Introduction
For his nineteenth studio album, The Bluegrass Album, released September 24, 2013, Alan Jackson chose to honor one of bluegrass’s greatest classics by including “Blue Moon of Kentucky”—a cover of Bill Monroe’s iconic waltz—and presented it in a traditionally slow 3/4-time arrangement .
Originally penned and first performed in 1945 by bluegrass legend Bill Monroe, “Blue Moon of Kentucky” began as a plaintive waltz echoing longing and heartbreak. Monroe recorded it on September 16, 1946, in Chicago with the Blue Grass Boys—featuring future bluegrass stars Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs—and officially released it in 1947 . It quickly became a foundational piece of the bluegrass canon.
The song’s cultural reach expanded in 1954 when Elvis Presley transformed Monroe’s lilting waltz into an energetic rockabilly number at Sun Records. He flipped its time signature and injected a bluesy 4/4 vigor that helped propel early rock ’n’ roll—orchestrated by Scotty Moore and Bill Black, and produced by Sam Phillips .
By selecting this song for The Bluegrass Album, Alan Jackson both nods to Monroe’s melodious roots and reaffirms its enduring influence. According to country-music reports, Jackson recorded the album live with celebrated bluegrass musicians—including Adam Steffey, Ronnie Bowman, Sammy Shelor, Adam Wright, Tim Crouch, Rob Ickes, and others—at The Castle near Nashville. They tracked the songs in only five tight sessions, often completing songs in one to three takes.
Jackson’s version of “Blue Moon of Kentucky” remains true to Monroe’s original, slow waltz feel—showcasing both reverence for bluegrass tradition and his own understated, heartfelt country delivery.