Bill Jorgenson (December 22, 1930 – February 5, 2007) was an American bluegrass musician. He was born in

Ahnapee, Wisconsin Ahnapee ( ) is a town in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States, on the Ahnapee River. The population was 940 as of the 2010 census. The Ahnapee State Trail passes through the town of Ahnapee. Communities * Bruemmerville is an unincorpor ...

, and grew up in nearby

Door County, Wisconsin Door County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, its population was 30,066. Its seat of government is Sturgeon Bay. It is named after the strait between the Door Peninsula and Washington Island. ...

USA. He was primarily noted for being the Father of Wisconsin Bluegrass, a title given to him by

Bill Monroe William Smith Monroe ( ; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre takes its n ...

Biography at allmusic.com A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curric ...

Jason Ankeny, Retrieved September 5, 2007 Jorgenson began playing the guitar after listening to the WLS

National Barn Dance ''National Barn Dance'', broadcast by WLS (AM), WLS-AM in Chicago, Illinois starting in 1924, was one of the first American country music radio programs and a direct precursor of the ''Grand Ole Opry''. ''National Barn Dance'' also set the stag ...

on the radio. He switched from traditional

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

to bluegrass while in

basic training Military recruit training, commonly known as basic training or boot camp, refers to the initial instruction of new military personnel. It is a physically and psychologically intensive process, which resocializes its subjects for the unique dema ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. After he returned to Door County, he began performing in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. He was once the

opening act An opening act, also known as a warm-up act, support act, supporting act or opener, is an entertainment act (musical, comedic, or otherwise), that performs at a concert before the featured act, or "headliner". Rarely, an opening act may perform ...

for

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

and

June Carter Cash Valerie June Carter Cash (June 23, 1929 – May 15, 2003) was an American country singer and songwriter. A five-time Grammy Award–winner, she was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash. Prior to her marria ...

at the Milwaukee Auditorium, and briefly had his own local

television show A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...

. He launched the Glenmore Opera House, and started the Heritage Farm Bluegrass Festival. He regularly performed free performances at

elementary schools A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

in northeast

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. Jorgenson performed for 65 years. In 1998 he was inducted to America's Old-Time Country Music Hall Of Fame. Late in his career he began releasing his music on

CDs CDS, CDs, Cds, etc. may refer to: Finance * Canadian Depository for Securities, Canadian post-trade financial services company * Certificate of deposit (CDs) * Counterfeit Deterrence System, developed by the Central Bank Counterfeit Deterrence ...

. In 2001 he released the CDs ''Amberlee'', ''The Father of Wisconsin Bluegrass'', and ''Bluegrass in the Northwoods''. He died on February 5, 2007, days after suffering a massive stroke.

References

External links

Official websiteMemorial at The Southern Wisconsin Bluegrass Music Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jorgenson, Bill 1930 births 2007 deaths American bluegrass musicians American country singer-songwriters People from Ahnapee, Wisconsin 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Wisconsin