Bill Monroe is the 'Father of Bluegrass Music,' a genre he essentially created by blending old-time string band music with blues, gospel, and jazz. His band, the Blue Grass Boys, set the standard for the genre with its high-energy, acoustic sound, centered on the mandolin, fiddle, banjo, guitar, and bass. In 1945, the addition of Earl Scruggs and his three-finger banjo style created the definitive bluegrass sound. Monroe’s 'high lonesome' vocal style and his virtuso mandolin playing were the heart of the music. His composition 'Blue Moon of Kentucky' was a hit for him and famously covered by Elvis Presley. Monroe was a hard-driving bandleader who demanded excellence from his musicians. He was inducted into the Country Music, Nashville Songwriters, and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, a testament to his wide-reaching influence on American music.