Posted on 03/28/2012 5:09:53 PM PDT by smokingfrog
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Bluegrass legend and banjo pioneer Earl Scruggs, who teamed helped profoundly change country music with Bill Monroe and later with guitarist Lester Flatt, has died. He was 88.
Scruggs' son Gary said his father passed away Wednesday morning at a Nashville, Tenn., hospital. Gary Scruggs said his father died of natural causes.
The elder Scruggs was an innovator who pioneered modern banjo sound. His use of three fingers rather than the clawhammer style elevated the banjo from a part of the rhythm section or a comedian's prop to a lead instrument.
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
I was just thinking of a tape I have of my Father’s favorite song. It was sung by the choir at his funeral.
On this tape, Johnny Cash, The Dirt Band, Earl Scruggs and maybe some others are about to play “Life’s Railway to Heaven”.
One of the Dirt Band members asks Johnny Cash how something technical should be done. Johnny then is heard saying “show him how it is done Earl”. Next Earl starts on the banjo and everyone else just jumps in.
A really good song.
I liked the show when Cousin Roy (Roy Clark) would show up too.
Lester and Earl are indeed together again.
Here is a thread http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1297876/posts from 2004 when Jerry Scoggins died.
Yea he's another great one. I could watch that show for hours. Another good show would have been if Homer & Jethro come to visit LOL.
Bill Monroe and The Stanley Brothers brought us some great musicans. They helped keep Bluegrass alive which was much older then themselves. Some songs they wrote & some were many generations old they kept alive.
Awww... I watched Lester and Earl so many times on WSM growing up in Tennessee.
Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs, the Carter Family, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Life's Mountain Railway
Again, seems fitting tonight...
Our whole family is grieving. Earl is an old friend. We played many a Bluegrass festival with him and Lester. Lower Forty Grass fronted for The Earl Scruggs Review at Old Miss for a huge concert, as I recall it was about 78. It was after Earl started playing with his sons. That was a great night because the LF brought down the house and closed with Dixie and a huge Rebel flag waved by my little boy, who was 9 at the time. We've now lost Lester Flatt, Bill Monroe, Charlie Waller, Don Reno and many more. All friends and fellow travelers back in the day. My world is shrinking. May God bless Earl's family with comfort and peace.
Yes that is exactly the one I was thinking about. The reason there have only been 3 views of it is because they used the wrong title for the song, tho those words are in it.
Oh, and yes you are right. That is the perfect song to play tonight. “Life’s Railway to Heaven”.
Didn’t Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs perform in an episode of the Andy Griffith Show, like before Beverly Hillbillies?
I remember best “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” from Bonnie & Clyde when the police in those 1930’s sedans were chasing B & C across the wheat fields.
Earl Scruggs is playing a heavenly gig now ‘cause sooner or later the best get called home. We here will miss him.
“I was just thinking of a tape I have of my Fathers favorite song. It was sung by the choir at his funeral.
On this tape, Johnny Cash, The Dirt Band, Earl Scruggs and maybe some others are about to play Lifes Railway to Heaven.
One of the Dirt Band members asks Johnny Cash how something technical should be done. Johnny then is heard saying show him how it is done Earl. Next Earl starts on the banjo and everyone else just jumps in.
A really good song.”
Right here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCGE02HR798
Also, “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” (album finale)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bRJLkNqNXI
(both are from “Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. II”, 1989)
-——What did they say?——
As I recall, they were interested in the fact they had a group of fans at NC State College, engineers to boot. There were 4 or 5 of us
My room mate was going to do the interview but froze up. It was a scam to get into the dressing room to meet Lester and Earl and to get albums autographed. We were warmly welcomed but taken aback because it was hard to tell who was who. The took off their big hats and were in t shirts and didn’t look at all like they did on stage.
That was coming on 50 years ago.
Neither us nor them were completely sober as I recall.
Sounds perfectly true to form.
I would add Hazel Dickens to your list.
Yes that first one is the one I was talking about. I have seen it before but don’t recall when or where. I do have that on tape tho.
When Johnny Cash tells Earl to show him how to do it, he is not saying it in a condescending way, he literally means for him to show how to do it.
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