Search - Bill Clifton :: The Early Years 1957-58

After first-generation masters such as Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, and the Stanley Brothers established bluegrass as a vital and commercially viable genre in the late 1940s, the style entered its halcyon days of the 1950s. Though not as well known today as '50s stars like Jim & Jesse, the Osborne Brothers, Reno and Smiley, Jimmy Martin, and Mac Wiseman, Bill Clifton was an important part of the bluegrass boom. The Maryland-born Clifton was one of the first prominent bluegrass musicians to have been born and raised outside of the rural South, yet his dedication to the traditional folk songs and old-time music of the past was a strong as anyone's. These Mercury and Starday singles include a slew of traditionals and Carter Family staples, and they find Clifton to be a soulful mellow-voiced singer and a Maybelle-influenced guitar picker who helped increase the instrument's role in bluegrass. Clifton experimented with unique harmonies, arrangements, and instrumentation to great effect. Ultimately, the scope of his influence, especially among other players, can be seen by the range of support musicians featured here: everyone from pioneers like Ralph Stanley to young wide-eyed urbanites like John Duffey and Mike Seeger. --Marc Greilsamer