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 THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME® AND MUSEUM PRESENTS
Banjo Man: The Musical Journey of Earl Scruggs
NASHVILLE, Tenn., January 5, 2005 &Mac246; 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&Mac226; 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&Mac226;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&Mac226;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&Mac226; 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&Mac226; 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&Mac226;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 |
EARL SCRUGGS’ RECORDING LEGACY COMPILED INTO ONE ESSENTIAL RELEASE FOR THE FIRST TIME
AMERICAN ICON’S 80TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATED WITH A CAREER OVERVIEW, "ESSENTIAL EARL SCRUGGS," ON EPIC/LEGACY
Release Date MARCH 2nd
Nashville, Tennessee (January 28, 2004) -- Few figures loom larger in the history of American music than Earl Scruggs. His revolutionary approach to the five-string banjo took an almost forgotten instrument and made it not only the most immediately recognizable element of a new genre – bluegrass – but turned it into an instrument capable of playing virtually any kind of music. Since his first appearance on the national scene almost 60 years ago, the name of Earl Scruggs has been 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, recipient of innumerable honors and venerated as one of the 20th century’s greats, Earl Scruggs is a true American original.
Yet remarkably, there has never been a recording that offered an overview of Earl’s career and astonishing body of work – until now. The Essential Earl Scruggs is an indispensible introduction to a rich treasury of American music. Ranging from selections recorded by Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys in 1946 that literally brought bluegrass into existence through early 1980s recordings that built on the popular country-rock-folk-bluegrass fusion of the Earl Scruggs Revue, the double CD set recaps highlights of more three decades of achievement. With informative liner notes by respected country music journalist Rich Kienzle, The Essential Earl Scruggs is a fitting and welcome contribution to the celebration of the master’s 80th birthday.
The set opens with 1946’s "Heavy Traffic Ahead," the first recorded bluegrass tune. Featuring the classic lineup of Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys – Monroe, Scruggs, Lester Flatt, Chubby Wise and Howard Watts – "Heavy Traffic Ahead," like the two other Blue Grass Boys selections ("It’s Mighty Dark To Travel" and "Molly And Tenbrooks") here, drew an enthusiastic response from audiences and musicians alike. With plenty of blazing banjo – Scruggs was often co-billed with Monroe on their Grand Opry appearances – these recordings laid the foundation for what would eventually become an entire genre of music.
The remainder of Disc 1 and the first half of Disc 2 are devoted to recordings by the group Flatt and Scruggs formed after leaving the Blue Grass Boys in 1948. Over two decades, they became the most popular and influential group in bluegrass, matching incessant touring with syndicated television shows, hit recordings and national TV appearances – including on the popular "Beverly Hillbillies" show, for which they recorded an enduring theme song. While The Essential offers a healthy measure of Scruggs’ most famous instrumental performances, like "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" (which achieved worldwide fame when it was used on the soundtrack to Arthur Penn’s "Bonnie And Clyde"), "Earl’s Breakdown," "Flint Hill Special" and multiple selections from the epochal Foggy Mountain Banjo album, there are plenty of songs, too, offering important insight into Scruggs’ ability not only to shine as a soloist, but to provide archetypal support to vocals and solos by other band members – and to contribute as a harmony singer, too.
Rounding out the set is an assortment of material that yields further insight into Scruggs’ artistic breadth and depth. His first appearance at the Newport Folk Festival, where he was backed by Hylo Brown and his band, is documented with a blistering "Cumberland Gap"; "Nashville Blues," from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s epochal Will The Circle Be Unbroken, testifies to the impact his playing had on younger generations; selections from the Earl Scruggs Revue, formed by Earl and his sons following the break-up of Flatt & Scruggs, demonstrate his continued relevance and creativity through the 1970s, while turns with guests like Tom T. Hall and Ricky Skaggs carry the Scruggs legacy into the 1980s.
