Bessie Mauldin
Musician · 1920–1983 · Norwood, North Carolina
Best known for
Songwriter
Bessie Lee Mauldin was a North Carolina bassist and songwriter who anchored the rhythm section of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys from 1953 to 1964 — the only woman to hold that chair across the band’s long history — and the credited co-author of the bluegrass-gospel song “A Voice From On High,” which Monroe introduced in 1955.
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- Born in 1920 in Norwood, North Carolina.
- Joined Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys on string bass in 1953 and remained the band’s bassist until 1964.
- Was the only woman ever to fill the Blue Grass Boys’ bass chair across Monroe’s decades-long career.
- Co-wrote “A Voice From On High” with Bill Monroe; the song was first recorded by the Blue Grass Boys for Decca in 1955 and has since become a bluegrass-gospel standard.
- Was Monroe’s longtime romantic partner during her years with the band.
- Returned to Norwood after leaving the band and lived there until her death in 1983.
