Bluegrass Host Honored

Bill Ellison, Host of MPB's Grassroots

For the past seventeen years loyal radio listeners have known at least one thing for certain, if it was Saturday night, Bill Ellison was on the air. MPB arts reporter Ron Brown tells us about an Governor's Arts Award honoree who is taking his audience back to their roots - their grassroots.

Like most people, Bill Ellison has near perfect recall about where he was when he met the love of his life.

“When I was in between my freshman and sophomore year of college I worked at Wright Music store in Jackson.”

It was the summer of 1972 and Bill Ellison was in the record section.

“One of the things that came in that summer was a record by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band called Will the Circle be unbroken by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. They assembled a lot of the blue grass and acoustic players in Nashville, Roy acuff, mother maybelle carter, doc Watson, Jimmy Martin, and recorded this album. And preserved some of the old time music…. And legions of young hippies discovered music through that album, as did I.”

It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship between Bill and bluegrass. He bought a guitar, got in tune, and changed his life. And since 1992 for a couple hours each week he can be heard as the popular host of his own radio show on MPB called Grassroots. It’s where every Saturday night he plants a little bluegrass.

He is just the second host in the show’s 25 year history.

“The audience was strong and loyal before I ever walked in the door. Mike Morgan the previous host of grassroots did a great job.

Bill and Grassroots have become such a part of Mississippi’s bluegrass culture later this month he will be one of five people to accept a Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. It’s an annual award sponsored by the Mississippi Arts Commission to recognize outstanding contributions to the state’s artistic heritage.

Bill says the show continues to move forward spotlighting new bands and a variety of new sounds, he still can’t let go of the past - the station’s vinyl record collection.

“When we did some remodeling and added new equipment, they had the idea they were gonna get rid of my turntables and my records, of course I had to protest that idea, and I won.”

It wasn’t exactly the Hatfields and the McCoys, but Bill says it was a feud worth fighting.

“There’s so much of the music that’s not on cd. And I’ll tell you another thing, I think my listeners appreciate the fact that a certain amount of what I do is on vinyl. There’s a warmness to that vinyl sound that you just don’t get digitally.”

The first bluegrass sounds Bill Ellison ever heard were on a vinyl record, created by a band intent upon honoring traditional music and bringing it to a new audience. Thirty eight years later, that’s what Bill is doing. He has gone from novice to teacher. His audience is getting younger. He has come full circle.

“More and more are discovering the roots music. The real thing that’s what they’re after. They wanna find something that’s not a product, or pop music, they want something that takes them to their heritage.”

In a state heralded for its rich history of the blues… Bill Ellison shines the light on another shade of blue: bluegrass.

"I don’t think I’ll ever give it up. I don’t foresee that happening. As long as MPB will let me, I’ll probably keep doing it."

For MPB News, I’m Ron Brown.