Earl Eugene Scruggs (6. januar 1924 –28. mars 2012 ) var ein USA-amerikansk musikar som populariserte tre-fingerstilen på banjo , no kalla «Scruggs-stil ». Denne stilen var med å definere bluegrass . Trefingerstilen hans var radikalt forskjellig frå den tradisjonelle måten ein femstrengs banjo var blitt spelt på tidlegare. Den nye stilen vart populær og var med å føre banjoen fram som eit soloinstrument, der det tidlegare berre hadde vore eit rytmeinstrument.
Karrieren til Scruggs byrja då han var 21 år gammal, då han vart henta inn i bandet til Bill Monroe , The Blue Grass Boys. Namnet «bluegrass» vart sidan nytta om ein heil sjanger innan countrymusikk. Trass i stor suksess med Monroe, framføringar på Grand Ole Opry og innspelingar av klassiske hittar som «Blue Moon of Kentucky », slutta Scruggs i gruppa i 1946 på grunn av den heftige turnéverksemda. Eit anna medlem i gruppa, Lester Flatt , slutta òg og dei to slo seg seinare saman i ei ny gruppe kalla Flatt and Scruggs og The Foggy Mountain Boys . Banjoinstrumentalen til Scruggs kalla «Foggy Mountain Breakdown » kom ut i 1949 og vart ein varig hit, og vart populær på ny for ein yngre generasjon då han vart nytta i filmen Bonnie and Clyde Grammyprisar og i 2005 vart han vald ut til Library of Congress sitt National Recording Registry i USA for bevaring for ettertida.
Flatt and Scruggs førte bluegrass ut til eit større publikum tidleg i 1960-åra med countryhitten «The Ballad of Jed Clampett » — kjenningsmelodien til situasjonekomedien The Beverly Hillbillies Billboard-lista . I løpet av 20 år spelte Flatt and Scruggs inn over 50 album og 75 singlar. Duoen vart oppløyst i 1969, hovudsakleg fordi Scruggs ønskte å spele ein meir moderne stil, medan Flatt ønskte å halde fram i den gamle tradisjonen, og meinte den harde bluegrass-fansen ville mislike det. Sjølv om kvar av dei skipa sine nye band, fekk ingen av dei igjen den same suksessen dei hadde hatt.
Scruggs fekk fire Grammyprisar, ein Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award og National Medal of Arts . Han vart medlem av International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame og fekk ei stjerne på Hollywood Walk of Fame . I 1985 vart Flatt and Scruggs innlemma saman i Country Music Hall of Fame og som duo vart dei plassert på 24. plassen på lista til TV-kanalen CMT over dei 40 beste mennene i countrymusikken. Scruggs fekk National Heritage Fellowship av National Endowment for the Arts , den høgaste æresprisen innan folkemusikk og tradisjonell kunst i USA. Fire verk av Scruggs er plassert i Grammy Hall of Fame . Etter Scruggs døydde i 2012, 88 år gammal, vart Earl Scruggs Center skipa nær fødestaden hans i Shelby i Nord-Carolina.
Utvald diskografi
Tidlege singlar
Mercury Records-singlar
1949 — God Loves His Children / I'm Going to Make Heaven My Home
1949 —We'll Meet Again Sweetheart / My Cabin in Caroline
1949 — Baby Blue Eyes / Bouquet in Heaven
1949 — Down the Road / Why Don't You Tell Me So
1950 — I'll Never Shed Another Tear / I'm Going To Be In Heaven Sometime
1950 — No Mother or Dad / Foggy Mountain Breakdown
1950 — Is It Too Late Now / So Happy I'll Be
1950 — My Little Girl In Tennessee / I'll Never Love Another
1951 — Cora is Gone / That Little Old Country Church House
1951 — Pain in My Heart / Take Me In A Lifeboat
1951 — Doin' My Time / Farewell Blues
1951 — Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms / I'll Just Pretend Columbia Records-singlar
1951 — Come Back Darling / I'm Waiting To Hear You Call Me Darling
1951 — I'm Head Over Heels In Love / We Can't Be Darlings Anymore
1951 — Jimmie Brown The Newsboy / Somehow Tonight
1951 — Don't Get Above Your Raising / I've Lost You
1951 — 'Tis Sweet To Be Remembered / Earl's Breakdown
1952 — Get In Line Brother / Brother I'm Getting Ready To Go
1952 — Old Home Town / I'll Stay Around
1952 — Over The Hills To The Poorhouse
1952 — I'm Gonna Settle Down / I'm Lonesome and Blue Mercury Records-singlar
1952 — Pike County Breakdown / Old Salty Dog Blues
1952 —Preachin' Prayin' Singin' / Will The Roses Bloom
1953 — Back to the Cross / God Loves His Children OKeh Records-singlar
1953 — Reunion in Heaven / Pray For The Boys Columbia Records-singlar
1953 — Why Did You Wander / Thinking About You
1953 — If I Should Wander Back Tonight / Dear Old Dixie
1953 — I'm Working On A Road / He Took Your Place
1953 — I'll Go Stepping Too / Foggy Mountain Chimes
1954 — Mother Prays Loud in Her Sleep / Be Ready for Tomorrow May Never Come
1954 — I'd Rather Be Alone / Someone Took My Place With You
1954 — You're Not A Drop In The Bucket / Foggy Mountain Special
1954 — 'Till the End of the World Rolls 'Round / Don't This Road Look Rough and Rocky
1955 — You Can Feel It In Your Soul / Old Fashioned Preacher
1955 — Before I Met You / I'm Gonna Sleep With One Eye Open
1955 — Gone Home / Bubbling in My Soul
1956 — Randy Lynn Rag / On My Mind
1956 — Joy Bells / Give Mother My Crown
1956 — What's Good For You / No Doubt About It
1957 — Six White Horses / Shucking' the Corn
1957 — Give Me the Flowers While I'm Living / Is There Room For Me
1957 — Don't Let Your Deal Go Down / Let Those Brown Eyes Smile At Me
1957 — I Won't Care / I Won't Be Hangin' Around
1958 — Big Black Train / Crying Alone
1958 — Heaven / Building On Sand
1958 — I Don't Care Anymore / Mama's and Daddy's Little Girl
1959 — A Million Years in Glory / Jesus Savior Pilot Me
1959 — Cabin on the Hill / Someone You Have Forgotten
1959 — Crying My Heart Out Over You / Foggy Mountain Rock
1960 — The Great Historical Bum / All I Want Is You
1960 — Polka On A Banjo / Shucking the Corn (remake)
1960 — I Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow / If I Should Wander Back Tonight
1961 — Where Will I Shelter My Sheep / Go Home
1961 — Jimmie Brown The Newsboy / Mother Prays Loud in MY Sleep?
