Bill Clifton

If you attend a bluegrass festival, thank Bill Clifton for having the idea to present the very first one. Clifton was not the most famous of the first generation of bluegrass artists, but he did much to establish the idea of bluegrass as a preserver of half-forgotten songs and styles. Clifton's background was hardly a typical one for bluegrass -- although the players who would populate the distinctive Washington, D.C., bluegrass scene often shared Clifton's professional background. He was born William Marburg to a wealthy family in Riverwood, MD, in suburban Baltimore County. ...