As bluegrass continues its uprecedented popularity and visibility, newcomers to the genre will welcome the opportunity to discover the music’s roots and key figures – especially one who both created the tradition and continues even today to expand it. From start to finish, The Essential Earl Scruggs offers a well-rounded, wide-ranging musical portrait of one of our greatest national treasures.
www.EarlScruggs.com
PUBLICITY CONTACT: COMMOTION PR 615.467.6677 - KAY CLARY : kay@commotionpr.com | DONICA CHRISTENSEN : donica@commotionpr.com
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EARL SCRUGGS - "The Essential Earl Scruggs"
2-CD (Epic/Legacy)
Arrives in stores March 2, 2004
For more information contact:
Kay Clary / Donica Christensen
Commotion PR | 615.467.6677 | kay@commotionpr.com | donica@commotionpr.com
Email: LegacyMediaRelations@sonymusic.com
THE ESSENTIAL EARL SCRUGGS
C2K 90858
BOOKLET COPY:
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Disc One
By Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys:
1. Heavy Traffic Ahead (2:51)
(B. Monroe) APRS, BMI
Recorded September 16, 1946; Chicago
Produced by Art Satherley
Originally released as Columbia single #20595
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Bill Monroe, mandolin, vocal; Lester Flatt, guitar; Chubby Wise, fiddle; Howard Watts, string bass
2. It's Mighty Dark To Travel ( )
(B. Monroe) Unichappell Music, Inc., BMI
Recorded October 27, 1947; Chicago
Produced by Art Satherley
Originally released as Columbia single #20526
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Bill Monroe, mandolin, tenor vocal; Lester Flatt, guitar, lead vocal; Chubby Wise, fiddle; Howard Watts, string bass
3. Molly And Tenbrooks (The Race Horse Song) (2:44)
(B. Monroe) APRS, BMI
Recorded October 28, 1947; Chicago
Produced by Art Satherley
Originally released as Columbia single #20612
Personnel same as track 1
By Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and The Foggy Mountain Boys:
4. Down The Road (2:39)
(L. Flatt-E. Scruggs) EMI Unart Catalog Inc., BMI
Recorded April or May, 1949; Cincinnati
Produced by Murray Nash
Originally released as Mercury single #6211
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Lester Flatt, guitar, vocal; Curly Seckler, mandolin; Art Wooten, fiddle; Howard Watts, string bass
Courtesy of Mercury Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises
5. Foggy Mountain Breakdown (2:39)
(E. Scruggs) APRS, BMI
Recorded December 11, 1949; Cincinnati
Produced by Murray Nash
Originally released as Mercury single #6247
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Lester Flatt, guitar; Curly Seckler, mandolin; Benny Sims, fiddle; Howard Watts, string bass
Courtesy of Mercury Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises
6. Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms (2:36)
(C. Monroe) APRS, BMI
Recorded October 20, 1950; Tampa
Produced by Murray Nash
Originally released as Mercury single #6372
Earl Scruggs, banjo, baritone vocal; Lester Flatt, guitar, lead vocal; Curly Seckler, mandolin, tenor vocal; Benny Sims, fiddle, bass vocal; Jody Rainwater, string bass
Courtesy of Mercury Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises
7. Old Salty Dog Blues (2:28)
(W. Morris-Z. Morris) APRS, BMI
Recorded October 20, 1950; Tampa
Produced by Murray Nash
Originally released as Mercury single #6396
Earl Scruggs, banjo, baritone vocal; Lester Flatt, guitar; Curly Seckler, mandolin, tenor vocal; Benny Sims, lead vocal, fiddle; Jody Rainwater, string bass
Courtesy of Mercury Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises
8. Pike County Breakdown (2:42)
(R. Jones) APRS, BMI
Recorded October 20, 1950; Tampa
Produced by Murray Nash
Originally released as Mercury single #6396
