Flatt and Scruggs
Flatt and Scruggs were an American bluegrass duo. Singer and guitarist Lester Flatt and banjo player Earl Scruggs, both of whom had been members of Bill Monroe's band, the Bluegrass Boys, from 1945 to 1948, formed the duo in 1948. Flatt and Scruggs are viewed by music historians as one of the premier bluegrass groups in the history of the genre.[1]
Flatt and Scruggs | |
|---|---|
 Earl Scruggs (left) and Lester Flatt (right) in 1949 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Tennessee (Flatt), North Carolina (Scruggs) |
| Genres | Bluegrass, country |
| Years active | 1948–1969 |
| Labels | Mercury, Columbia, Harmony |
| Past members | Lester Flatt Earl Scruggs |
Flatt and Scruggs recorded and performed together until 1969.[1] Their backing band, the Foggy Mountain Boys, included fiddle player Paul Warren, a master player in both the old-time and bluegrass fiddling styles whose technique reflected all qualitative aspects of "the bluegrass breakdown" and fast bowing style; dobro player Uncle Josh Graves, an innovator of the advanced playing style of the instrument now used in the genre; stand-up bass player Cousin Jake Tullock; and mandolinist Curly Seckler.[1]
History
Lester Flatt worked for Monroe at the time Earl Scruggs was considered for Bill Monroe's band, the Blue Grass Boys, in 1945. The two left that band early in 1948, and within a few months had formed the Foggy Mountain Boys. Flatt's rhythm-guitar style and vocals and Scruggs' banjo style gave them a distinctive sound that won them many fans. In 1955, they became members of the Grand Ole Opry.[2]
Scruggs, who had always shown progressive tendencies, experimented on duets with saxophonist King Curtis and added songs by the likes of Bob Dylan to the group's repertoire. Flatt, a traditionalist, did not like these changes, and the group broke up in 1969.[2] Following the breakup, Lester Flatt founded the Nashville Grass and Scruggs led the Earl Scruggs Revue. Flatt died of heart failure in Nashville, Tennessee, May 11, 1979 at the age of 64.[3] Scruggs died from natural causes on March 28, 2012 in a Nashville hospital.[4][5]
Flatt and Scruggs were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1985. In 2003, they ranked No. 24 on CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music, one of only four non-solo artists to make the list (The Eagles, Alabama, and Brooks & Dunn are the others).
Members
- Lester Flatt (guitar)
- Earl Scruggs (banjo, guitar)
- Paul Warren (fiddle)
- John Ray "Curly" Seckler (mandolin, guitar)
- Josh Graves (Dobro, bass)
- English P. “Cousin Jake” Tullock (bass)
- Chubby Wise (fiddle)
- Jim Shumate (fiddle)
- Benny Martin (fiddle)
- Benny Sims (fiddle)
- Howdy Forrester (fiddle)
- Art Wooten (fiddle)
- Howard Watts aka "Cedric Rainwater" (bass)
- Charles Johnson aka "Little Jody Rainwater" (bass)
- Frank "Hylo" Brown (bass, guitar)
- Charles “Little Darlin’” Elza (bass)
- Joe Stuart (bass)
- Ernie Newton (bass)
- Bob Moore (bass)
- Everett Lilly (mandolin)
- Jim Eanes (guitar)
- Mac Wiseman (guitar)
- Billy E. Powers (guitar)
- Johnny Johnson (guitar)
- Earl Taylor (mandolin and harmonica)
- Grover C. Deskins Jr. (harmonica)
Notable songs
- "Foggy Mountain Breakdown": an instrumental originally released in 1949 and used in many rural car chase movie sequences, notably in Bonnie and Clyde. It has won two Grammy awards.
- "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" (listen): used as the theme for the Beverly Hillbillies television series. The song reached No. 42 on the record charts during the series' debut season of 1962. The song hit No. 1 on the country charts in January 1963, and was the only number-one hit song of their career. The song is one of only five TV theme songs to ever reach No. 1 on the country charts.
