MARK GILBERT HEMBREE

I was born in Chicago in 1955 and grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, the hometown of Harry Houdini, Edna Ferber, Joe McCarthy, Rocky Bleier, Willem Dafoe, and the world’s first hydroelectric plant. But how do you grow up near Green Bay and wind up in Bill Monroe’s band? Dumb luck, mostly, and early musical exposure. My mother was from Topeka, Kansas; she played the organ and liked classical and popular music. My father was from Waynesville, North Carolina; he played the radio and the stereo, and it was old-time fiddle, bluegrass, and western swing. Dad was a sales rep, and