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Lester Flatt, guitar; Curly Seckler, mandolin; Benny Sims, fiddle; Jody Rainwater, string bass
Courtesy of Mercury Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises
9. Come Back Darling ( )
(L. Flatt) APRS, BMI
Recorded November 21, 1950; Nashville
Originally released as Columbia single #20777
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Lester Flatt, guitar, lead vocal; Curly Seckler, mandolin, tenor vocal; Benny Sims, fiddle; Jody Rainwater, string bass
10. Don't Get Above Your Raising (2:43)
(L. Flatt-E. Scruggs) APRS, BMI
Recorded May 9, 1951; Nashville
Originally released as Columbia single #20854
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Lester Flatt, guitar, vocal; Everett Lilly, mandolin; Chubby Wise, fiddle; Jody Rainwater, string bass
11. Jimmie Brown, The Newsboy (2:43)
(A.P. Carter) APRS, BMI
Recorded May 9, 1951; Nashville
Originally released as Columbia single #20830
Earl Scruggs, lead guitar; Lester Flatt, guitar, vocal; Everett Lilly, mandolin; Chubby Wise, fiddle; Jody Rainwater, string bass
12. Earl's Breakdown (2:59)
(E. Scruggs) APRS, BMI
Recorded October 24, 1951; Nashville
Originally released as Columbia single #20886
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Lester Flatt, guitar; Everett Lilly, mandolin; Howdy Forrester, fiddle; Jody Rainwater, string bass
13. Get In Line Brother (2:21)
(L. Flatt) APRS, BMI
Recorded October 24, 1951; Nashville
Originally released as Columbia single #20915
Earl Scruggs, banjo, baritone vocal; Lester Flatt, guitar, lead vocal; Everett Lilly, mandolin, tenor vocal; Howdy Forrester, fiddle; Jody Rainwater, string bass, bass vocal
14. Dear Old Dixie (2:29)
(L. Flatt-E. Scruggs) APRS, BMI
Recorded November 9, 1952; Nashville
Originally released as Columbia single #21125
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Lester Flatt, guitar; Curly Seckler, mandolin; Benny Martin, fiddle; Jody Rainwater, string bass
15. Flint Hill Special (2:45)
(E. Scruggs) APRS, BMI
Recorded November 9, 1952; Nashville
Originally released as Columbia single #21054
Personnel same as track 14
16. Foggy Mountain Chimes (2:16)
(E. Scruggs) APRS, BMI
Recorded August 29, 1953; Nashville
Originally released as Columbia single #21179
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Lester Flatt, guitar; Louis Innis, rhythm guitar; Curly Seckler, mandolin; Benny Martin, fiddle; Bob Moore, string bass
17. Till The End Of The World Rolls Round (2:34)
(N. Thomas) Universal Cedarwood Publishing, BMI
Recorded May 19, 1954; Nashville
Originally released as Columbia single #21334
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Lester Flatt, guitar, vocal; Louis Innis, rhythm guitar; Curly Seckler, mandolin; Paul Warren, fiddle; Jake Tullock, string bass
18. Foggy Mountain Special (2:02)
(L. Certain-G. Stacey) Universal Cedarwood Publishing, BMI
Recorded May 19, 1954; Nashville
Originally released as Columbia single #21295
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Lester Flatt, guitar; Louis Innis, rhythm guitar; Curly Seckler, mandolin; Chubby Wise, fiddle; Jake Tullock, string bass
19. Randy Lynn Rag (2:04)
(E. Scruggs) APRS, BMI
Recorded September 2, 1955; Nashville
Produced by Don Law
Originally released as Columbia single #21501
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Lester Flatt, guitar; Jack Shook, rhythm guitar; Curly Seckler, mandolin; Josh Graves, dobro; Paul Warren, fiddle; Ernie Newton, string bass
20. Shuckin' The Corn (2:02)
(L. Certain-G. Stacey-B. Graves) Golden West Melodies Inc., BMI
Recorded January 27, 1957: Nashville
Produced by Don Law
Originally released as Columbia single #40853
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Lester Flatt, guitar; Ray Edenton, rhythm guitar; Curly Seckler, mandolin; Josh Graves, dobro; Paul Warren, fiddle, Howard Watts, string bass
