Earl Scruggs

It seems appropriate to note the passing of Earl Scruggs in this past week since his music had such an impact on the music life of the Eddy family. I remember Mark getting the Scruggs book shortly after he got his first banjo and my amazement when those first rolling chords started coming out of that instrument as Mark got his bearing in the Scruggs style. I first heard Earle Scruggs, like everybody of my generation, on the theme song to the Beverly Hillbillies (I think he and Lester Flatt even appeared in an episode), and then he resurfaced when "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" was such a crucial element in the stunning 1967 film, Bonnie and Clyde. I also was impressed when, in the early 1970's he joined with two of his sons to form the Earl Scruggs Revue that featured drums, electric instruments, Bob Dylan covers, and Earl's banjo. About the same time he participated in the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Will the Circle Be Unbroken albums that brought traditional bluegrass artists and songs to people of my generation.

Here is a conversation from NPR with second-generation banjo players Tony Trischka, Bela Fleck, and Steve Martin. In it Trischka offers an elegantly simple explanation of what Scruggs' style consists of.

Also, here is a remembrance by Bela Fleck, who notes that it was not Scruggs' technique that so impressed him as his taste, creativity, and "a soulfulness . . . that makes you stop in your tracks." (I don't know why PBS only provides sound for this; it is is preceded by a very brief memorial to poet Adrienne Rich, who died on the same day.)