• List Price: $149.99  
• Your Price: $112.49
• In Stock: 2

You must login to place orders.




Not purchasing for a business? See our consumer site.

The other Monroe brother! Bill Monroe split from his older brother, Charlie Monroe, and went on to invent bluegrass music. This is the story of what happened to Charlie Monroe after that rift. Striking out on his own, Charlie Monroe developed his own ample talents rooted in his affable personality. His group, the Kentucky Pardners, like Bill's Blue Grass Boys, could operate at high speeds without discomfort. Though Charlie Monroe might not have conquered as much new musical territory as Bill, his music had a vivid personal sound. And he scored some hits, notably 'Bringing In The Georgia Mail'.

Charlie Monroe's voice was high, sweet and animated, radiating boundless good cheer that buoyed the spirits of his wartime audiences and sustained his popularity through the 1940s. Because Charlie Monroe's music has rarely been available since then, he's been unjustly consigned to historical neglect as little more than Bill's occasional sparring partner. Until now.

In 2002, Bear Family added all the Monroe Brothers material to a comprehensive Bill Monroe collection (BCD 16399). This collection is very much the companion to that highly-praised volume, and we may now enjoy and re-evaluate Charlie Monroe's recorded music from 1938 to 1956... including every recording for RCA/Bluebird and Decca. Charlie Monroe knew how to create inspired music on his own terms, and with this historic release, Bear Family completes its comprehensive Monroe series, making all the studio recordings of both Monroe Brothers available on state-of-the-art sets with skillfully restored sound, authoritative annotations, and original photographs.

A bonus disc features live performances from 1955 and 1956 at the New River Ranch recorded by Mike Seeger.

Track Listing