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Disc Two
With Hylo Brown and The Timberliners:
1. John Henry?live (2:52)
(traditional, arranged by E. Scruggs) APRS, BMI
Recorded 1959 at the Newport Folk Festival
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Hylo Brown, guitar, vocal; probably Red Rector, mandolin; Tater Tate, fiddle; Flap Jack Phillips, string bass
2. Cumberland Gap?live (1:30)
(traditional, arranged by E. Scruggs) APRS, BMI
Recorded 1959 at the Newport Folk Festival
Personnel same as track 1
By Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and The Foggy Mountain Boys:
3. Cripple Creek (2:05)
(traditional, arranged by E. Scruggs) APRS, BMI
Recorded August 11, 1960; Nashville
Produced by Don Law
Originally released on the album Foggy Mountain Banjo (Columbia CS
8364)
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Lester Flatt, guitar; Josh Graves, dobro; Paul Warren, fiddle; Jake Tullock, string bass; Buddy Harman, drums
4. Reuben (1:59)
(traditional, arranged by E. Scruggs) APRS, BMI
Recorded August 11, 1960; Nashville
Produced by Don Law
Originally released on the album Foggy Mountain Banjo (Columbia CS
8364)
Personnel same as track 3
5. Sally Goodwin (2:09)
(traditional, arranged by Earl Scruggs) APRS, BMI
Recorded August 9, 1960; Nashville
Produced by Don Law
Originally released on the album Foggy Mountain Banjo (Columbia CS
8364)
Personnel same as track 3
6. Foggy Mountain Top (2:25)
featuring Mother Maybelle Carter
(A.P. Carter) APRS, BMI
Recorded February 10, 1961; Nashville
Produced by Don Law
Originally released on the album Songs Of The Famous Carter Family
(Columbia CS 8464)
Earl Scruggs, banjo, baritone vocal; Lester Flatt, guitar, lead vocal; Curly Seckler, mandolin, tenor vocal; Josh Graves, dobro; Paul Warren, Fiddle, bass vocal; Jake Tullock, string bass, high baritone vocal; Maybelle Carter, autoharp
7. Georgia Buck (2:51)
(E. Scruggs-L. Flatt) Scruggs Music Inc., BMI
Recorded July 2, 1964; Nashville
Produced by Don Law and Frank Jones
Originally released on the album The Fabulous Sound Of Lester Flatt
& Earl Scruggs (Columbia CS 9055)
Earl Scruggs, guitar; Josh Graves, dobro; Jake Tullock, string bass
8. John Hardy Was A Desperate Little Man (2:14)
with Doc Watson
(A.P. Carter) APRS, BMI
Recorded December 12, 1966; Nashville
Produced by Don Law and Frank Jones
Originally released on the album Strictly Instrumental (Columbia CS
9443)
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Lester Flatt, guitar; Doc Watson (courtesy of the Vanguard Recording Society), guitar; Grady Martin, guitar; Josh Graves, dobro; Charlie McCoy, harmonica; Jake Tullock, string bass; Buddy Harman, drums
9. The Ballad Of Jed Clampett (2:03)
(P. Henning) Carolintone Music Company Inc., BMI
Recorded September 24, 1962; Nashville
Produced by Don Law and Frank Jones
Originally released as Columbia single #42606
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Lester Flatt, guitar, vocal; Josh Graves, dobro; Paul Warren, fiddle; Jake Tullock, string bass; Buddy Harman, drums
10. Nashville Skyline Rag (2:45)
(B. Dylan) Big Sky Music, SESAC
Recorded August 21, 1969; Nashville
Produced by Bob Johnston
Originally released on the album Final Fling - One Last Time (Just For
Kicks) (Columbia CS 9945)
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Randy Scruggs, lead guitar, 12-string guitar; Johnny Johnson, rhythm guitar; Charlie Daniels, rhythm 12-string guitar; Josh Graves, dobro; Paul Warren, fiddle; Charlie McCoy, harmonica; Bobby Dyson, or Bobby Moore, bass; Willie Ackerman, Kenny Buttrey or Jerry Carrigan, drums
By Earl Scruggs:
11. Nashville Blues (3:09)
(E. Scruggs) Scruggs Music Inc., BMI
Recorded 1971; Nashville
