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| EARL SCRUGGS & LESTER FLATT LEGACY TITLES OUT JULY 12 FLATT & SCRUGGS: FOGGY MOUNTAIN JAMBOREE ('57) FLATT & SCRUGGS: FOGGY MOUNTAIN GOSPEL ('51-'66) EARL SCRUGGS: ' I SAW THE LIGHT' ('72) The king of the five-string banjo and American music’s favorite 81-year-old gets the royal treatment from Columbia/Legacy on July 12, when the label releases three sets highlighting multiple facets of the legendary Earl Scruggs’ contributions to American roots music. With interest in the banjo master running at an all-time high—thanks to the 'Banjo Man' exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, performances at Merlefest and Bonnaroo, and recent profiles in publications like The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal—the collections offer listeners a chance to explore the rich legacy of a musical giant. Originally released in the late 1950s, Foggy Mountain Jamboree went into the history books as one of the earliest bluegrass LPs. Though Scruggs and his partner since 1948, Lester Flatt, were already giants of the genre and Grand Ole Opry stars, the record appealed to long-time fans with previously-unreleased but soon-to-be standards like “Your Love Is Like A Flower” and “Some Old Day,” while introducing their music to new audiences—and the focus on dazzling original instrumentals put muscle behind critics’ characterization of Scruggs as “the Paganini of the 5-string banjo.” Enhanced with three bonus tracks, including Earl and fiddler Benny Martin’s high-octane take on “Dear Old Dixie,” the new issue of Foggy Mountain Jamboree is not only a valuable historical document, but a powerful portrait of the definitive bluegrass group at the top of their game. At the other end of the spectrum, 1971’s I Saw The Light With A Little Help From My Friends—reissued for the first time with two bonus tracks from the original sessions—marked Scruggs’ solo recording debut. Made with members of the Earl Scruggs Revue, including sons Gary, Randy and Steve, plus fiddle maestro Vassar Clements and some of Nashville’s best studio musicians, the album featured a selection of guests ranging from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (with whom Scruggs had recently recorded the landmark Will The Circle Be Unbroken album) to popular vocal stylists Linda Ronstadt, Tracy Nelson and Arlo Guthrie. Tackling songs old and new, from the folk classic “Banks Of The Ohio” and Johnny Cash’s signature hit, “Ring Of Fire,” to recent efforts by country-rock writers like Mike Nesmith and the NGDB’s Jeff Hanna, I Saw The Light With A Little Help From My Friends served notice that the bluegrass pioneer would be breaking new creative ground, surrounding his sparkling banjo playing with contributions from the best of a new generation of roots-leaning musicians. Rounding out the trio of releases is a generous two-disc compilation of gospel songs spanning virtually the entire recording career of Flatt & Scruggs. From early classics like “I’m Working On A Road”—the first in a long line of gospel numbers that featured Scruggs’ bluesy, intricate lead guitar work—and exciting, banjo-driven quartets like “Get In Line Brother” to staples of the late 1950s like “Give Mother My Crown” and “Jesus Savior Pilot Me” to the stately rhythms of their later years and material from then-new songwriters like Tom T. Hall (“A Stone The Builders Refused”), Foggy Mountain Gospel offers an assortment of old favorites and neglected gems that constitutes an unprecedented survey of this important aspect of the Flatt & Scruggs canon. |
 THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME® AND MUSEUM PRESENTSBanjo Man: The Musical Journey of Earl Scruggs NASHVILLE, Tenn., January 5, 2005 - The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will survey the life and career of banjo guru Earl Scruggs in Banjo Man: The Musical Journey of Earl Scruggs, a cameo exhibit opening in the Museum's East Gallery on March 4, 2005. The exhibit also honors Scruggs' wife and business partner, Louise Certain Scruggs. Banjo Man will remain open through June 16, 2006. "It is altogether fitting that we undertake this salute to Earl and Louise Scruggs," said Vince Gill, president of the Museum's Board of Officers and Trustees. "For decades, following in the tradition of Ralph Peer and Jimmie Rodgers, or Fred Rose and Hank Williams, they have formed one of country music's most productive musical and business partnerships. The path they have forged is very much in keeping with our Museum philosophy, which encourages an open-ended, broad-minded interpretation of the country music story." Few figures loom larger in the history of American music than Earl Scruggs. His revolutionary approach to the five-string banjo transformed an almost forgotten instrument into an immediately recognizable element of a new genre, which later became known as bluegrass. Ultimately, Scruggs has demonstrated the banjo's utility as a lead instrument in many musical styles. Since his first appearance on the national scene almost 60 years ago, Earl Scruggs has become synonymous with virtuosity, creativity and an untrammeled willingness to experiment and innovate within and beyond a traditional framework. A Grammy-winning member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the International Bluegrass Music Association's Hall of Honor, a recipient of the National Medal of the Arts, a Hollywood Walk of Fame honoree and venerated as one of the 20th century's greats, Earl Scruggs is a true American original. The exhibit will trace Scruggs' life and career from early childhood in rural North Carolina through his years with Bill Monroe, the evolution of Flatt Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys and the adventurous folk-rock of the Earl Scruggs Revue. The exhibit will also demonstrate how Louise Scruggs' understanding of music and musical trends, coupled with her formidable business acumen, allowed her to steer her husband's career in the direction of ever-widening audiences. In 1955, she began booking and managing the Flatt Scruggs show and continues to manage her husband's career today. She was the first woman in country music to assume these roles, and she set new standards for the industry. Museum curators will use instruments, costumes, vintage photographs, original art, archival video, show posters and music to tell the story of a modern master who was nurtured in a musical family as a child and who has now introduced his own sons to the same tradition. The Banjo Man exhibit will be accompanied by related publications, the DVD release of vintage Martha White-sponsored Flatt Scruggs television shows from the Museum's collection, and a series of public programs including interviews, film screenings, concerts, and panel discussions. The Museum's salute to Scruggs and his family kicked off with a star-studded 80th birthday salute on January 6, 2004 and continued in September when Scruggs presided over four sold-out residency performances in the Museum's Ford Theater. Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The Museum's mission is the preservation of the history of country and related vernacular music rooted in southern culture. With the same educational mission, the Foundation also operates CMF Records, the Museum's Frist Library and Archive, CMF Press, historic RCA Studio B, and Hatch Show Print. 
The Ford Division of the Ford Motor Co. is a Founding Partner of the $37 million Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, which opened on May 17, 2001. More information about the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is available at www.countrymusichalloffame.com or by calling (615) 416-2001. Liz Thiels / Tina Wright Country Music Hall of Fame (R) Museum 615-416-2084 |
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