{
  "slug": "bill-monroe",
  "name": "Bill Monroe",
  "description": "Bill Monroe appears 2 times in our Bluegrass list, placing as high as No. 1. Hand-curated, with a reason for every pick.",
  "updated": "2026-08-30",
  "url": "https://waxonia.com/artist/bill-monroe/",
  "appearanceCount": 2,
  "distinctRecordings": 2,
  "years": {
    "first": 1946,
    "last": 1950
  },
  "highestPlacing": {
    "rank": 1,
    "list": "Bluegrass"
  },
  "appearsOn": [
    {
      "kind": "genre",
      "slug": "bluegrass",
      "name": "Bluegrass",
      "url": "https://waxonia.com/genre/bluegrass/",
      "entries": 2
    }
  ],
  "tracks": [
    {
      "trackKey": "bill-monroe--blue-moon-of-kentucky",
      "trackUrl": "https://waxonia.com/track/bill-monroe--blue-moon-of-kentucky/",
      "title": "Blue Moon of Kentucky",
      "year": 1946,
      "label": "Columbia",
      "isrc": null,
      "whyItMatters": "A waltz, until Elvis took it at double speed eight years later and Monroe then re-recorded it that way himself. Few records document a handover so cleanly.",
      "alsoOn": [],
      "links": {
        "spotify": {
          "url": "https://open.spotify.com/search/Bill%20Monroe%20Blue%20Moon%20of%20Kentucky",
          "exact": false
        },
        "youtubeMusic": {
          "url": "https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=jRYIL67ifuU",
          "exact": true
        }
      },
      "rank": 1,
      "on": {
        "kind": "genre",
        "slug": "bluegrass",
        "name": "Bluegrass",
        "url": "https://waxonia.com/genre/bluegrass/"
      },
      "artist": "Bill Monroe"
    },
    {
      "trackKey": "bill-monroe--uncle-pen",
      "trackUrl": "https://waxonia.com/track/bill-monroe--uncle-pen/",
      "title": "Uncle Pen",
      "year": 1950,
      "label": "Decca",
      "isrc": null,
      "whyItMatters": "Monroe's tribute to the fiddling uncle who raised him, which is also a statement about where the whole music came from. The mandolin break is his best on record.",
      "alsoOn": [],
      "links": {
        "spotify": {
          "url": "https://open.spotify.com/search/Bill%20Monroe%20Uncle%20Pen",
          "exact": false
        },
        "youtubeMusic": {
          "url": "https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=CpH8Wu9DbjM",
          "exact": true
        }
      },
      "rank": 4,
      "on": {
        "kind": "genre",
        "slug": "bluegrass",
        "name": "Bluegrass",
        "url": "https://waxonia.com/genre/bluegrass/"
      },
      "artist": "Bill Monroe"
    }
  ],
  "curates": null
}