Mark Hembree
Musician · Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
Best known for
Bass
Mark Hembree is a Wisconsin-born bassist who spent five years with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys (1979–1984), co-founded the Nashville Bluegrass Band, and chronicled his Monroe years in the 2022 memoir "On the Bus with Bill Monroe."
- Wisconsin-raised bassist; began his music career in Wisconsin in the 1970s, hosting a live radio show from the Glenmore Opera House near Green Bay.
- Joined Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys at the end of June 1979 and stayed until mid-June 1984 — a five-year tenure.
- Recorded on Bill Monroe's album "Master of Bluegrass" and performed at the White House with the Blue Grass Boys.
- Co-founded the Nashville Bluegrass Band in 1984 and was a member through 1988.
- Recorded with the Dreadful Snakes (Jerry Douglas, Béla Fleck, Roland White, Blaine Sprouse, Pat Enright) and on Peter Rowan's Grammy-nominated "New Moon Rising."
- Returned to Wisconsin in 1989; played with the Rounders, Nob Hill Boys, Western Box Turtles, and his own Best Westerns; now leads the Mark Hembree Band.
- Author of "On the Bus with Bill Monroe: My Five-Year Ride with the Father of Blue Grass" (University of Illinois Press, April 2022).
- Memoir was assembled from on-tour journals kept during 1979–1984 and offers an inside view of life touring with Monroe.
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The Nashville Bluegrass BandPlayed on recordings with The Nashville Bluegrass Band
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The Dreadful SnakesPlayed on recordings with The Dreadful Snakes
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David GrismanPlayed on recordings with David Grisman
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Peter Rowan and the Nashville Bluegrass BandPlayed on recordings with Peter Rowan and the Nashville Bluegrass Band
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Bill Monroe and John HartfordPlayed on recording with Bill Monroe and John Hartford
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Bill Monroe and Ricky SkaggsPlayed on recording with Bill Monroe and Ricky Skaggs