Bluegrass Legend Earl Scruggs

[dirkterrell]

Not sure how many bluegrass fans there are in these parts but I read this morning that Earl Scruggs passed away. Growing up in the South, I listened to bluegrass quite a bit and he was a legend among banjo players. Even if you're not a bluegrass fan, you've almost certainly heard his music. He was a member of the Foggy Mountain Boys and their song Foggy Mountain Breakdown is a classic (and used a lot in movies, especially in rural car chase scenes). He also wrote and performed the theme to the Beverly Hillbillies.

Here's an appearance on Letterman a few years back, performing Foggy Mountain Breakdown with some other notable musicians:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icMTVV5Lwaw

R.I.P. Mr. Scruggs.

[mathman1000]

Heard that on the news this morning too.......Another legend gone.

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

My dad was an excellent guitar and banjo player, so I was quite familiar with bluegrass music growing up, though really didn't develop a taste for it myself. I saw a show on discovery, I think, that chroniced him, and a few others, and talked about how if I remember correctly, that the hammer-downs and pulloffs guitarists use to great effect today were pioneered by those guys? RIP Earl, your music and influence will live on forever!

[~Barn~]

Neat clip you posted, Dirk. I have a deep appreciation for good music, and it seems we lost a great contributor, here...

[salsashark]

Neat clip you posted, Dirk. I have a deep appreciation for good music, and it seems we lost a great contributor, here...

my sentiment exactly.

[dirkterrell]

Neat clip you posted, Dirk. I have a deep appreciation for good music, and it seems we lost a great contributor, here...

Indeed. I heard someone talking about his three-finger style of banjo playing and he said that Scruggs didn't invent it but without Scruggs we wouldn't be arguing about who did.