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Flash Message!! Next show Feb 13, 2010 at 6:30 PM. Click on Next GOBMS Show for details. New Bluegrass Music Bachelor’s Degree Program now at East Tennessee State University. Click here for flyer.

Welcome from the GOBMS Chairman! Thank you very much for your interest in the Greater Oklahoma Bluegrass Music Society. The Greater Oklahoma Bluegrass Music Society was started 30 years ago by local bluegrass musicians and fans. We exist for the purpose of continuing the tradition of bluegrass music in Oklahoma and the Southwestern United States. Take a few moments to read a little about the life of Bill Monroe (the father of bluegrass music) below. The association has been a great success in bringing local and regional bluegrass artists to this area. We strive to have a family oriented program and look forward to seeing you at our shows. Keep this page bookmarked and we'll keep you up to date on all the activities around the area. Leon (Buster) Pickard, Chairman

GOBMS celebrates its 32^nd year of bringing you bluegrass music to the Central Oklahoma area.

Bill Monroe The father of Bluegrass music William Smith Monroe was born on September 13, 1911, on a farm in Jerusalem Ridge, just outside Rosine, Kentucky. His mother played accordion, fiddle, and harmonica, while his siblings played guitar and fiddle. After his father died when Bill was 16, he moved in with his uncle Pendleton Vandiver (later immortalized in the classic song "Uncle Pen"), who taught Bill to play guitar, mandolin, and fiddle. Perhaps because no one else in the family played it, Bill concentrated on mastering the mandolin. Bill joined with his brothers Charlie, who played guitar, and Birch, who played fiddle, to play on radio broadcasts. By 1930, the Monroe brothers had found success with "Kentucky Waltz," "Footprints in the Snow," and "Blue Grass Ramble." In the 1940s, Bill formed a new group called "Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys" (the bluegrass came from his home state of Kentucky). That started a new musical genre that has spread worldwide.

For information about GOBMS, contact Melba Arnold at (405) 677-7515 or via e-mail at promogal@cox.net

Please e-mail any comments about this website to: GOBMS Web-Master.

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