Pendleton Vandiver

He later said that Vandiver was "the fellow that I learned how to play from." Vandiver played fiddle at local square dances and social events, and his nephew backed him up, playing mandolin. Monroe's parents had both died by the time he was 16, and he lived part of the time with his Uncle Pen, in his two-room hilltop house in Rosine, Kentucky. Vandiver had been crippled earlier, and he made some money with his music. Bill Monroe's biographer, Richard D. Smith writes, "Pen gave Bill more: a repertoire of tunes that sank into Bill's aurally trained memory and a sense of rhythm that seeped into his bones. Sometimes Bill played guitar behind his uncle, sometimes the mandolin." On September 13, 1973, a monument in honor of Uncle Pen was unveiled by Monroe at the Rosine Cemetery. Another way he honored Penn's memory was to play the part of "Uncle Penn" in Ricky Skaggs' Country Boy music video.

• Name — Pendleton Vandiver • Birth Name — James Pendleton Vandiver • Alias — Uncle Pen • Born — 1869 • Died — 1932 • Origin — Butler County, Kentucky, US • Instrument — Fiddle • Genre — Old-time music • Occupation — Old-time music artist and square dance musician • Years Active — 1920s – 1932