Produced by William E. McEuen, Aspen Recording Society
Originally released on the album Will The Circle Be Unbroken (United
Artists UAS-9801)
Earl Scruggs, lead banjo; John McEuen, banjo; Randy Scruggs (courtesy of the Vanguard Recording Society), guitar; Norman Blake, dobro; Vassar Clements, fiddle; Jimmie Fadden, harp; Jeff Hanna, washboard; Junior Huskey, bass
Courtesy of
12. I Saw The Light (3:43)
(H. Williams) Sony/ATV Acuff Rose Music, BMI
Recorded August 12, 1971; Nashville
Produced by Don Law
Originally released on the album I Saw The Light With Some Help From
My Friends (Columbia KC 31354)
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Randy Scruggs, guitar; Norman Blake, dobro; Vassar Clements, fiddle; Bob Wilson, piano; Steve Scruggs, keyboards; Gary Scruggs, bass, vocal; Jody Maphis or Karl Himmel, drums; Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (courtesy of United Artists Records), Linda Ronstadt (courtesy of Capitol Records), Stacey Belson and Arloff Boguslavaki, vocals
By The Earl Scruggs Revue:
13. Some Of Shelley's Blues (2:56)
(M. Nesmith) Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc., BMI
Recorded April 24, 1973; Nashville
Produced by Ron Bledsoe
Originally released on the album The Earl Scruggs Revue (Columbia KC
32426)
Earl Scruggs, banjo, backing vocal; Randy Scruggs, electric and acoustic lead guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocal; Josh Graves, dobro, guitar; Gary Scruggs, electric bass, harmonica, lead vocal; Jody Maphis, drums, backing vocal
By Earl Scruggs:
14. Peking Fling (2:12)
(M. Clements) Vassar's Music Company, ASCAP
Recorded March 9, 1973; Nashville
Produced by Ron Bledsoe
Originally released on the album Dueling Banjos (Columbia C 32268)
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Randy Scruggs, electric and acoustic lead guitar; Chip Young, rhythm guitar; Josh Graves, dobro; Vassar Clements, fiddle; Ron Bledsoe, harpsichord, organ; Gary Scruggs, electric bass, harmonica; Jody Maphis, drums
By The Earl Scruggs Revue:
15. I Shall Be Released (3:48)
(B. Dylan) Dwarf Music, SESAC
Recorded December 4, 1973; Nashville
Produced by Ron Bledsoe
Originally released on the album Rockin' 'Cross The Country
(Columbia KC 32943)
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Randy Scruggs, electric and acoustic lead guitar, frailing banjo; Teddy Irwin, rhythm guitar; Josh Graves, dobro; Shane Keister, keyboards; Gary Scruggs, electric bass, harmonica, lead and backing vocals; Jody Maphis, drums; BonnieBramlett, backing vocal
16. Stash It (2:13)
(E. Scruggs) Scruggs Music Inc., BMI
Recorded November 1973; Nashville
Produced by Ron Bledsoe
Originally released on the soundtrack Where The Lillies Bloom
(Columbia KC 32806)
Personnel similar to track 15
By Earl Scruggs and Tom T. Hall:
17. Song Of The South ( )
(B. McDill) Ranger Bob Music/Universal Polygram International
Publishing Inc., ASCAP
Recorded ; Nashville
Produced by Randy Scruggs and John Thompson
Originally released on the album The Storyteller And The Banjoman
(Columbia FC 37953)
Earl Scruggs, banjo, backing vocal; Randy Scruggs, acoustic guitar, mandolin; Jerry Douglas, dobro; Byron Berline, fiddle, backing vocal; Gene Sisk, Rhodes piano; Paul Uhrig, bass; Clyde Brooks, drums; Tom T. Hall, lead vocal; Rosanne Cash, Rodney Crowell and The Oak Ridge Boys (William Lee Golden, Richard Sterban, Duane Allen and Joe Bonsall) (courtesy of MCA Records, Inc.), backing vocals
By The Earl Scruggs Revue:
18. I Still Miss Someone (3:26)
with Johnny Cash
(J.R. Cash-R. Cash, Jr.) House Of Cash Southwind Music/Unichappell
Music Inc., BMI
Recorded February 19, 1975; Nashville
Produced by Ron Bledsoe
Originally released on the album The Earl Scruggs Revue Volume II
(Columbia PC 34090)
