Obituaries

Earl Scruggs 1924-2012

By | Published on Thursday 29 March 2012

Earl Scruggs

Earl Scruggs, the pioneering bluegrass banjo player who is often credited for helping shape the sound of modern country music, has died aged 88.

Although perhaps best know for his work with guitarist Lester Flatt, including the ‘Foggy Mountain Breakdown’ that appeared in the classic ‘Bonnie And Clyde’ movie, and ‘The Ballad Of Jed Clampett’, which was the theme song for sixties American sitcom ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’, Scruggs had a prolific career, which included developing a very distinct method for playing his banjo, and a role in shaping the “high, lonesome sound” of Bill Monroe, often called the father of bluegrass.

Scruggs, who had played the banjo since childhood, got his first break in Monroe’s band in the mid 1940s, appearing on recordings and radio programmes as well as at live shows. But after just over two years with Monroe, he and Flatt left to form their own duo, leading to a famous two decade feud with their former band leader. The feud deepened when Scrugg and Flatt’s own subsequent outfit, the Foggy Mountain Boys, started to become more successful that Monroe’s own band.

As well as influencing the development of the bluegrass genre, Scrugg’s playing was later also influential on the then emerging 1960s folk scene, and he and Flatt started to play the American folk-festival circuit, which subsequently led to collaborations with Bob Dylan and other folk-rockers.

Though Flatt was less keen on the new folk scene that was rapidly gaining popularity, and in which his bandmate was increasingly playing, and the duo went their separate ways as a result. Scruggs went on to launch a new outfit with his sons called the Earl Scruggs Revue, which saw him diversify again and experiment with a more rock sound.

He continued to perform throughout his life, releasing an album as recently as 2001 that included collaborations with the likes of Elton John, Dwight Yoakam, Sting and Melissa Etheridge. His death was confirmed by his son yesterday.



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