1962 — Cold Cold Lovin' / Just Ain't
1962 — Hear the Whistle Blow A Hundred Miles / The Legend of the Johnson
1962 — The Ballad of Jed Clampett / Coal Loadin' Johnny
1963 — Pearl Pearl Pearl / Hard Travelin'
1964 — My Saro Jane / You Are My Flower
1964 — Petticoat Junction / Have You Seen My Dear Companion
1964 — Workin' It Out / Fireball
1964 — Little Birdie / Sally Don't You Grieve
1965 — Father's Table Grace / I Still Miss Someone
1965 — Go Home / Ballad of Jed Clampett
1965 — Gonna Have Myself A Ball / Rock Salt and Nails
1965 — Memphis / Foggy Mountain Breakdown
1966 — Green Acres / I Had A Dream (med June Carter)
1966 — Colours / For Lovin' Me
1966 — The Last Thing On My Mind / Mama You Been On My Mind
1967 — It was Only the Wind / Why Can't I Find Myself With You
1967 — Roust-A-Bout / Nashville Cats
1967 — The Last Train to Clarksville / California Up Tight Band
1967 — Theme from Bonnie and Clyde (Foggy Mountain Breakdown) / My Cabin in Caroline
1967 — Down In The Flood / Foggy Mountain Breakdown (remake)
1968 — Like A Rolling Stone / I'd Like To Say A Word For Texas
1968 — I'll Be Your Baby Tonight / Universal Soldier
1969 — Foggy Mountain Breakdown / Like A Rolling Stone
1969 — Universal Soldier / Down In The Flood
1969 — Maggie's Farm / Tonight Will Be Fine
Seinare singlar
År
Singel
Listeplasseringar
Album
US Country CAN Country
1970
«Nashville Skyline Rag»
74
—
Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends
1979
«I Sure Could Use the Feeling»
30
41
Today & Forever
«Play Me No Sad Songs»
82
66
1980
«Blue Moon of Kentucky »
46
—
1982
«There Ain't No Country Music on This Jukebox»(med Tom T. Hall )
77
—
Storyteller and the Banjo Man
«Song of the South » (med Tom T. Hall)
72
—
Gjestesinglar
Year
Singel
artist
Liste Positions
album
US Country
1998
«Same Old Train»
ymse artistar
59
Tribute to Tradition
Musikkvideo
År
Video
Regissør
1992
«The Dirt Road» (med Sawyer Brown )
Michael Salomon
1998
«Same Old Train» (Various)
Steve Boyle
2001
«Foggy Mountain Breakdown» (Earl Scruggs and Friends)
Gerry Wenner
Album
År
Tittel
Listeplassering
US Country US US Heat US Bluegrass
1957
Foggy Mountain Jamboree
1959
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs with the Foggy Mountain Boys
1961
Foggy Mountain Banjo
1963
I Saw the Light with Some Help from My Friends
The Ballad of Jed Clampett
Flatt and Scruggs at Carnegie Hall
1964
Flatt and Scruggs Live at Vanderbilt University
The Fabulous Sound of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs
1965
Town and Country
1966
Flatt and Scruggs Greatest Hits
1967
Strictly Instrumental (med Lester Flatt og Doc Watson )
1967
5 String Banjo Instruction Album
1968
The Story of Bonnie and Clyde (med Lester Flatt and the Foggy Mountain Boys ) [ 1]
1969
Changin' Times
1970
Nashville Airplane
20 All-Time Great Recordings
1972
I Saw the Light with Some Help from My Friends
Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends
Live at Kansas State
20
204
1973
Rockin' 'Cross the Country
46
Dueling Banjos
202
The Earl Scruggs Revue
169
1975
Anniversary Special
104
1976
The Earl Scruggs Revue 2
161
Family Portrait
49
1977
Live from Austin City Limits
49
Strike Anywhere
1978
Bold & New
50
1979
Today & Forever
1982
Storyteller and the Banjo Man (med Tom T. Hall )
Flatt & Scruggs
1983
Top of the World
1984
The Mercury Sessions 1
The Mercury Sessions 2
Superjammin'
1987
The Golden Hits
1992
The Complete Mercury Sessions
1998
Artist's Choice: The Best Tracks (1970–1980)
2001
Earl Scruggs and Friends
39
33
14
2002
Classic Bluegrass Live: 1959-1966
2003
Three Pickers (med Doc Watson og Ricky Skaggs )
24
179
2
2004
The Essential Earl Scruggs
2005
Live with Donnie Allen and Friends
2007
Lifetimes: Lewis, Scruggs, and Long
Kjelder
Bakgrunnsstoff
