William Smith Monroe was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 musician who created the style of music known as bluegrass

Bluegrass music

Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...

, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 and bandleader

Bandleader

A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....

. He is often referred to as The Father of Bluegrass.
Monroe was born on his family's farm near Rosine, Kentucky

Rosine, Kentucky

Rosine is an unincorporated town in Ohio County, Kentucky, United States. Bill Monroe, The Father of Bluegrass, is not only buried in the town but also memorialized with a bronze cast disk affixed to the barn where his music remains alive. The community was named for the pen name of Jenny Taylor...

, the youngest of eight children of James Buchanan "Buck" and Malissa (Vandiver) Monroe.