On the Bus with Bill Monroe: My Five-Year Ride with the Father of Blue Grass

by Mark Hembree

Overview

A backstage audition led Mark Hembree into a five-year stint (1979-1984) as the bassist for Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. Hembree’s journey included playing at the White House and on the acclaimed album Master of Bluegrass. But it also put him on a collision course with the rigors of touring, the mysteries of Southern culture, and the complex personality of bandleader-legend Bill Monroe. Whether it’s figuring out the best time for breakfast (early) or for beating the boss at poker (never), Hembree gives readers an up-close look at the occasionally exalting, often unglamorous life of a touring musician in the sometimes baffling, always colorful company of a bluegrass icon.

The amusing story of a Yankee fish out of water, On the Bus with Bill Monroe mixes memoir with storytelling to recount the adventures of a Northerner learning new ways and the Old South.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780252086496
Publisher:	University of Illinois Press
Publication date:	04/26/2022
Series:	Music in American Life
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	1,090,539
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Mark Hembree is a bassist, vocalist, writer, and editor. From 1979 to 1984, Hembree worked for Bill Monroe as a Blue Grass Boy. He cofounded the Nashville Bluegrass Band in 1984 and was a member until 1988.

Table of Contents

False Start Foreword xi

Acknowledgments xiii

PART I. INTRODUCTIONS

1. William Smith Monroe 3

2. Mark Gilbert Hembree 10

PART II. “MULESKINNER BLUES”

3. “You Just Might Have a Job” 15

4. “Shh! Shh! It’s Bill!” 18

5. Monroe Enterprises 19

6. The Blue Grass Boys 21

7. Getting My Bedclothes 27

8. Learning the Vernacular 28

9. The Crucible of Chatom 31

10. Comfort Level 1 34

11. A Gentle Side of Bill 35

12. “Back Home Again in Indiana” 37

13. Uncle Birch 39

14. “Doghouse Blues” 40

15. Proper Grooming and a Tip of the Hat 41

PART III. “BREAKING IN A BRAND-NEW PAIR OF SHOES”

16. Glory Is Fleeting 47

17. The Eye 50

18. More on the Bus 51

19. Road Cuisine 52

20. A Need-to-Know Bassist 55

21. The Beer Taboo 57

22. Hangover Management 59

23. Road Journal, February 1980 60

24. Who Is That Guy? 63

25. No, Really, Who the Hell Is That Guy? 64

PART IV. “HEAVY TRAFFIC AHEAD”

26. Kentucky Fried Festival, Louisville 69

27. Taking My Time Capsules 71

28. John Duffey 72

29. On to Pocatello! 73

30. Rooms/No Rooms 74

31. Of Gloves and Bananas 76

32. Pushing the Bus up Cumberland Gap 77

PART V. “MY LAST DAYS ON EARTH”

33. Master of Bluegrass 81

34. Back in the Saddle 84

35. Monroe Hangs Tough, But It’s Tough 85

PART VI. “ROCKY ROAD BLUES”

36. The Accidental Road Manager 101

37. West Coast Routing and Canadian Customs 103

38. Road Burns and the Right Rock 106

39. Rich Comes Along for the Ride 108

40. The Poker to End All Poker 110

41. Bill on Dolly, Wayne on Bill 112

42. Winning in Tahoe 113

43. Monroe Pays the Piper 114

44. The First Thing I’m Going to Do 115

45. Bean Blossom International 116

46. All Day at the Record Table 118

47. Bluegrass Death Trip 121

48. Bill Keeps Grinding 122

49. Checking on Paycheck 126

50. Mule Day, April 3, 1982, Columbia, Tennessee 128

51. Opening the Knoxville World’s Fair, May 1, 1982 129

52. Uncle Birch and Southern Funerary Traditions 131

PART VII. “PRECIOUS MEMORIES”

53. Taking the Gospel Shot 135

54. July 24-27, 1982 137

55. Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, via the Emergency Room 139

56. A Record-Breaking Diss 141

57. River Ranch Resort 143

58. Bill’s Birthday in Louisville 144

59. Country Hardball 146

60. McClure via Coeburn 149

61. Roll On Buddy 152

PART VIII. “OVER THE WAVES”

62. Hello, Ireland! 157

63. Bill Gets His Encore 160

64. A Wonderful School of Music 162

65. The Blue Grass Goys in Israel 163

PART IX. “LIVE AND LET LIVE”

66. Pittsburgh, Unplugged 169

67. Feats of Magic 170

68. PTL: Pass The Loot 172

69. Bluegrass and the Hippies 174

PART X. “ON AND ON”

70. Just Be Ready 179

71. Serving Notice 181

72. The Road Is Clear 183

73. Grand Ole Après 185

At Last, Thanks 187

Further Reading 193

Index 195

Editorial Reviews

"An enjoyable read. . . On the Bus with Bill Monroe provides authoritative details and entertaining commentaries about the person known as the father of bluegrass music, and also about members of the Blue Grass Boys." —Journal of Folklore Research Reviews

"A quick read that is sure to enlighten and entertain." —Fiddler Magazine

"Mormon Women at the Crossroads blends personal stories with theological considerations of women’s roles in contemporary Mormonism." —Foreword Reviews

"A rollicking ride down the bluegrass road with the Father of Bluegrass and his band, and Hembree serves as a truly entertaining tour guide." —No Depression

​​"A book that feels fresh and welcome despite the familiarity of the subject — not because we finally come to understand Monroe in all his complexities, but because we meet a young, wide-eyed musician trying to find his way in the great man’s considerable shadow." —Chapter 16

"[Hembree] delivers his account of that time with the sort of lively, telling detail that can come only from someone who is reporting on lived-through experience. His book is a ride well worth taking." —Bluegrass Unlimited

"I look for it to be a hit in the bluegrass world and among musicologists, as it adds to what we know about Bill Monroe from a human relationship perspective. It has nuts and bolts but also some slipped wrenches and busted knuckles. . . . I salute Hembree and this book about life on the bus. In a very articulate and pleasant manner, Hembree manages to take us along for the ride with him through an important period of Bluegrass history." —Bluegrass Standard

​​​​"Do we need one more book on Bill Monroe? Yes, if it is as honestly written as this one, and by a musician who shared the road with him for five years, covering thousands of miles and thousands of shows."—Bill C. Malone, coauthor of Country Music USA: 50th Anniversary Edition

"Enthralling." —BookReporter.com
"It paints a very, very, very true picture of life on the road, so much less glamorous than fans imagine—and the bus Monroe had when I was a Blue Grass Boy was even older and less reliable! I think this is an extremely valuable insight for those who have never lived this life. It also paints exquisite pictures of both Monroe and Kenny Baker—the men, not the performers—and this is as close a look as any who are curious will ever get."—Douglas B. (Ranger Doug) Green

From the Publisher