The most complete & factual study of all facets of the Bluegrass music genre by one of the world's foremost musicologists. At times this is an intense, in-depth study that serves both the fan and scholar alike. Factual, chronological history at its best.

A most valuable resource, the 'Encyclopedia' of Bluegrass Music!

The Bill Monroe Reader
by 'Bluegrass Boy' Tom Ewing

  An honest, factual, nonjudgmental and sensational-free observation of the life of Bill Monroe the man, written by someone who knew him well -- friend and sideman Tom Ewing. His many years with Monroe, extensive research using articles & interviews, and firsthand recollections allows Ewing to correct misinformation and expound upon the history of this American music icon.

Reviewer Steve Romanowski wrote:   "...it would be hard to not come away from this book without a better understanding of Blue Grass music and the man who created it."

Come Hither to Go Yonder:
Playing Bluegrass with Bill Monroe
by Bob Black (Foreword by Neil V. Rosenberg)

  Another great inside story on the "Father of Bluegrass" from one of his Blue Grass Boys, banjo player Bob Black. Read Bob Black's personal memoirs about the profound influence that Monroe exerted on the musicians who have carried on the Bluegrass tradition in the wake of his 1996 death. This book offers a rare perspective on the creative forces that drove one of America's greatest composers and musical innovators, Bill Monroe.

Traveling the High Way Home:
Ralph Stanley and the World of Traditional Bluegrass Music
by John Wright

  An extremely well-written book which uses interviews from 22 different individuals (including Ralph Stanley) to give an interesting overview of Ralph's career, as well as insights into his personality.

An excerpt from an article by author/scholar, John Wright:
  "My book on Ralph's music included two chapters which amounted to autobiographical, first-person narratives (which I edited from interviews) by Ralph Stanley and by his fiddle player, Ray Cline. I traveled and I talked. I put many thousands of miles on my car, and I slept in that car, and in trailers, and in the band bus. I visited backwoods music festival sites in half a dozen states. I talked with Ralph Stanley, of course, and I talked with a dozen other musicians. And promoters, sound engineers, fans, folklorists, and souvenir sellers. All this led eventually (and unexpectedly) to my book on Ralph Stanley, called Traveling the High Way Home, and it also led to a few observations about the music of Ralph Stanley and the world it came from."

Homegrown Music:
Discovering Bluegrass
by Stephanie P. Ledgin (Foreword by Ricky Skaggs)

  An introductory primer directed at the newcomer to Bluegrass, as well as a novel perspective for those already familiar with the music. It covers the history of the genre's development in a relaxed style, from its predecessors to its innovators. Touching on important personalities, past and present, the book gives a nod to young artists on the horizon, as well as those from the international scene. The book is enriched by twenty-five photographs taken by the author, and features interviews with such legends as Earl Scruggs & Ralph Stanley. Other topics include instrumentation, songs, the festival experience,"parking lot picking" -- also an extensive resource guide to print, audiovisual, and Internet materials.

Fiddler’s Curse:
The Untold Story of Ervin T. Rouse, Chubby Wise, Johnny Cash
and The Orange Blossom Special
by Randy Noles (Forewords by John Hartford & Marty Stuart)

  In this June 2007 release, Florida-based author Randy Noles investigates the lives of the two troubled men credited with authoring the song, Orange Blossom Special. This new book is an updated and revised version of Orange Blossom Boys, a critically acclaimed 2002 release. Noles reworked major portions of the book after he uncovered new information about fiddlers Ervin T. Rouse, Chubby Wise, and also Johnny Cash’s connection to both men and to the song. Ervin T. Rouse endured tragedy, alcoholism and mental illness and spent his final years fiddling for tips in isolated taverns at the edge of the Florida Everglades. Wise, who achieved fame as the seminal fiddler of the Bluegrass music era, also struggled to overcome personal demons and heal the scars of childhood abuse and abandonment. Cash, the tortured superstar who made the Special a mainstream hit, quietly championed the luckless Rouse. The book settles a long-standing authorship controversy over the song (Noles contends that Rouse was the sole author). But more important, it offers a fascinating glimpse into the private lives of these brilliant but deeply flawed men, painting a vivid portrait of life as an itinerant musician in the 1930s & 1940s.