Earl Scruggs, banjo, backing vocal; Johnny Cash, guitar, lead vocal; Randy Scruggs, guitar; Gary Scruggs, electric bass, harmonica
By Earl Scruggs:
19. We'll Meet Again Sweetheart (3:11)
with Ricky Skaggs
(L. Flatt-E. Scruggs) APRS, BMI
Recorded August 9, 1982; Nashville
Produced by Randy Scruggs and John Thompson
Originally released on the album Top Of The World (Columbia FC
38295)
Earl Scruggs, banjo, backing vocal; Ricky Skaggs, guitar, mandolin, lead and backing vocals; Randy Scruggs, guitar; Jerry Douglas, dobro; Bobby Hicks, fiddle; Gene Sisk, Rhodes piano; Paul Uhrig, bass
20. American-Made. World-Played (2:43)
(E. Scruggs) Scruggs Music Inc., BMI
Recorded May 15, 1984; Nashville
Produced by Randy Scruggs
Originally released on the album American-Made. World-Played
(Columbia FC 39586)
Earl Scruggs, banjo; Randy Scruggs, guitar; Mark O'Connor, fiddle, mandolin, guitar; Josh Graves, dobro; Ralph Mooney, steel guitar; Steve Scruggs, keyboards; Ron Oates, keyboards; Gary Scruggs, bass, harmonica; Jerry Kroon, drums; Farrell Morris, percussion
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As he turns 80 in 2004, Earl Eugene Scruggs stands in rarefied company. Like Louis Armstrong, Art Tatum and Jimi Hendrix, his five-string banjo virtuosity has transcended humble beginnings to become an indelible part of American popular culture.
Scruggs, born January 6, 1924 near Shelby, in North Carolina's Piedmont, grew up in a region teeming with rural music. His dad George, a farmer and bookkeeper, played five string banjo as did Earl's two brothers and two sisters. By the time George died in 1928, Earl was already getting familiar with the banjo. During the Depression, the instrument was a source of solace as Earl helped work the family farm.
Most banjoists strummed chords with their thumb and index finger. But around Cleveland County, a few used the thumb and one or two fingers to pick lead lines. Earl heard some of these players and at age ten, devised his own three-finger style. As a teenager he played with the Morris Brothers, a popular regional act. During World War II, he worked in a local factory producing parachutes for the war effort.
With the war winding down in 1945, Earl returned to fulltime music with Lost John Miller and his Allied Kentuckians, who performed in Knoxville and Nashville. A friend suggested he audition for Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys at the Grand Ole Opry. He waited a while.
His late 1945 audition was perfectly timed. Monroe had a new band centered around the gifted singer-guitarist Lester Flatt and fiddler Chubby Wise. Earl's rolling, flowing banjo leads astounded Monroe and his musicians. Over the next two years they defined bluegrass in its most fundamental, dynamic form on recordings like "Heavy Traffic Ahead" and "Blue Grass Breakdown." Young banjoists scrambled to emulate Earl.
Lester and Earl, who realized how well their talents meshed, grew weary of Monroe's low wages. They quit early in 1948 to form Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys. Over the next couple years they played over radio stations in five different states and recorded two dozen numbers for Mercury, among them "Old Salty Dog Blues" and the original version of Earl's bracing signature tune: "Foggy Mountain Breakdown."
Signing with Columbia in 1950, the band only improved. Their recordings of "Jimmie Brown the Newsboy" and instrumental showcases like "Randy Lynn Rag" (named for Earl's son) and "Earl's Breakdown" (centered around his self-invented banjo tuners) became bluegrass standards. With gifted players like fiddler Paul Warren, mandolinist Curly Seckler and Dobroist Josh Graves, the Foggy Mountain Boys maintained high musical standards. They joined the Opry in 1955 and soon had a syndicated TV show as well.
