James Pendleton Vandiver (1869–1932) was a Kentucky

fiddler A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially syno ...

, born there shortly after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. He was the uncle to bluegrass musician

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 ...

, who immortalized him in a song, " Uncle Pen".Dawidoff, Nicholas, ''In the Country of Country'' (1997) p. 87 Monroe used to hear his uncle playing fiddle on the hilltop where he lived, while Monroe put away his mules at night. He later said that Vandiver was "the fellow that I learned how to play from." Vandiver played fiddle at local square dances and social events, and his nephew backed him up, playing mandolin. Monroe's parents had both died by the time he was 16, and he lived part of the time with his Uncle Pen, in his two-room hilltop house in

Rosine, Kentucky Rosine () is an unincorporated community in Ohio County, Kentucky, United States. Bill Monroe, ''The Father of Bluegrass'', is buried in the Rosine Cemetery and memorialized with a bronze cast disk affixed to the barn where his music remains al ...

. Vandiver had been crippled earlier, and he made some money with his music. Bill Monroe's biographer, Richard D. Smith writes, "Pen gave Bill more: a repertoire of tunes that sank into Bill's aurally trained memory and a sense of rhythm that seeped into his bones. Sometimes Bill played guitar behind his uncle, sometimes the mandolin." On September 13, 1973, a monument in honor of Uncle Pen was unveiled by Monroe at the Rosine Cemetery. Another way he honored Penn's memory was to play the part of "Uncle Penn" in

Ricky Skaggs Rickie Lee Skaggs (born July 18, 1954), known professionally as Ricky Skaggs, is an American neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, ma ...

' Country Boy music video.

References

External links

*
Biography of two influences on Bill Monroe, Pendleton Vandiver and Arnold Schultz
* * ttps://www.geni.com/family-tree/index/6000000014280639959 Genealogy page for James Pendleton Vandiver {{DEFAULTSORT:Vandiver, Pendleton 1869 births 1932 deaths Old-time musicians People from Butler County, Kentucky