Roanoke

An instrumental bluegrass tune credited to Bill Monroe (under his pseudonym Joe Ahr), recorded December 31, 1954 at the Bradley Studio in Nashville with twin fiddles by Bobby Hicks and Charlie Cline. It was released on a Decca single backed with “Cheyenne,” both cut at the same session that produced “Wheel Hoss.” The tune is a hard-driving G major piece built around a recurring melodic figure shared between mandolin and fiddles, and has become a standard mandolin showpiece. It has been recorded by the Bluegrass Album Band, Marty Stuart, Muleskinner, and David Grisman among many others.