Audio version on YouTube @fretdreamer :

In February 1973, the KCET television network, in Hollywood, Ca., was looking for “young” bluegrass musicians to play with “Bill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys”, as part of a program conceived as: “the father of bluegrass and his sons”. Fiddler and former Blue Grass Boy Richard Greene contacted a few close friends: two ex-bluegrass boys, (banjoist Bill Keith and guitarist-singer Peter Rowan), mandolinist David Grisman and guitarist Clarence White. The plan was that these “youngsters” would play the first set, Bill Monroe and his band would play the second set and then together they would close the show with a jam session.

But as Monroe’s bus broke down on the way to the TV show, the band had to play the whole show on their own, and it was a success.

This led to a contract with Warner Bros. The band recorded their first studio album, “Muleskinner”, in an innovative progressive bluegrass style, with reminiscences of jazz, country and folk rock.

After the death of Clarence White, The members of this first “supergroup” went in different directions, but they are all to be found later in Bill Keith’s discography.

For his part, Bill Keith plays for Ian & Sylvia and then Judy Collins.

Later, he tours Europe with his old friend Jim Rooney, with whom he records a few tracks on the “Banjo Paris session” album, including the first studio version of “Nola” with Pierre Bensusan on guitar.

In 1975, Bill Keith and Jim Rooney toured Europe with 18-year-old Pierre Bensusan on mandolin. Bill played banjo on Pierre’s instrumental “Sunday Hornpipe”, which appeared on his first album, “Près de Paris”. He later covered this track on his 1984 album “banjoistics”.

`Bill Keith’s first “solo” album: “Something Auld, Something Newgrass, Something Borrowed, Something Bluegrass”, was recorded in March 1975 for Rounder.
It’s an impressive album of historic importance. It’s the first time David Grisman [mandolin] has recorded with Tony Rice [guitar].

David Grisman & Tony Rice, Courville Folk Festival 1977

Other players were Vasar Clements [fiddle], Tom Gray [bass] and Kenny Koseck [fiddle, piano]. Jim Rooney, sings on all the vocal tracks, with the exception of “Pain In My Heart”, sung by Al Jones. There are no vocal harmonies on this album. It sounds “something” like bluegrass, but many influences are present, from jazz to traditional Irish and American music, adapted in Bill Keith’s own style.

In January 1976, almost the same team contributed to the David Grisman’s first “solo” album on Rounder.

The backing band includes Bill Keith, Tony Rice and Vassar Clements as before, and in addition: Jerry Douglas [dobro], Buck White [2° mandolin] and Ricky Skaggs [2° fiddle and lead or tenor vocals]. Todd Phillips on bass.

Unlike Bill’s album, DG Rounder is primarily a bluegrass oriented album (with vocals harmonies, Bill Monroe songs, etc.), but it does hint at the breakthrough Grisman was about to make with his “dawg acoustic music”(ie. Opus 38).