The Blue Grass Boys

In 1938, Bill Monroe and his brother Charlie broke up their successful duet act, the Monroe Brothers. Throughout the 1930s, Monroe continued absorbing black and white musical traditions, closing in on the style that would become bluegrass.

In 1938, Bill formed his own band, the Blue Grass Boys (named after his home state of Kentucky.) In 1939 he joined the Grand Ole Opry and was a member until his death in 1996. Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys lasted 58 years and saw more than 150 different musicians pass through the band. For more than half a century, being a Blue Grass Boy was the crowning achievement of many musicians’ careers; for others, a stepping stone to establishing their own bands.

But it was the group, formed in 1946—Lester Flatt (guitar), Earl Scruggs (banjo), Cedric Rainwater (bass), Chubby Wise (fiddle), with Monroe playing mandolin—that defined the classic bluegrass quintet.

Below is a list of Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys who played with the band throughout the decades, men who proudly called themselves a “Blue Grass Boy.”

Blue Grass Boys Chronological Index:

Download BG Boys Chronological Index

Last Name	First Name	Instruments	First Hired
Davis	Cleo	guitar, mandolin	8/1938
Wooten	Art	fiddle	1939
Millard	Tommy	jug, bones, spoons	1/1939
Garren	Amos	bass	4/1939
Magness	Tommy	fiddle	1940
Wesbrooks	Bill “Cousin Wilbur”	bass	7/1940
Moody	Clyde	guitar, mandolin	9/6/1940
Pyle	Pete	guitar	1941
Forrester	Howard “Howdy”	fiddle	6/1942
Akeman	David “Stringbean”	banjo	7/1942
Story	Carl	fiddle	10/1942
Ethridge	Floyd	fiddle	1943
Forrester	Wilene “Sally Ann”	accordion	1943
Wise	Chubby	fiddle, guitar	3/1943
Bradshaw	Curley	harmonica, guitar	1944
Watts	Howard “Cedric Rainwater”	bass	1944
Andrews	Jim	tenor banjo	1945
Boyett	Andy “Bijou”	bass, guitar	1945
Monroe	Birch	bass, fiddle	1945
Shumate	Jim	fiddle	1945
Willis	Tex	guitar	1/1945
Flatt	Lester	guitar	3/1945
Forrester	oe	bass	12/1945
Scruggs	Earl	banjo	12/1945
Stripling	Chick	bass	1947
Price	Joel	bass	2/1947
Phelps	Jackie	guitar, banjo, bass, steel guitar	1948
Thompson	Jack	bass	1948
Wright	Doyle	guitar	1948
Martin	Benny	fiddle	1/1948
Eanes	Jim	guitar	3/1948
Reno	Don	banjo, guitar	3/1948
Christian	Gene	fiddle, bass	1949
Clements	Vassar	fiddle, bass	1949
Lyle	Rudy	banjo	1949
Young	Vern	guitar	1949
Wiseman	Mac	guitar	4/1949
Martin	Jimmy	guitar	12/1949
Richardson	Larry	banjo	1950
Taylor	Merle “Red”	fiddle	1950
Daniels	Vic	guitar	1951
Drumright	Joe	banjo	1951
Sheehan	Oscar “Shorty”	bass, fiddle	1951
Terry	Gordon	fiddle, guitar	1951
Vipperman	Johnny	guitar	1951
Salyers	South	guitar	6/1951
Stanley	Carter	guitar	7/1951
Bowers	James Gar	banjo	8/1951
Clark	Manuel “Old Joe”	comedy	8/1951
Mayfield	Edd	guitar	10/1951
Cline	Charlie	fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin	1952
Osborne	Roland “Sonny”	banjo	7/1952
Smoak	Jim	banjo	10/1952
Mauldin	Bessie Lee	bass	1953
Sandy	Leslie	bass, guitar	1953
