Legendary Bluegrass Musician Earl Scruggs Dies at 88
Bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs, whose style of banjo playing became known as ‘The Scruggs Style’, passed away of natural causes. He was 88. Even if you don’t know a lot of Bluegrass, you’ve heard his music. Everyone’s heard the Ballad of Jed Clampett (also known as The Beverly Hillbillies Theme) and even if you don’t normally listen to Bluegrass, you’ve most likely heard him playing Foggy Mountain Breakdown.
Scruggs became a national figure when he became a featured member of Bill Monroe’s group, The Blue Grass Boys, and later left The Blue Grass Boys to form The Foggy Mountain Boys with guitarist Lester Flatt. They later renamed themselves Flatt and Scruggs, and the rest, as they say, is history. For over 20 years, they were mainstays on the country and bluesgrass scene, in many ways defining the genre. Scruggs went against the country establishment (and Flatt) by performing with then current acts like Bob Dylan, The Byrds, Joan Baez and King Curtis and incorporating their songs into the Flatt & Scruggs act. It led to a split and Scruggs went on to form The Earl Scruggs Revue.
Scruggs left a tremendous mark on popular culture. The Ballad Of Jed Clampett, which was the theme song for ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ featured Flatts & Scruggs and became a huge hit on the country and pop charts. Foggy Mountain Breakdown, which Scruggs wrote in 1949, was featured to great effect in Bonnie And Clyde and on Monty Python’s Flying Circus. In 1969, Scruggs performed the song at an anti-war rally in Washington D.C., becoming one of the few country/bluegrass artists to openly take a stance against the war in Vietnam. The 1975 documentary Banjoman focused on a tribute concert to Scruggs and featured The Byrds, Baez, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Doc & Merle Watson and David Bromberg. In 2001, Scruggs re-recorded Foggy Mountain Breakdown with featuring many of the artists who cited Scruggs as an influence: Steve Martin (he played the song during his standup days), Leon Russell, Marty Stuart, Albert Lee, Vince Gill, Marty Stuart and Paul Shaffer. This performance led to another Grammy. The band that is formed in the Coen Brothers classic, O Brother, Where Art Thou is named The Soggy Bottom Boys as a homage to The Foggy Mountain Boys.
His accolades are endless: A member of The Country Music Hall Of Fame. An inaugural inductee to The International Bluegrass Music Hall Of Honor. Awarded the National Heritage Fellowship Award winner. A multiple Grammy award winner including The Lifetime Achievement Award. A star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
Earl Scruggs is gone, but his legacy and music will live on forever.
Here’s some of his terrific work.
