Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt Shape Early Bluegrass

5. Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Band: Blue Ridge Cabin Home
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG5zLRjwJ90m 1957

Along with Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs were essential in the emergence and visibility of bluegrass music in American popular culture. Lester Flatt began his career playing with Bill Monroe and his best known for his guitar playing skill and unique singing voice. Earl Scruggs was best known for his innovative banjo picking style, which became known as “Scruggs style picking.” Scruggs would play the banjo using a three-finger style that revolutionized banjo playing. The chosen selection from 1957 demonstrates Scrugg’s unique picking style and Flatt’s unmatched vocal skills. Along with Scrugg and Flatt we hear the accompaniment of their Foggy Mountain Band.

6. Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, and Maybelle Carter: Foggy Mountain Top
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZw6vFhHbEE&feature=related
The relevance of this selection comes from the emergence of bluegrass in popular culture. In this track Flatt and Scruggs are accompanied by music icon June Carter, who often played with Johnny Cash. This song was a clear indicator of how far the bluegrass movement had come in just 20 short years. In the mid-1930’s bluegrass was a vague concept that applied to few artists including Bill Monroe, and over a short time it had gained national recognition. One important element of this song is the lyrics that deal with the common bluegrass themes of nature and love. It is also significant to note that traditional bluegrass did not involve women, but this selection of course breaks with that tradition.



7. The Nashville Grass: Your Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq94OEnAYv0
One unique aspect of the bluegrass music community is that the founding musicians were continually revered despite their frequent changing of groups. The importance of individual talent is clearly an essential part of bluegrass tradition, which is displayed through this selection. The Nashville Grass formed in 1969 around the talented Lester Flatt after he split with his longtime partner Earl Scruggs. Not only does this song from 1976 represent the reverence of individuals, but it is also an example of a new phenomenon of outdoor bluegrass festivals and performances that transformed the genre. As previously mentioned Lester Flatt’s unique voice is the highlight of this song. He sings the melody on his own and is accompanied for the chorus to create a trio. This band had similar composition to others as it used violin, guitar, banjo, mandolin, and dobra.

8. Scruggs and Flatt: Ballad of Jed Clampett
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y9dkCJYB8M&feature=related

When first listening to this song it is clear that it represents bluegrass, but also that it is quite simple and void of any impressive instrumentals or vocals. However, this song was the theme song for the widely popular show “The Beverly Hillbillies” that premiered in 1962. The use of this bluegrass track as a theme song demonstrated how bluegrass music had grown from obscurity in the Southern section of America. Although the song is of course about hillbillies and Southern culture, the fact that it was heard and seen every night on television was essential for the progress of the bluegrass movement. From a musical standpoint, the song is quite unimpressive and is not an excellent representation of the talent of these two artists. However, the banjo and guitar in the background and the rhythm do represent the elements of bluegrass music.