The Night Bill Monroe came home.

  By Jim Hyndman Feb 2003                                      Photos by Alex Dunn

        It was one of those crisp, spring evenings, with the sun low in the sky, lending the Scottish landscape a golden glow. My Dad was driving to Uddingston, with my brother and I excited about our chance to see the ultimate in Bluegrass;- Bill Monroe was playing what was to be his only concert on Scottish soil !! Mike Craig had pulled off a real coup, managing to put on a date in the tour organised by Bill Clifton and John Atkins. The night was 25th of April, 1975, a date when all of those who were fortunate enough to attend were deeply affected by the presence of the originator of this unique music. I have included some audio clips from the show, just click on the blue highlighted bits to hear streaming audio MP3's.

        Greyfriars Monastery was a low stone building set in tranquil farmland, with tall pines surrounding it. As we filed in, the monks greeted us, dressed in their grey robes. Bob Stevenson recalls the fact that when one of the monks spoke to him, he had in his eyes the look of the most satisfied and tranquil person Bob had ever met. Finding a seat at a table, we looked around the long room at our fellow fans. We didn't recognise many people apart from Mike Craig, and Alan and Rob Mairs whom we'd met at Mike's open day previously. And of course, Bill Clifton, who'd stayed at our house whilst playing at my Dad's Country and Western music club. But there were many people in the room who would be inspired by this concert to go on to become key figures in the Scottish Bluegrass scene, including Ian Mairs of the Moonshiners, Bob Stevenson of Old Hickory ( with Rob and Alan ) and the Runaway String Band, and Alex Dunn, now treasurer of the Scottish Bluegrass association. Alex was kind enough to provide the photos for this article. After a brief chat, the crowd settled down in anticipation of some great music.

        The interior of the room was dim, with stone walls, wooden floors, a roaring log fire and some rather incongruous painted cartwheels hanging on the wall. The night kicked off with a set from Company Policy, a semi-bluegrass band who played a wide range of music. I particularly recall "City of New Orleans" with a nice harmony arrangement, with the banjo player picking away on a nice Framus banjo from Germany. Bill Clifton did the next short set, then announced the main event. To huge applause, the Bluegrass Boys took the stage. Big Mon, Kenny Baker, Bob Black, Ralph Lewis and Randy Davis  were resplendent in suits, ties and hats.  

        John McKay has informed me that the Boys kicked off the show with " I'm On My Way Back to the Old Home ". Others I have spoken to have memories of individual songs and tunes such as Grey Eagle, Footprints in the Snow, On and On, Dusty Miller, Walking in Jerusalem, Uncle Pen, Blue Moon of Kentucky, McKinley's March, Truck Drivin' Man, Georgia Rose, John Henry, I Am a Pilgrim and I Saw the Light . Bob Black was astounding on banjo, with his fluid and accurate melodic style on fiddle tunes, and hard driving Scruggs-with-a-twist style on the others. Kenny Baker blew everyone away with his bluesy renderings on fiddle, with great interplay between him and Bob. Ralph Lewis on guitar kept a solid drive and rhythm alongside the quite subtle bass of Randy Davis.

        The Man himself was tremendous, with soaring tenor and chopping mandolin. His introductions to the songs were at first rather stilted, as if he were not fully at ease. It may just have been the long flight, however, as he loosened up as the show got under way.  All too soon, the band had a break. This was a perfect opportunity to talk with the band, and we did. As a 19-year old banjo fanatic, I just had to approach Bob Black and quiz him on his instrument, and of course try to pick up tips on playing. I had taken along my copy of "Bossmen" that I'd bought from Jim Rooney, the author, the year before. It was an early insight into Bill's life, attitudes and career, and compared Monroe's role to that of the great bluesman, Muddy Waters. Rooney had autographed the book, and I nervously approached Bill, asking him to sign the the copy too. He was impressed with the book, and duly signed it. He also autographed the program and the John Atkins-compiled album that was on sale at the show. The accent barrier never got in the way as he let me touch his legendary Loar mandolin. A brief handshake, and I was away talking to Kenny, Ralph and Randy, ending up with a fully-signed program booklet (pictured above).

 The second half of the show was, if anything, even better than the first, culminating in Ralph joining Kenny to twin-fiddle on "Scotland", Monroe's homage to his ancestral homeland.

 After a couple of rousing encores, it was over. An almost speechless crowd said their goodbyes, thanking Mike Craig for pulling off this event. Everyone agrees that this was the single most important event in Scottish Bluegrass history...the night Bill Monroe came home .

Oh, and Alex Dunn got a photo of himself and Big Mon. See below....