Bill Vernon (July 4, 1937 – November 20, 1996) was an American radio DJ He was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. In his early teens he became enamoured with Bluegrass music and publicized and promoted that genre in many ways. He was a DJ in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia; he wrote liner notes for around a hundred recordings. In 1973 he moved to

Rocky Mount, Virginia Rocky Mount is a town in and the county seat of Franklin County, Virginia, United States. The town is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area, and had a population of 4,903 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the Roanoke Region of ...

. In 1994 and in 1998 he received the

International Bluegrass Music Association The International Bluegrass Music Association, or IBMA, is a trade association to promote bluegrass music. Formed in 1985, IBMA established its first headquarters in Owensboro, Kentucky. In 1988 they announced plans to create the International ...

's award for best liner notes, and that organization's certificate of merit in 1988. He compiled the country music chart for Billboard magazine. He MC'd at many a bluegrass performance or festival, including

Bill Monroe William Smith "Bill" 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 take ...

's Bean Blossom Festival in Indiana, and festivals of

Ralph Stanley Ralph Edmund Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016) was an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing. Stanley began playing music in 1946, originally with his older brother Carter Stanley as part of ...

and

Carlton Haney Lawrence Carlton Haney (September 19, 1928 – March 16, 2011) was an American booking agent, festival promoter, and songwriter primarily active in bluegrass music. Once dubbed “The P.T. Barnum of Country Music” for his large personality, Ha ...

. He served as editor for Muleskinner News and wrote many articles on early bluegrass performers for that and other publications, including

Bluegrass Unlimited ''Bluegrass Unlimited'' is a monthly music magazine "dedicated to the furtherance of bluegrass and old-time musicians, devotees and associates."

. In 2004, he was honored by being inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Museum's Hall of Fame. He died on November 20, 1996, in Rocky Mount.

Quotes

* “When I feel the best, I want to hear bluegrass, and when I feel the worst, I have to hear bluegrass."

References

* "Profiles – High on Bluegrass," by Brenda McDaniel, in ''The Roanoker'', December 1981, for the above quote.

External links

Bluegrass Museum

IBMA awards
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vernon, Bill Radio personalities from New York City American radio DJs 1937 births 1996 deaths People from Rocky Mount, Virginia Masters of ceremonies Radio personalities from Virginia Radio personalities from New Jersey 20th-century American musicians