In the dozen or so conversations I had with Bill Monroe, he always made this statement:  "I added the Blues to my music."

Without question, Monroe's singing and mandolin playing were greatly influenced by the Bluesmen of the 1920's, especially Blind Lemon Jefferson.  I would even go so far as to sat that the Blues accounted for the profound differences in Bill Monroe's music after his split with brother Charlie.

For years, fans at bluegrass  shows asked me to do some Blues on stage.  My problem was that I didn't know anything about the Blues.  Then, in 1999, Little Roy Lewis introduced me to a Georgia gentleman named Jimmy Deason who owned one of the largest collections of Blues recordings in the world.  He gave me seventeen 90=minute cassettes of the Blues.  I was amazed.  I didn't know guitars could be played that way.

So, I bought a National Reso-Phonic guitar like the Blues masters of the '30's played, and I 'added the Blues' to my stage show.  The response was phenomenal!

I had not planned to do a Blues album, but I was forced to do so by the fans!  "Guitar Blues" came about because I grew tired of having to tell folks that I didn't have a single album with any Blues on it.

On "Guitar Blues," Lakeisha, the Blues Guitar, joins Michelle, the Blonde Bombshell, and my other guitar, Henrietta.  So give it a listen, and, by all means, enjoy yourself...'cause I had a ball recording it!