The Vanguards

The Vanguards are a five-piece traditional bluegrass band, mostly based in South London. They take their musical inspiration from the originators of bluegrass music. Instrumentally, they seek to create a sound which blends the mandolin style of Bill Monroe, the banjo style of Ralph Stanley and the old-time style of fiddling which typified early bluegrass recordings. Their repertoire reflects these musical influences. Alongside their original material, their choice of songs strongly favours those written or recorded by The Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs. Their particular passion is exploring and faithfully recreating bluegrass music's many rarely-heard instrumental compositions, particularly those written by Bill Monroe and Dr. Ralph Stanley.