White	L.E.	fiddle	1953
Atkins	Bobby	banjo	1954
Brock	Carlos	guitar	1954
Crase	Noah	banjo	1954
Hicks	Bobby	fiddle, banjo, bass, mandolin	1954
Price	Bill	guitar	1954
Youngblood	Jack	fiddle	1954
Stuart	Joe	fiddle, banjo, guitar, bass, mandolin	8/18/1955
Terry	Arnold	guitar	12/1955
Metzel	Bob	guitar	1956
Saylor	Lucky	guitar	1956
Smith	Roger	banjo, fiddle	1956
Green	Yates	guitar	3/1956
Tate	Clarence “Tater”	bass, fiddle	9/1956
Baker	Kenny	fiddle	1957
Duncan	Bill	guitar	1957
Elrod	Jimmy	bass, guitar, banjo	1957
Johnson	Enos	guitar	1957
Meadows	Joe	fiddle	1957
Stover	Don	banjo	1957
Vanover	Carl	guitar	1957
Graves	Ernest	guitar	7/1957
Cooke	Jack	guitar, bass	1958
Gately	Connie	guitar	1958
Johnson	Bob	banjo	1958
Pennington	Robert Lee “Buddy”	banjo	1958
Smith	Charlie	fiddle	1958
Snead	Earl	banjo	1/1958
Adcock	Eddie	banjo	4/1958
Potter	Dale	fiddle	1959
Buchanan	Frank	guitar	1960
Church	Porter	guitar, banjo	1960
McPeake	Curtis	banjo	1960
Ellis	Tony	banjo, bass, guitar	1/1960
Smith	Bobby	guitar	11/1960
Baker	Billy	fiddle	1961
Lester	Bobby Joe	fiddle	1961
Maynard	Jimmy	guitar	1961
Spicher	Buddy	fiddle	1961
Williams	Benny	fiddle, guitar	1961
Pendleton	Buddy	fiddle	1962
Stanley	Harold “Red”	fiddle	1962
Deese	David	banjo	7/1962
Hoppers	Lonnie	banjo, guitar	9/1962
Landers	Jake	guitar	1963
McCoury	Del	guitar, banjo	2/1963
Keith	Bill “Brad”	banjo	3/1963
Arkin	Steve	banjo	1964
Lineberger	Don	banjo	1964
Monroe	James	guitar, bass	1964
Thurmond	Garry	guitar	1964
Rothman	Sandy	guitar, banjo	6/1964
Rowan	Peter	guitar	10/1964
Lowinger	Gene	fiddle	6/5/1965
Grier	Lamar	banjo	9/1965
Greene	Richard	fiddle	2/1966
Berline	Byron	fiddle	3/1967
Blackwell	Curtis	guitar	3/1967
Green	Doug	bass, guitar	4/1967
White	Roland	guitar	5/21/1967
Robins	Butch	banjo	6/1967
Jordan	Vic	banjo	7/27/1967
Yarbrough	Rual	banjo	3/24/1969
Yates	Bill	bass	7/1969
Payne	Skip	bass	2/1970
Harris	R.C.	banjo	1/1971
Hicks	Jack	banjo	4/1971
Stewart	Travis	guitar, bass	5/1971
Jones	Dan	guitar	6/1971
Hutchens	Doug	bass, banjo	6/26/1971
Fields	Monroe	bass	9/1971
Fowler	Bob	guitar	1973
Stevenson	Guy	bass	3/1973
Box	Bill	guitar	7/1973
Kennedy	Gregg	bass	7/19/1973
Nemerov	Bruce	banjo	9/1973
Pedigo	Ben	banjo	9/18/1973
Moratto	Jim	banjo	12/13/1973
Dillman	Dwight	banjo	1974
Davis	Randy	bass	7/1974
Lewis	Ralph	guitar	7/4/1974
Black	Bob	banjo	9/20/1974
Jones	Bob	guitar	2/1976
Lewis	Wayne	guitar	5/1976
Holden	Bill	banjo, guitar	9/1976
Beasley	Larry	banjo	3/1977
Huffmaster	Raymond	bass, guitar	6/1979
Hembree	Mark	bass	8/1979
Williams	Blake	banjo	7/1981
Stamper	Art	fiddle	1984
Franks	Randall “Randy”	fiddle, bass	10/30/1984
Duncan	Glen	fiddle	1985
Morris	Dale	fiddle	1/1985
Montgomery	Johnny	bass	1986
Ewing	Tom	guitar	5/18/1986
Squires	Mark	fiddle	9/1986
Foster	Billy Joe	fiddle	12/1986
Feagan	Mike	fiddle	1987
Jerrolds	Wayne	fiddle	12/1988
Baugus	Scottie	guitar	1/1989
Rose	Billy	bass	4/1989
Campbell	Jimmy	fiddle	1990
Cupp	Dana	banjo	1991
Bowlin	Robert	fiddle	1/1993
Kuykendall	Mark	bass	1994
Sykes	Ernie	bass	1996