- Martha White jingle (still used in advertising today).
- "Petticoat Junction": theme from the TV series.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1957 | Foggy Mountain Jamboree | Columbia | ||
| 1958 | Country Music | Mercury | ||
| 1959 | Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs | |||
| 1960 | Songs of Glory | Columbia | ||
| 1961 | Foggy Mountain Banjo | |||
| Songs of the Famous Carter Family | ||||
| 1962 | Folk Songs of Our Land | |||
| 1963 | Hard Travelin' (The Ballad of Jed Clampett) | 115 | ||
| The Original Sound | Mercury | |||
| Flatt and Scruggs at Carnegie Hall | 7 | 134 | Columbia | |
| 1964 | Recorded Live at Vanderbilt University | 10 | ||
| The Fabulous Sound of Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs | 2 | |||
| 1965 | The Versatile Flatt & Scruggs | |||
| Great Original Recordings | ||||
| 1966 | Town and Country | 15 | ||
| When the Saints Go Marching In | ||||
| Flatt & Scruggs' Greatest Hits | 34 | |||
| Sacred Songs | ||||
| 1967 | Strictly Instrumental (w/ Doc Watson) | |||
| Hear the Whistles Blow | 37 | |||
| 1968 | Changin' Times featuring Foggy Mountain Breakdown | 7 | ||
| Songs to Cherish | ||||
| Original Theme From Bonnie & Clyde | 26 | |||
| The Story of Bonnie & Clyde | 23 | 187 | ||
| Nashville Airplane | 35 | |||
| 1970 | Final Fling | 45 | ||
| Breaking Out | 35 | |||
| 20 All-Time Great Recordings | ||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | CAN Country | CAN | |||
| 1949 | "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" | 9 | Non-album singles | |||
| 1952 | "'Tis Sweet to Be Remembered" | 9 | ||||
| 1959 | "Cabin on the Hill" | 9 | ||||
| 1960 | "Crying My Heart Out Over You" | 21 | ||||
| 1961 | "Polka on a Banjo" | 12 | ||||
| "Go Home" | 10 | |||||
| 1962 | "Just Ain't" | 16 | ||||
| "The Legend of the Johnson Boys" | 27 | Folk Songs of Our Land | ||||
| "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" | 1 | 44 | Hard Travelin' (The Ballad of Jed Clampett) | |||
| 1963 | "Pearl Pearl Pearl" | 8 | 113 | Non-album singles | ||
| "New York Town" | 26 | |||||
| 1964 | "You Are My Flower" | 12 | Recorded Live at Vanderbilt University | |||
| "My Sara Jane" | 40 | Non-album singles | ||||
| "Petticoat Junction" | 14 | |||||
| "Workin' It Out" | 21 | |||||
| 1965 | "I Still Miss Someone" | 43 | The Versatile Flatt & Scruggs | |||
| 1967 | "Nashville Cats" | 54 | Non-album singles | |||
| "California Up Tight Band" | 20 | |||||
| 1968 | "Down in the Flood" | 45 | 15 | Changing Times featuring Foggy Mountain Breakdown | ||
| "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" | 58 | 55 | 90 | |||
| "Like a Rolling Stone" | 58 | 125 | Nashville Airplane | |||
References
- Rosenberg, Neil V. (1998), "Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys", The Encyclopedia of Country Music, Oxford University Press, pp. 173-4
- Browne, Ray B. and Browne, Pat, "Flatt and Scruggs", The Guide to United States Popular Culture, Popular Press, 2001, p. 284
- Rockwell, John (May 12, 1979). "Lester Flatt, Singer and Guitarist in Duo With Earl Scruggs, Dies". The New York Times. p. 26.
- "Bluegrass, banjo legend Earl Scruggs dies at 88". The Birmingham News. Associated Press. March 28, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- Wilson, David (March 28, 2012). "Earl Scruggs, Banjoist Who Invented 'Scruggs Style,' Dies at 88". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012.