Bill Clifton, the bluegrass musician and singer credited with helping organize one of the first bluegrass festivals in the United States and with carrying traditional American music to audiences around the world, died in his sleep on October 30 at his home in Mendota, Virginia. He was 95.
Clifton, born William August Marburg on April 5, 1931, in Riderwood, Maryland, died at his home in southwestern Virginia, according to Bluegrass Today, which first reported his death on November 2. A specific medical cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.
On July 4, 1961, Clifton put on an all-day concert at Oak Leaf Park in Luray, Virginia, an event widely recognized as one of the first bluegrass festivals in the United States — a format that would become the backbone of the genre. He formed his first band, the Dixie Mountain Boys, in 1953, and in 1955 published his songbook, "Bill Clifton: 150 Old-Time Folk and Gospel Songs."
Clifton spent about fifteen years taking the music to Europe, earning a reputation as "America's Bluegrass Ambassador to the World" for introducing traditional American songs to concert halls and audiences across the continent and Asia. Country music historian Bill C. Malone wrote a biography of him, "Bill Clifton: America's Bluegrass Ambassador to the World," published in 2016.
He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Association's Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2008. The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum paid tribute to Clifton after his death, honoring a life devoted to keeping traditional music accessible to future generations.
He is survived by his sister, 10 children, 18 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. A private family service will be held, and those wishing to honor him are asked to consider a donation to the Carter Family Memorial Music Center.