In 1955, Earl's wife Louise began managing Flatt and Scruggs. Her shrewd business sense made all the difference. Meanwhile, his banjo style gained favor with young urban folk enthusiasts. That led to his 1959 appearance at the first Newport Folk Festival with Hylo Brown (a onetime Flatt and Scruggs opening act) and his Timberliners. New York Times reviewer Robert Shelton compared Earl's virtuosity to Paganini's on classical violin.
Catching Flatt and Scruggs at the Los Angeles folk club the Ash Grove, television producer Paul Henning asked them to record the theme and soundtrack music for his new sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies, which debuted in 1962. "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" became both a classic TV theme and the first bluegrass single to top the country charts. Lester and Earl's occasional appearances on the show widened their exposure even more. "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" became the theme of the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde. Their concert schedule included colleges and San Francisco's Avalon Ballroom, a Mecca for the hippie counterculture that spearheaded the progressive rock of the mid to late 60's.
With musical tastes ranging far beyond bluegrass or country, Earl understood the far-reaching impact of this new, sophisticated, style of rock could broaden the act's base. He added newer tunes, many by Bob Dylan, to Flatt and Scruggs albums which alienated Lester, a traditionalist who disapproved of the youth culture and its music. The tensions came to a head in 1969 when, after a final Opry appearance and album, Flatt and Scruggs went their separate ways. Lester led a traditional band for nearly a decade. He reconciled with Earl shortly before his death in 1979.
With sons Gary and Randy now his musical partners, Earl, undaunted by criticism from Nashville conservatives, fearlessly forged ahead. The 1970 Public Broadcasting documentary Earl Scruggs, His Family and Friends featured guest appearances from longtime admirers, among them Dylan, Joan Baez and the Byrds. Linda Ronstadt and Arlo Guthrie appeared on a subsequent LP. Earl assisted the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in creating their landmark, generation-spanning 1971 album Will the Circle Be Unbroken.
In 1969, Earl and his sons Gary and Randy, and later Steve, launched the Earl Scruggs Revue, a recording and touring band that mixed Flatt and Scruggs favorites with contemporary rock, folk, blues and jazz. In 1998 Randy, now a respected Nashville producer, reflected that, "I think the greatest contribution we made was to be able to show an incredibly high level of musicianship, not only on record but also in concert. Some people characterized it as bluegrass because of Dad's background. But in essence, we were really a mixture of a lot of different forms of music. It was just an incredible experience to be part of that."
The Revue continued until 1980 when Earl's physical problems made extensive touring difficult. That didn't stop him from recording. In 1982 he did an entire album with his lifelong friend Tom T. Hall. His albums featured cameos from Ricky Skaggs and Johnny Cash to Melissa Etheridge and Billy Bob Thornton. Yet he never abandoned the traditional sound. In 2003 he proved it his The Three Pickers effort, which teamed Earl with Doc Watson and Skaggs.
Many musical innovators only reap the honors and tributes they long deserved posthumously. Earl Scruggs has not only lived to savor those accolades during his lifetime, he's not inclined ?even after eight decades---to sit back and rest on them.
- RICH KIENZLE
CREDITS
Compilation produced by Gregg Geller
Mastered by Vic Anesini at Sony Music Studios, New York
Lacquer transfers by Matt Cavaluzzo at Sony Music Studios, New York Legacy A&R: Steve Berkowitz
Special Thanks to Earl and Louise Scruggs and Margie Hunt
Also Available by Flatt & Scruggs
Songs Of The Famous Carter Family
Greatest Hits
Columbia Historic Edition
The Essential Flatt & Scruggs: Tis Sweet To Be Remembered (2 CDs) 16 Biggest Hits
Also Available by Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys
Columbia Historic Edition
The Essential Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys (2 CDs)
16 Gems
www.legacyrecordings.com
www.sonymusic.com/essentials
LOGOS: Columbia, Legacy
This package consists of previously released material.
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