Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys

Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys

This is a listing of performers who have been a member of the Blue Grass Boys. To qualify for this list, someone would have to have been on Bill Monroe’s payroll and played at least one performance as a Blue Grass Boy. If you find errors or omissions, please email us.

The information for this listing is from “America’s Music Bluegrass” by Barry Willis and Bill Monroe’s Museum & Bluegrass Hall of Fame with contributions from Paul Birch, Stewart Evans, Chip Jackson, James Moss, Jim Peva, Troy Pennie and others.

• Eddie Adcock | Banjo | 1958
• Jim Andrews| Tenor Banjo| 1945
• Dave “Stringbean” Akeman | Fiddle, Comedy | 1942-1945
• Steve Arkin | Banjo | 6-8/1964
• Bobby Atkins | Banjo | 1960
• Roger Aycock | Bass | 1984
• Billy Baker | Fiddle | 1964
• Kenny Baker | Fiddle | ′50s, early ′60s, 1969-1984
• Larry Beasley | Banjo | 1-6/1977
• Byron Berline | Fiddle | 1967
• Bob Black | Banjo | 1974-1976
• James Bowers | Banjo | 10/1951, Fiddle early ′50s
• Robert Bowlin | (Last Fiddle Player) Fiddle  | 1993-1996
• Bill Box | Guitar | 1973-1974
• Andy “Bijou” Boyette | Comedy | 1945
• Thurman “Curly” Bradshaw | Guitar, Harmonica | 1945
• Carlos Brock | Guitar |′50s
• Frank Buchanan | Guitar | 1960-1963
• Jimmy Campbell| Fiddle, Bass | 1990s
• Rick Campbell | Fiddle, Bass | 1993, 1994
• Paul “Sharon” Charon (real last name Clothier) |Guitar, Bass | mid – late ′60s
• Gene Christian | Fiddle, Bass | 1949-1950
• Porter Church | Banjo 1959 | Guitar | 1960s
• Manuel (Old Joe) Clark | Banjo | 8/1951
• Vassar Clements | Bass, Fiddle | 1959, 1961, 1967
• Charlie Cline | Fiddle, Banjo | 1954
• Jack Cooke | Bass, Guitar | 1959
• Noah Crase | Banjo | 1954, 1956
• Dana Cupp | (Last Banjo Player)Banjo | 1991-1996
• Cleo Davis | (First Guitar Player)Guitar | 1938-1940
• Hubert Davis | Banjo | 1955-1956(?)
• Randy Davis | Bass | 1974
• David Deese | Banjo | 1962
• Bobby Diamond | Banjo | 1960s
• Dwight Dillman | Banjo | 1974
• Joe Drumright | Banjo | 1958, 1960, 1964
• Bill Duncan | Guitar | 1957
• Glen Duncan | Fiddle | 1985-1987
• Smilin’ Jim Eanes | Guitar | 1948
• Tony Ellis | Banjo | 2/1960
• Tom Ewing | Guitar | 1986-1996
• Mike Feagan | Fiddle | 1987–1988
• Lester Flatt | Guitar | 1945-1948
• Howard “Howdy” Forrester | Fiddle | 1942-1943, 12/1945-3/1946
• Joe Forrester | Bass | 12/1945- 3/1946
• Sally Ann Forrester | Accordian | 1943-1946
• Billy Joe Foster | Fiddle | 1987
• Robert “Bob” Fowler | Guitar | 1973
• Randall Franks | Fiddle, Bass | 1984-1985
• Lamar Grier | Banjo 
• Jay Hugh Hall | Guitar | 1942-?
• John C. Hartford | Banjo | 1957
• R.C. Harris | Banjo | 1/71-4/71, 6/81-8/81
• Mark Hembree | Bass | 1979-1985
• Bobby Hicks | Fiddle, Banjo, Bass | 1954-1960
• Jack Hicks | Banjo | 4/1971-9/1973
• Bill Holden | Banjo, Guitar | 9/1976-1/1977, 6-7/1977
• Lonnie Hoppers | Banjo, Guitar | 10/1962-1963
• Raymond Huffmaster | Bass | 1979
• Doug Hutchens | Bass, Banjo | 1971
• Robert (Bob) E. Jamieson | (Original Member) ? 1938 to Nov 16, 1938
