The 146th Bluegrass Unlimited weekly newsletter includes a link to the BU archives for a forty-year-old article by Doug Hutchens, bluegrass historian and former Blue Grass Boy. Published originally in the August 1983 issue of BU, it chronicles the tragically brief career of Edd Mayfield from Texas, who played three stretches as a Blue Grass Boy before his death from leukemia in 1958, aged 32. Bill Monroe considered him 'a wonderful guitar player and a wonderful singer' and had a high personal regard for him, which can be heard in his voice in 'Bill Monroe speaks about Edd Mayfield - 1965 Ralph Rinzler interview'. So anyone who might say that Monroe thought only Kentuckians could play bluegrass, can be answered with two words: 'Edd Mayfield'.
© Richard Hawkins
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