  bluegrass is an amalgam of old-time music, blues, ragtime and jazz.  Today Bill Monroe is referred to as the founding father of bluegrass music; the bluegrass style was named for his band, the Blue Grass Boys, formed in 1939.  Unlike mainstream country music, bluegrass relies mostly on acoustic stringed instruments. The fiddle, five string banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin, and upright bass are often joined by the resonator guitar (popularly known by the Dobro brand name). This instrumentation originated in rural black dance bands and was being abandoned by those groups (in favor of blues and jazz ensembles) when picked up by white musicians (van der Merwe 1989, p.62).   WRONG WRONG WRONG. You wanna hear Bluegrass go listen to some Celtic and Irish folk music it's nearly identical. This is one of the worst Black Inventon myths I have ever heard. Do people actually believe this rubbish?? Good lord. Besides Jazz and Blues originated from Whites anyways. Remember?:p