Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Store

Born in 1911 in rural Kentucky, Monroe melded the fiddle tunes, ballads, and blues of his youth into the "high lonesome" sound known today as bluegrass, making him perhaps the only performer to create an entire musical genre. His distinctive bluegrass style profoundly influenced country, early rock 'n' roll, and the folk revival of the 1960s. A Grand Ole Opry star for almost sixty years, Monroe was a searing mandolinist who redefined the instrument, had a hauntingly high vocal range, and was a godlike figure to generations of admirers who became famous in their own right.