Bill Emerson, a Saxophonist and a Fiddler.

Episode 204: In a great year for bluegrass, two projects stand out. One, from our featured guest, because he's the living patriarch of traditional bluegrass music. Del McCoury has earned every honor and award one can win in his field, and he's built historic bridges from American folk and roots to the realms of jam band rock and roll, thanks to his open heart and a blazing band that for more than 25 years has included his sons Ron and Rob. I sat with Del backstage at the Grand Ole Opry to talk about being in Bill Monroe's band in the 60s and his new recording Almost Proud. The other project covered here is a collection of lost instrumentals written by Bill Monroe himself but revived and recorded for the first time by mandolinist Mike Compton. The former founder of the Nashville Bluegrass Band tells us how he produced the unique project Rare & Fine: Uncommon Tunes of Bill Monroe.