Earl Scruggs was one of the leading figures in bluegrass music, conceiving of the three-finger picking style that came to define the genre. That sound was unmistakable in such landmark scores as “The Ballad of Jed Clampett,” the theme song to the 1962-1971 sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies, and “Foggy Mountain Breakdown, which was prominent in the 1967 film Bonnie & Clyde. Scruggs and guitarist Lester Flatt were mainstays of the Foggy Mountain Boys, longtime stars of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. As a duo, Flatt and Scruggs were regular figures on variety TV shows for years.


Great man and great picker. Everybody going to miss him
He will be sorely missed. Have seen him live many times. He developed a style that truly re-defined the instrument and became an integral part of a vital American art form. His forward roll revolutionized banjo playing and even influenced other instrumentalists as well. Also a warm and generous warm man.
RIP Mr. Scruggs.
The Ballad of Jed Clampett.
The music of my childhood.
Set a spell. Take your shoes off….
Black gold. Texas tea
Also from “The Beverly Hillbillies,” one of my favorites:
Pearl, Pearl, Pearl, don’t give your love to Earl.
I have got a horse and mule,
Forty acres near a school.
We’ll be happy as two bugs.
Pearl, Pearl, Pearl, come be my lovin’ girl.
Don’t you marry Lester Flatt.
He slicks his hair with possum fat.
Change your name to Mrs. Earl Scruggs.
What a man, what a life. He’ll be remembered, and he’ll be missed. Thank God his music will live on.
The word gets needlessly bandied around a lot these days, but Scruggs was a true legend.
RIP Mr. Scruggs, you will be missed
Pickin’ and grinnin’. What a legend from my childhood. Country people used to be great musicians, cool and funny. Now they’re angry, NASCAR-watching, Tea Partying, Obama-hating rednecks. What a comedown.
Your ignorant stereotype is the only comedown here. I am one of many that love the modern-day, cool, funny country folk, love auto racing (including NASCAR). I understand why there was a grassroots formation of the Tea Party, and…I DON”T hate Obama.
Open your mind RIP