ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, November 21, 1996 TAG: 9611210043
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: NEWS OBIT
SOURCE: CODY LOWE STAFF WRITER
Bill Vernon, one of the nation's most influential bluegrass music advocates and commentators, died Wednesday at his home in Wirtz.
Vernon, 59, was found dead at his home, apparently of natural causes, after calling for rescue services early Wednesday morning.
Vernon was best-known in the region, perhaps, for his almost 15-year stint on public radio WVTF (89.1 FM) with a three-hour program on Sunday evenings, "In and Around Bluegrass."
Nationally, he was a frequent master of ceremonies for bluegrass festivals and performances, a prolific writer of liner notes for bluegrass recordings, and a longtime contributor to some of the nation's best-read bluegrass magazines.
Although the WVTF show went off the air in April 1990, Vernon maintained his high profile through his other bluegrass pursuits, and he continued doing radio work in Rocky Mount and Charlottesville.
Just last week, he began a Sunday-evening bluegrass program on relatively new country station WZZI (101.5 FM) in Vinton. Sponsors of that program were County and Rebel recording labels and Record Depot, owned by Dave Freeman, a fellow bluegrass promoter and friend of Vernon's for 36 years.
"He was looking forward to getting the word around" that he was back on the air here with a new show, Freeman said.
"He had a fantastic memory - a knowledge and love for bluegrass" that shown through in his work, Freeman said.
"To call him a walking encyclopedia may sound hackneyed," but is nonetheless true, said another longtime friend and co-worker, Seth Williamson of WVTF.
Vernon's knowledge of the history of bluegrass was legendary and a big factor in his success on radio. Fans "appreciate somebody who takes the time to learn about the music" and its makers, Williamson said.
Vernon may have seemed an unlikely candidate for bluegrass hero.
Born and reared in New York City, he discovered bluegrass music on the radio when he was 13. "I heard a Flatt and Scruggs record, and that did it. Bluegrass was not fashionable in New York in 1951. I just zeroed in on it," Vernon said in a 1977 interview with The Roanoke Times & World-News.
He talked about going to "one of those Eastern establishment fancy-pants prep schools," Williamson said, and secretly continuing to listen to bluegrass music on the radio.
Vernon eventually attended Brown and Northwestern universities but didn't graduate. "I'm sure he could have been a great student," Freeman said, but he already had been bitten by the entertainment bug.
While working as a clerk on Wall Street from 1964 to 1972, Vernon was host of a part-time bluegrass program on WBAI in New York - "alternative radio at its most extreme," Vernon called it.
In 1973, he moved to Rocky Mount to take a radio job and to live in a place where "I could be more fully involved in the music," he told The Roanoke Times & World-News in 1988.
Vernon was recognized by the International Bluegrass Music Association in 1988 as "a vital voice" for the music, and "a leader in bringing intelligence and professionalism to bluegrass emcee work." Among others honored that year was Earl Scruggs - one of the artists who had drawn Vernon to the field.
Vernon was a purist, who "liked the classic sound" of the genre's roots, Freeman said, though he played and reviewed progressive styles as well.
He remained particularly partial to the early years of Flatt and Scruggs, to Charlie Monroe and Bill Monroe. He had interviewed - and was acquainted with - most of the stars of the field.
He was known, in the words of the 1988 interview, for being "less than worshipful" toward some of the field's biggest stars when he disagreed with them. Despite the occasional feud, however, Vernon managed to keep the respect of stars and fans alike, his friends say.
"He was a no-nonsense kind of guy," Freeman said, "who didn't like anything phony." If those connected with bluegrass "got high-falutin' or pretentious, he'd comment on it" and bring them back down to earth, Freeman said.
"He was one of a kind," Williamson said.
LENGTH: Medium: 76 linesby CNB