Search - Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs :: Foggy Mountain Banjo

Earl Scruggs: History's Most Imitated Musician

Bill Turner | Old Bridge, New Jersey United States | 12/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is absolutely mind boggling when you stop to consider that out of the total number of Banjos being made in the last 50 years, how large a percentage were 5 String models; and also how large a percentage were and will be played 3 finger style, as opposed to the older folk styles of "clawhammer"; "frailing"; "drop-thumb".

It can all be traced back to one man: Earl Scruggs, a soft spoken, humble North Carolina gentleman whose playing was anything but soft spoken! Earl has left his proverbial fingerprints on the musical aspirations of the 5 string banjoists for literally generations to come. When it comes to tone and taste, nobody can lay it down like Earl. This album was recorded at the height of their popularity, captured in Columbia's Nashville studio, with audiophile results. The Foggy Mountain Boys' masterful accompaniment, from Lester Flatt's beautifully understated, but powerful guitar; Paul Warren's solid fiddle; Buck "Josh" Graves' equally groundbreaking Dobro; and Jake Tullock's rock-solid, precise, upright bass made this album an absolute neccessity for anyone interested in Bluegrass music. Another recommended instrumental tour de force by Flatt & Scruggs was their 1966 album "Stricly Instrumental-with Doc Watson", together these 3 master musicians sound as if they played together all their lives; and they each considered it one of the most enjoyable recording sessions they'd ever done in their career.

It shows in their playing on every cut.

One by one, almost all of the band members passed on, but Earl Scruggs and Doc Watson still represent the pinnacle of this music. Though both men are now in their 80's they have lost none of their dynamics nor their technique. I hope they both live to be 100....they will still inspire us."

The finest bluegrass album you could EVER own...

Mark Stanley | Wirtz, VA United States | 07/16/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My Dad had the original on vinyl in the 60's when I was a kid. The first time I heard it, I was hooked like a junkie on smack. Just like "Kind Of Blue" by Miles Davis for jazz, this is, and will ALWAYS be, THE definitive album for bluegrass. The interplay between Scruggs and the rest of the band is legendary. Yes, if you want to hear bluegrass at 9,000 miles an hour the fastest it can be played you won't find it here, but just crank up "Cripple Creek" on a good system and if it doesn't result in goose bumps then you'd better seek out a doctor...this is the "SGT PEPPERS" of Bluegrass albums...if you don't own it already, buy it TODAY...you won't be disappointed."