Bill and Charlie’s approach can best be glimpsed by listening to a sample song, "I’m Rollin’ On", which they apparently learned from the Prairie Ramblers, a dynamic performing group on WLS’s "National Barn Dance", broadcasting out of Chicago in the 30s. Compare this to Bill and Charlie’s version, recorded five years later.

So, we have our proto-universe: Charlie Monroe singing lead and playing his thumbpick-driven, booming guitar runs against the plaintive tenor and pulsing, mandolin melody lines of his younger brother, Bill. Their unique sound attracted thousands of radio listeners, filled school and church auditoriums with hundreds of fans, and despite the ravages of the depression, sold hundreds of thousands of records on the familiar buff Bluebird label and via Montgomery Ward’s mail order discs.

"I’m Rollin’ On"

Ramblers' version

Monroe Brothers' version