Earl Scruggs, Dead at 88

**Janszoon** · 03-28-2012, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Earl Scruggs, who as a child developed the distinctive picking style that forever changed banjo playing, and whose association with Lester Flatt cemented bluegrass music's place in popular culture, died Wednesday of natural causes at a Nashville hospital, his son Gary Scruggs said. He was 88.

Bluegrass great Earl Scruggs dead at 88 - CNN.com

Engine · 03-29-2012, 12:58 AM

88 well spent years.
In memory of his greatness..

Guybrush · 03-29-2012, 02:35 AM

May his memory live on

Although I don't think it was written by Scruggs, I always like this song which was played by the Earl Scruggs Revue which was old Scruggs, his boys and various guesting artists.

If there's a banjo man, it was him!

mr dave · 03-29-2012, 08:35 AM

I never went out of my way to listen to this man's music but I've heard A LOT of it through my late uncle. Sucks for the rest of us, but I know who's going to be meeting one of his idols for a jam today.

Neapolitan · 03-30-2012, 02:04 PM

Mr. Dave sorry to hear about your loss.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

Bluegrass great Earl Scruggs dead at 88 - CNN.com

Perfect choice of an emoticon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tore

May his memory live on

Although I don't think it was written by Scruggs, I always like this song which was played by the Earl Scruggs Revue which was old Scruggs, his boys and various guesting artists.

If there's a banjo man, it was him!

That song has a 70s sound to it with the electric bass and drum. When Bill Monroe pieced together his back up band it goes without saying he didn't include a drummer, and originally Country music didn't have drums either. Chet Atkins blames himself for introducing drums to Country music when he was a producer - he thought it was necessary to compete with pop music at the time.

Earl Scruggs is one of those musicians that are often imitated but never duplicated. He forever changed the approach to banjo with his rapid style of playing with three finger picks. Scruggs really consider the music he played as Olde Tyme (I guess rather than Bluegrass a term more associated with Bill Monroe - Bill had a falling with Flatt & Scruggs when they left his band.) Here's Earl Scruggs with the Cheiftans playing that olde tyme song Sally Goodin' - Scruggs fits in perfectly you would never know they lived world apart from each other.

03-29-2012, 12:58 AM	#2 (permalink)
Engine air quote Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: pollen & mold Posts: 3,108	88 well spent years. In memory of his greatness.. __________________ Like an arrow, I was only passing through.

03-29-2012, 02:35 AM	#3 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	May his memory live on Although I don't think it was written by Scruggs, I always like this song which was played by the Earl Scruggs Revue which was old Scruggs, his boys and various guesting artists. If there's a banjo man, it was him! __________________ Something Completely Different