Earl Scruggs

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Earl Scruggs (2005)

Earl Eugene Scruggs (born January 6, 1924 in Shelby , North Carolina , † March 28, 2012 in Nashville , Tennessee ) was an American bluegrass musician . Scruggs was considered a virtuoso on the banjo and played a crucial role in the development of bluegrass.

Life

Childhood and youth

Earl Scruggs began playing the banjo at the age of four and, under the influence of "Smith" Hammett and Snuffy Jenkins, developed a novel style that revolutionized the way the banjo was played and is now standard for most bluegrass banjoists. Scruggs' father, a farmer and accountant, played the fiddle and banjo. He died after a serious illness when Scruggs was four years old. Earl Scruggs' siblings also all played an instrument.

Career start

Scruggs began his career in 1945 with Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys. He replaced old-time banjo player Dave "Stringbean" Akeman, who played Clawhammer and Frailing and who had left Monroe in September 1945. With Scruggs, the band's music quickly evolved into what was later called bluegrass . On stage, Monroe Scruggs always emphasized with the words " Earl Scruggs with his fancy banjo ". Scruggs' popularity rose through regular appearances in the Grand Ole Opry at WSM in Nashville . In 1948 Scruggs separated from Bill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys, which had personal and commercial reasons.

Flatt and Scruggs

Together with guitarist Lester Flatt , he founded the duo Flatt and Scruggs . The two had met at the Bluegrass Boys, and in 1948 Flatt also left the band. According to sales figures, Flatt and Scruggs became the most successful bluegrass artists in the United States along with their band, the Foggy Mountain Boys. Her performances took her across the United States, and she was a member of the Grand Ole Opry , the Tennessee Barn Dance in Knoxville and the Louisiana Hayride . Her biggest hit was the Foggy Mountain Breakdown , the later theme song for the film Bonnie and Clyde . An audience not familiar with bluegrass was Flatt and Scruggs through the theme song of the television series The Beverly Hillbillies ; they also had guest appearances on the show.

Scruggs separated from Lester Flatt in 1969 in order to run the Earl Scruggs Revue with his three sons from the 1970s. The band pioneered the electrification of acoustic bluegrass by adding drums and electric bass to the traditional instrumentation and adding rock elements to the genre.

Awards

Over the years Scruggs has received numerous honors: in 1985 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame , in 1991 he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor , and in 2002 he was inducted into America's Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame . In 1992 he was awarded the National Medal of Arts by the American Congress . At the 2008 Grammy Awards , Scruggs received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his musical life's work.

Discography

For publications as part of Flatt & Scruggs see here .

Albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
US US Country Country
1972 Live at Kansas State - Country20 (14 weeks)
Country
with The Earl Scruggs Revue
1973 Rockin 'Cross The Country - Country46 (3 weeks)
Country
The Earl Scruggs Revue US169 (5 weeks)
US 		Country20 (8 weeks)
Country
with The Earl Scruggs Revue
1975 Anniversary Special US104 (10 weeks)
US 		Country16 (11 weeks)
Country
with The Earl Scruggs Revue
1976 The Earl Scruggs Revue 2 US161 (4 weeks)
US 		Country32 (11 weeks)
Country
Family portrait - Country49 (2 weeks)
Country
1977 Live from Austin City Limits - Country49 (1 week)
Country
with The Earl Scruggs Revue
1978 Bold & New - Country50 (1 week)
Country
with The Earl Scruggs Revue
2001 Earl Scruggs and Friends - Country39 (35 weeks)
Country
2003 Three pickers US179 (4 weeks)
US 		Country24 (16 weeks)
Country