• Wayne Jerrolds | Bass | 1989
• Bob Jones | Guitar | 1976
• Dan Jones | Guitar | 1970-1971
• Vic Jordan | Banjo | 8/1967-1/1969
• Bill Keith | Banjo | 2/1963
• Gregg Kennedy | Bass | 1973-1974
• Doug Kershaw | Guitar | 1957
• Paul Kovac | Banjo | 1981
• Mark Kuykendall | Bass | Early ′90s
• Mitchell Land | Guitar | 2/1966-3/1967
• Jake Landers | Guitar | 1962-1963
• Ralph Lewis | Guitar | 1974-1976 
• Wayne Lewis | Guitar | 1976-1986
• Don Lineberger | Banjo | 1965
• Tex Logan | Fiddle | 1950s-1960s
• Gene Lowinger | (First Yankee Fiddler)Fiddle | 1964-1965
• Ted Lundy | Banjo | late ′50s ?
• Rudy Lyle | Banjo | 1949, 1951-1953, 1955-1956
• Tommy Magness | Fiddle | 1940-1941
• Jim Marotta | Banjo | 11/1973-9/1974
• Benny Martin | Fiddle | 1948-?
• Jimmy Martin | Guitar | 1949-1951, 1952-1953
• Bessie Lee Mauldin | Bass | 1950s-1960s
• Ed Mayfield | Guitar | 1951-1958
• Jimmy Maynard | Guitar | 1961
• Del McCoury | Banjo 1963 | Guitar 1964
• Curtis McPeake | Banjo | 1960
• Vernon McQueen | Guitar | 1960
• Ralph “Joe” Meadows | Fiddle | 1957
• John Miller | Spoons, Bones, Jug, Comedy | 1938
• Birch Monroe | Bass | 1945-1948
• James Monroe | Guitar, Bass | 1965-1972
• Johnny Montgomery | Bass | 1986-1987 
• Clyde Moody | Guitar | 1940-1941 & 1942-1945
• Dale Morris | Fiddle | 1985
• Alan O’Bryant | Banjo | 1978
• Sonny Osborne | Banjo | 1952
• Ben Pedigo | Banjo | 9-11/1973
• Robert Lee (Buddy) Pennington | Banjo | 1959
• Jackie Phelps | Banjo, Guitar | 1948
• Joel Price | Bass | 1948-?
• Pete Pyle | Guitar | 1941-1942
• Don Reno | Banjo | 1948-1949
• Larry Richardson | Banjo | 1951-1953
• Butch Robins | Banjo | 8/1977-6/1981
• Billy Rose | Bass | 1989
• Sandy Rothman | Banjo, Guitar | 1964
• Peter Rowan | Guitar | 1964-1967
• South Salyer | Guitar | 1951
• Earl Scruggs | Banjo | 1945-1948
• Jim Shumate | Fiddle |1943-1945
• Bobby Smith | Guitar | 1960
• Charlie Smith | Fiddle, Guitar | 1957-1960
• Roger Smith | Fiddle, Banjo | 1956
• Tim Smith | Fiddle | 1981
• Jim Smoak | Banjo | 1954
• Earl Sneed | Banjo | 12/1970-1/1971
• Paul Squires | Bass | 1984
• Carter Stanley | Guitar | 1951
• Guy Stevenson | Bass | 1973
• Travis Stewart | Guitar | 1971
• Don Stover | Banjo | 1957
• Harold Streeter | Banjo | late ′50s?
• Chick Stripling | Comedy, Buck Dancing | 1956
• Joe Stuart | Banjo, Bass, Fiddle, Guitar, Mandolin| 1955, 1957, 1959, 1964
• Clarence “Tater” Tate | Fiddle, Bass | 1956, 1984, 1994 
• Merle “Red” Taylor | Fiddle | 1950-1958
• Gordon Terry | Fiddle | 1950s-1960s
• Howard Watts (Cedric Rainwater) | Bass, Comedy | 1944-1948, 1951
• Bill Egbert Wessbrooks (Cousin Wilbur) | Bass | 1940-1944
• L. E. White | Fiddle | 1953
• Roland White | Guitar | 1967-1969
• Benny Williams | Fiddle, Guitar | 1967
• Blake Williams | Banjo | 7/1981 – 9/1991
• Tex Willis | Guitar | 1945
• Jullan “Winnie” Winston | Banjo | 1964
• Chubby Wise | Fiddle | 1943, 1945-1948
• Mac Wiseman | Guitar | 1948-1949
• Art Wooten | (First Fiddle Player)Fiddle | 1938-1940, 1941-1942
• Rual Holt Yarbrough | Banjo | 1969-1970
• Bill Yates | Bass | 1969