Bill Keith
Traditional Bluegrass
Bill Keith was the Massachusetts-bred banjoist who pioneered the melodic style in the early 1960s, brought it to Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in 1963, and re-mapped what the five-string could do — co-developer of the Keith tuners and an enduring bridge between bluegrass and the folk revival.
- Born William Bradford Keith in Boston, Massachusetts; graduated from Amherst College in 1961.
- Pioneered the melodic (or "Keith") style of 5-string banjo in the early 1960s, developed independently around the same time as Bobby Thompson.
- Joined Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in 1963 after Monroe heard him play "Devil's Dream" backstage at the Grand Ole Opry; his nine-month tenure permanently altered banjo playing.
- Co-developed the Keith Tuners (also called Scruggs–Keith tuners) in 1963 with Dan Bump, allowing precise on-the-fly retuning of banjo strings.
- Performed and recorded with the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, Ian & Sylvia, Muleskinner, and his own Bill Keith Band, bridging bluegrass and the folk revival.
- Renowned for his arrangement of "Auld Lang Syne" and other melodic-style instrumentals that became standard banjo repertoire.
- Inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame on October 1, 2015 — three weeks before his death.
- Died of cancer at his home in Woodstock, New York on October 23, 2015, age 75.
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Auld Lang SyneSomething Auld Something Newgrass Something Borrowed Something Bluegrass (1976)
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Crazy CreekSomething Auld Something Newgrass Something Borrowed Something Bluegrass (1976)
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Rickett's HornpipeSomething Auld Something Newgrass Something Borrowed Something Bluegrass (1976)
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Sugarfoot RagSomething Auld Something Newgrass Something Borrowed Something Bluegrass (1976)
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Bill KeithPlayed on recordings with Bill Keith
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Jim RooneyPlayed on recordings with Bill Keith
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David GrismanPlayed on recordings with Bill Keith
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Tony RicePlayed on recordings with Bill Keith
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Ken KosekPlayed on recordings with Bill Keith
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Tom GrayPlayed on recordings with Bill Keith
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Vassar ClementsPlayed on recordings with Bill Keith