More albums

  • 1970: Nashville's Rock
  • 1971: Earl Scruggs His Family And Friends
  • 1972: I Saw The Light With Some Help From My Friends
  • 1972: Will the circle be unbroken (with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
  • 1973: Dueling Banjos
  • 1974: Where The Lilies Bloom
  • 1977: Strike Anywhere
  • 1979: Today And Forever (with The Earl Scruggs Revue)
  • 1980: Country Comfort
  • 1982: The Storyteller And The Banjo Man (with Tom T. Hall )
  • 1982: Top Of The World (with the Burrito Brothers)
  • 1984: Super Jammin '
  • 1984: American Made World Player
  • 1987: Banjoman
  • 1998: Artist's Choice: The Best Tracks, 1970–1980 (with The Earl Scruggs Revue)
  • 2002: Classic Bluegrass Live - 1959–1966 (partly with Lester Flatt and the Foggy Mountain Boys)
  • 2004: The Essential Earl Scruggs (2 CDs)
  • 2005: Anniversary Special - Volume One - Volume Two (with The Earl Scruggs Revue)
  • 2008: Earl Scruggs with Family & Friends - The Ultimate Collection: Live at the Ryman

Singles

year Title
album 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
Country Country
1970 Nashville Skyline Rag
Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends 		Country74 (2 weeks)
Country
B-side: Train No 45
1979 I Could Sure Use The Feeling
Today & Forever 		Country30 (11 weeks)
Country
B-side: Drive To The Country
Play Me No Sad Songs
Today & Forever 		Country82 (4 weeks)
Country
B-side: Morning After Kind Of Man
1980 Blue Moon Of Kentucky
Today & Forever 		Country46 (9 weeks)
Country
B-side: Give Me A Sign
1982 There Ain't No Country Music on This Jukebox
Storyteller and the Banjo Man 		Country77 (4 weeks)
Country
B-side: Don't This Road Look Rough And Rocky
with Tom T. Hell
Song Of The South
Storyteller and the Banjo Man 		Country72 (5 weeks)
Country
B-side: Shackles And Chains
with Tom T. Hell

More singles

  • 1971: East Virginia Blues / Lonesome Reuben
  • 1971: Country Comfort / T For Texas
  • 1971: Brand New Tennessee Waltz / Foggy Mountain Breakdown
  • 1972: Lonesome And A Long Way From Home / Never Ending Song Of Love
  • 1973: If I'd Only Come And Gone / Station Break
  • 1974: Where The Lilies Bloom / All My Trials
  • 1974: Travelin 'Prayer / Silver Eagle
  • 1976: Tall Texas Woman / Daydream
  • 1978: Cabin / Our Love Is Home Grown
  • 1980: Country Comfort / It'll Be Alright
  • 1982: Sittin 'On Top Of The World / Lindsey
  • 1983: Could You Love Me One More Time / Roller Coaster
  • 1984: Pedal To The Metal / Leaving Louisiana In Broad Daylight

Guest Posts

year Title
album 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
Country Country
1998 Same Old Train
Tribute to Tradition 		Country59 (5 weeks)
Country
with various artists

Video albums

  • 2003: The Three Pickers (with Doc Watson and Ricky Skaggs)
  • 2005: Earl Scruggs - His Family and Friends
  • 2005: Private Sessions
  • 2006: The Bluegrass Legend
  • 2007: The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 1
  • 2007: The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 2
  • 2007: The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 3
  • 2007: The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 4
  • 2008: The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 5
  • 2008: The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 6
  • 2009: The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 7
  • 2009: The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 8
  • 2010: The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 9
  • 2010: The Best of Flatt and Scruggs TV Show Vol 10

Web links

Commons : Earl Scruggs  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Earl Scruggs Dead: Bluegrass Legend Dies at 88
  2. ↑ http://countrymusichalloffame.org/Inductees/InducteeDetail/flatt-and-scruggs
  3. ↑ http://arts.gov/honors/medals/year/1992
  4. ↑ a b c Chart sources: US
personal data
SURNAME Scruggs, Earl
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Scruggs, Earl Eugene (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American bluegrass musician
DATE OF BIRTH January 6, 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH Shelby , North Carolina
DATE OF DEATH March 28, 2012
Place of death Nashville , Tennessee