation Administrator Officer Jason Chinn; 5th District Magistrate Larry Morphew; and OC Tourism Chair Dan Leigh.

Those who addressed the assembled onlookers, among whom was Bill Monroe’s former bass player Guy Stevenson (who journeyed from Missouri), were Jody Flener, Executive Director, Ohio County Tourism Commission, who welcomed attendants, David Johnston, Chris Joslin, director of the International Bluegrass Museum of Owensboro, and James William Monroe.

Dwayne Patterson, who possesses two mandolins made from wood recovered from Bill Monroe’s original childhood home, announced that he was loaning them to the museum.

There was entertainment from the Bluegrass Youngins who played Blue Moon of Kentucky and Amazing Grace and 11-year-old fiddler Mackenzie Bell, who played Jerusalem Ridge.

Also present was Kristy Richards Westerfield, who shared several photographs that she took at the event.

The building of the Bill Monroe Museum was David Johnston’s top priority when he took office and, with the help of Jason Chinn, he approached the Kentucky State Governor in an attempt to get funding for the museum’s construction. Close to the end of Beshear’s term in office, he earmarked $300,000 for the construction of the Bill Monroe Museum.

In March, this year, multiple bids were made for the construction of the museum.

While I understand that there were expectations that construction work would be completed by September, that work is a little bit behind schedule. Now the Ohio County tourism officials have said that they hope to have the museum ready by the end of this year.

Bill Monroe Museum groundbreaking May 22

Rosine, Kentucky will soon be home to a museum honoring native son Bill Monroe. A groundbreaking ceremony for the project has been scheduled for May 22 at 10:00 a.m. at the town’s Everett Park.

Though a museum honoring the Father of Bluegrass, whose childhood home at Jerusalem Ridge is just a few miles from Rosine, has been a goal of tourism officials in western Kentucky for nearly twenty years, fundraising for the project began in earnest last summer with several donation campaigns. Funds have been solicited from both corporate and private sponsors, including through a “Buy a Brick” campaign that will allow donors’ names and a message of their choice to be featured as part of the “Blue Moon Walkway” around the museum. An initial donation of $300,000 from the state will provide for the building itself to be completed, but additional funds will go toward outfitting the museum with exhibits and displays.

The Ohio County Tourism Commission, which is overseeing the project and will eventually run the museum, plans to feature a wide variety of artifacts from Monroe’s life, including several pieces from Monroe’s home in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. According to county tourism director Jody Flener, “everything from his bull horns over the top of his mantle to the radio he used to listen to, to pictures and awards” will be displayed. The county has owned a collection of Monroe memorabilia since 1999, when it spent $250,000 in coal severance funds for items such as clothing, instruments, and a Cadillac Monroe once owned. They are now also accepting memorabilia donated from private collectors, fellow musicians, and others who knew Monroe.

Many bluegrass fans already visit Rosine to see Monroe’s homeplace, which was restored in 2001 and is open to the public daily, as well as a rebuilt version of Uncle Pen’s cabin and the Rosine Barn Jamboree. However, county officials believe that the museum will allow the town to become a more well-rounded tourism destination, drawing larger groups and bus tours. According to county judge-executive David Johnston, it “makes a good day trip for someone to come here.”

The county hopes to have the building completed and ready for visitors by September 13, which is Monroe’s birthday.

For more information on the museum or to donate to their fundraising campaign, visit www.billmonroemuseum.com or call the Ohio County Tourism Commission at 270-298-0036.

Fundraising begins for Bill Monroe Museum

Rosie, KY has been selected as the future site of a Bill Monroe Museum, just a short distance from where the great man was born and raised on Jerusalem Ridge. Officials with the Ohio County Tourism Commission have adopted “The Home of Bluegrass” as their official motto, and are steadfastly in support of this effort.

Both static and interactive exhibits are planned to tell the story of how Monroe learned the music of the western Kentucky hills from his mentor, Pendleton Vandiver, his fabled Uncle Pen, how he learned the mandolin as a boy, and went on to found a new sound that continues to resonate worldwide seventy years after he introduced on the Grand Ole Opry. The history of Monroe’s band, The Blue Grass Boys, will also be highlighted.

Jody Flener, Executive Director of the Tourism Commission, tells us that they are already hearing from people all over the country who have stories to share, or items they are willing to donate to the Museum. They anticipate a great many visitors as a steady stream make the trek to this part of the state now to see Monroe’s restored home place just a few miles away.

Donations are being solicited now so that construction can begin, and the staff is currently running a Buy A Brick campaign where donors/sponsors can have their name and message engraved into what will become the walkway to the Museum.

Anyone interested in corporate or larger donations, including the donation of items for the Museum, is urged to contact the Tourism Commission by phone (270-298-0036) or email.