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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Benny Martin’s high-octane take on “Dear Old Dixie,” the new issue of Foggy Mountain Jamboree is not only a valuable historical document, but a powerful portrait of the definitive bluegrass group at the top of their game.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.
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