On the Bus with Bill Monroe: My Five-Year Ride with the Father of Blue Grass

Contents

• False Start Foreword xi
• Acknowledgments xiii
• PART I. INTRODUCTIONS
• 1. William Smith Monroe 3
• 2. Mark Gilbert Hembree 10
• PART II. "MULESKINNER BLUES"
• 3. "You Just Might Have a Job" 15
• 4. "Shh! Shh! It's Bill!" 18
• 5. Monroe Enterprises 19
• 6. The Blue Grass Boys 21
• 7. Getting My Bedclothes 27
• 8. Learning the Vernacular 28
• 9. The Crucible of Chatom 31
• 10. Comfort Level 1 34
• 11. A Gentle Side of Bill 35
• 12. "Back Home Again in Indiana" 37
• 13. Uncle Birch 39
• 14. "Doghouse Blues" 40
• 15. Proper Grooming and a Tip of the Hat 41
• PART III. "BREAKING IN A BRAND-NEW PAIR OF SHOES"
• 16. Glory Is Fleeting 47
• 17. The Eye 50
• 18. More on the Bus 51
• 19. Road Cuisine 52
• 20. A Need-to-Know Bassist 55
• 21. The Beer Taboo 57
• 22. Hangover Management 59
• 23. Road Journal, February 1980 60
• 24. Who Is That Guy? 63
• 25. No, Really, Who the Hell Is That Guy? 64
• PART IV. "HEAVY TRAFFIC AHEAD"
• 26. Kentucky Fried Festival, Louisville 69
• 27. Taking My Time Capsules 71
• 28. John Duffey 72
• 29. On to Pocatello! 73
• 30. Rooms/No Rooms 74
• 31. Of Gloves and Bananas 76
• 32. Pushing the Bus up Cumberland Gap 77
• PART V. "MY LAST DAYS ON EARTH"
• 33. Master of Bluegrass 81
• 34. Back in the Saddle 84
• 35. Monroe Hangs Tough, But It's Tough 85
• PART VI. "ROCKY ROAD BLUES"
• 36. The Accidental Road Manager 101
• 37. West Coast Routing and Canadian Customs 103
• 38. Road Burns and the Right Rock 106
• 39. Rich Comes Along for the Ride 108
• 40. The Poker to End All Poker 110
• 41. Bill on Dolly, Wayne on Bill 112
• 42. Winning in Tahoe 113
• 43. Monroe Pays the Piper 114
• 44. The First Thing I'm Going to Do 115
• 45. Bean Blossom International 116
• 46. All Day at the Record Table 118
• 47. Bluegrass Death Trip 121
• 48. Bill Keeps Grinding 122
• 49. Checking on Paycheck 126
• 50. Mule Day, April 3, 1982, Columbia, Tennessee 128
• 51. Opening the Knoxville World's Fair, May 1, 1982 129
• 52. Uncle Birch and Southern Funerary Traditions 131
• PART VII. "PRECIOUS MEMORIES"
• 53. Taking the Gospel Shot 135
• 54. July 24-27, 1982 137
• 55. Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, via the Emergency Room 139
• 56. A Record-Breaking Diss 141
• 57. River Ranch Resort 143
• 58. Bill's Birthday in Louisville 144
• 59. Country Hardball 146
• 60. McClure via Coeburn 149
• 61. Roll On Buddy 152
• PART VIII. "OVER THE WAVES"
• 62. Hello, Ireland! 157
• 63. Bill Gets His Encore 160
• 64. A Wonderful School of Music 162
• 65. The Blue Grass Goys in Israel 163
• PART IX. "LIVE AND LET LIVE"
• 66. Pittsburgh, Unplugged 169
• 67. Feats of Magic 170
• 68. PTL: Pass The Loot 172
• 69. Bluegrass and the Hippies 174
• PART X. "ON AND ON"
• 70. Just Be Ready 179
• 71. Serving Notice 181
• 72. The Road Is Clear 183
• 73. Grand Ole Apres 185
• At Last, Thanks 187
• Further Reading 193
• Index 195