# Bill Jorgenson

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{{short description|American singer-songwriter}}
{{distinguish|Bill Jorgensen}}
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'''Bill Jorgenson''' (December 22, 1930 &ndash; February 5, 2007) was an American [bluegrass](/source/Bluegrass_music) musician. He was born in [Ahnapee, Wisconsin](/source/Ahnapee%2C_Wisconsin), and grew up in nearby [Door County, Wisconsin](/source/Door_County%2C_Wisconsin) USA. He was primarily noted for being the Father of Wisconsin Bluegrass, a title given to him by [Bill Monroe](/source/Bill_Monroe).<ref name=allmusic>[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p483631|pure_url=yes}} Biography at allmusic.com], Jason Ankeny, Retrieved September 5, 2007</ref>

Jorgenson began playing the guitar after listening to the [WLS](/source/WLS_(AM)) [National Barn Dance](/source/National_Barn_Dance) on the radio.<ref name=allmusic /> He switched from traditional [country music](/source/country_music) to bluegrass while in [basic training](/source/basic_training) in the [United States Army](/source/United_States_Army). After he returned to Door County, he began performing in [Milwaukee](/source/Milwaukee). He was once the [opening act](/source/opening_act) for [Johnny Cash](/source/Johnny_Cash) and [June Carter Cash](/source/June_Carter_Cash) at the [Milwaukee Auditorium](/source/Milwaukee_Auditorium), and briefly had his own local [television show](/source/television_show).<ref name=allmusic />

He launched the Glenmore Opera House, and started the Heritage Farm Bluegrass Festival. He regularly performed free performances at [elementary schools](/source/elementary_schools) in northeast [Wisconsin](/source/Wisconsin). Jorgenson performed for 65 years. In 1998 he was inducted to America's Old-Time Country Music Hall Of Fame. Late in his career he began releasing his music on [CDs](/source/compact_disks).<ref name=allmusic /> In 2001 he released the CDs ''Amberlee'', ''The Father of Wisconsin Bluegrass'', and ''Bluegrass in the Northwoods''.<ref name=allmusic />

He died on February 5, 2007, days after suffering a massive stroke.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.bjorgensonbluegrass.com/ Official website]
*[http://swbmai.org/2007/03/remembering-bill-jorgenson/ Memorial at The Southern Wisconsin Bluegrass Music Association]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jorgenson, Bill}}
Category:1930 births
Category:2007 deaths
Category:American bluegrass musicians
Category:American country singer-songwriters
Category:People from Ahnapee, Wisconsin
Category:20th-century American musicians
Category:20th-century American singer-songwriters
Category:Singer-songwriters from Wisconsin

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bill Jorgenson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jorgenson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jorgenson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.