A Bridge To Bluegrass

Bill Clifton Honored For Contributions To Bluegrass Music, More

History credits Bill Monroe for fathering bluegrass. Flatt and Scruggs helped popularize it.
Then, Bill Clifton bridged bluegrass to Europe.
Monroe, along with Flatt and Scruggs, are members of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Hall of Fame. Last week, Clifton joined them.
“The first thing I thought of was all the people who aren’t in who should be in, like Wiley and Zeke Morris,” Clifton said. “Wiley and Zeke gave Earl Scruggs his first professional job. Yet, they’ve not been recognized.”

BLUEGRASS OVERSEAS
Clifton and the late Charles K. Wolfe were inducted into the IBMA’s Hall of Fame on Oct. 2 as part of the organization’s annual awards show in Nashville. Wolfe, who died in 2006, authored numerous books on old-time country and bluegrass music and was widely recognized as a leading scholar of the music.
Clifton’s career includes nearly 60 years performing acoustic music. But he said that taking bluegrass abroad stands as his stoutest contribution, a point emphasized by Grand Ole Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs during induction ceremonies.
“He mentioned that I was the first person to introduce bluegrass to not only England but many European countries,” Clifton said from his home in Mendota, Va. on Monday. “I booked Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys all across Europe from Scotland and England to Berlin.”

A LOVE OF MUSIC
Born William Marburg in Maryland on April 5, 1931, he grew to love country music early in life. He attended performances by and met such pioneers as Roy Acuff and Uncle Dave Macon, which imprinted impressions upon him such that he wanted to play music, too.
Bold and Clifton matched like shine on stars. Take the time he traveled to New York City to meet famed folk musician Woody Guthrie. Unannounced, mind you.
“I went to New York, figured out where he lived and he just invited me in,” Clifton said.
A friendship was born.
“Woody wrote the forward to my first songbook,” he said. “He wrote, ‘Bill puts himself into his songs.’ ”

A MUSICIAN OR A BUSINESSMAN
A year after forming The Dixie Mountain Boys, Clifton graduated from the University of Virginia in 1954. After a stint in the U.S. Marine Corps, five years later he added a master’s degree in business administration.
“The dean told me on stage as he was handing out degrees, ‘Mr. Marburg, you will either be a musician, or you will be a businessman, but you will never be both,’ ” Clifton said. “And he was right.”
But first Clifton worked during the week as a stockbroker. On weekends, he practiced music under his stage name Bill Clifton, and along the way made history when he organized “Bluegrass Day,” a one-day outdoors bluegrass show in Luray, Va. on July 4, 1961.
“[Legendary promoter] Carlton Haney came to that,” Clifton said, “and four years later he put together his multi-day event.”
Bluegrass festivals were born from Clifton’s one-day event. Two years later, he helped to organize the renowned Newport Folk Festival.

FOLLOWING HIS HEART
Soon thereafter, Clifton shelved his sights on Wall Street and followed his heart into music full-time. He recorded for Starday Records at the time, and his records found large audiences in England. So, he decided to move to England.
“That was in 1963,” Clifton said. “I thought we’d stay a year, and we stayed for 15. I had a live program on the BBC that went out all over the world and work came in from Africa, New Zealand and Australia.”
Since returning to the United States in 1978, Clifton toured and recorded with such talents as Red Rector and Don Stover. He settled in Mendota during the 1980s while still practicing his much beloved music.
But most ears probably would not recognize Clifton’s music nowadays as bluegrass. For good reason, he said.
“I don’t consider myself bluegrass,” Clifton said. “There were so many country songs I wanted to sing. There were so many folk songs I wanted to sing. I don’t want to limit myself.”
However, he stressed gratitude for induction into the IBMA’s Hall of Fame – the highest honor in bluegrass.
“I appreciate it very much,” Clifton said. “The honor means a lot, but I keep regretting all the people who came before me that haven’t been honored.”

TOM NETHERLAND is a freelance writer. He can be reached at features@bristolnews.com.