f5loar - Posted - 03/28/2012:  19:10:00

I saw Earl perform live at Monroe's 100th BD party in Sept. and I knew the end was near.  Still you don't expect to it to happen and now it has. For certain a great infuence in my life from an early age up until now.  It was the sound of that banjo on the premire of the Beverly Hillbillies that hooked me and my brother pretty hard on Sept. 26, 1962.  I've had a better life because of "Earl Scruggs".  

thombanjo - Posted - 03/28/2012:  19:13:16

I love the story John Hartford told about being at Earls house one day where Earl took him into a back room to listen to a Pete Fountain record.  Earl apparently loved Pete's clarinet playing and talked about Fountain's phrasing and intricate melody runs to John.  Earl called it, "the melody of speech." which John adapted into his own banjo theory.  Just a good example of what an innovator Mr. Scruggs was.  A sad day for banjo players.  

kdstag - Posted - 03/28/2012:  19:20:00

Rest in Peace Earl Scruggs. God be with you !

timberliner - Posted - 03/28/2012:  19:21:13

R.I.P. Mr. Scruggs! What a very sad day! I never knew Earl personally but I had heard countless stories from Hylo over the years of Earl and the days when Hylo traveled with Flatt and Scruggs and the fun they had. I know how much Hylo loved Earl and some of the best bluegrass I've ever heard is that of the show they did together at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival.

My prayers and thoughts are with you Larry and with Earl's family.

DannyT - Posted - 03/28/2012:  19:21:52

Thank you Earl...

dogwood - Posted - 03/28/2012:  19:27:24

If Bill Monroe was "The Father of Bluegrass", Earl was most certainly "The Godfather of Bluegrass". A true musical genius!

I feel honored to have known Earl and to have made several straps for him. Gibson had me make a strap for his & Louise's 50th wedding anniversary. It was kind of ornate with earl's name overlaid  in sterling silver letters. To my knowledge, he never used it on a banjo. It was a little bit too flashy. Earl wasn't that kind of guy. Maybe that's why so many people loved him. I know I sure did. Today, tears fell on banjo heads all over the world.

fiddlin_Al - Posted - 03/28/2012:  19:28:00

Never before and never again.....only once in a fortunate lifetime does someone like Earl appear.....Thank you for some of the greatest music ever recorded and performed by a perfectly intuitive master.

Thank you for the legacy and gift of your music.

The end of a great era........

me!!! - Posted - 03/28/2012:  19:30:07

the saddest news I've heard in a while. I so wanted to see him play

robbyboone - Posted - 03/28/2012:  19:32:33

I've tried three times to write something and the words to express myself just won't come......I'm very saddened to hear this. A good friend called tonight to tell me this and what he said sums it up........"I'm feeling very empty".  

R.I.P. Earl and may God be with you, we will all miss you terribly. 

Robby

Banjo - Posted - 03/28/2012:  19:33:47

brokenstrings - Posted - 03/28/2012:  19:36:19

This is very sad news.

Prewargranada - Posted - 03/28/2012:  19:39:59

Earl influenced all of us in so many ways.  A pioneer, a teacher, a legend, and an icon......Earl was all of these

and so much more.  His legacy will live forever. 

Thanks Earl for all you did.  You will live forever in our hearts.

Edited by - Prewargranada on 03/28/2012 19:43:44

iluvearl - Posted - 03/28/2012:  19:42:00

In the winter of '63 the Foggy Mtn boys with Lester and Earl were playing the Municipal Auditorium in Gadsden, Alabama. I was trying to unlock the mystery of his pickin style so I was on the front row with a Flatt and Scruggs Martha White songbook and a brand new BIC pen. Along with a gang of my high school buddies, we were all sitting together watching the sound check before the program. When Earl came off stage, I approached him and asked for an autograph. "I can't right now, I've got my hands right! If you can wait until after the show, I'll sign your book." Earl replied, smiled and walked away. I got a huge 'raspberry' from some of my buddies as I returned to my seat! Well the show was wonderful; machine gun bluegrass, country humor and gospel music live! After the encore and the stage lights dimmed and the house lights came on there right in front of me stood Mr. Earl Scruggs with his right hand out (sans picks), a smile on his face and he said "I'll be glad to sign your songbook now!" Mr. Scruggs explained that "getting his hand right" meant that he had his picks adjusted to where they were "just right" and he couldn't sign an autograph without removing his National fingerpicks! That was the beginning of long friendship with Mr.Scruggs that will continue untill I am called to come pick with him!

drifty - Posted - 03/28/2012:  19:47:59

Almost fifty years ago my big sister got an album in the mail from the Columbia Record Club.  It was Flatt & Scruggs at Carnegie Hall. At that time I was (sort of) playing guitar and trying to play songs by the Everly Brothers. I thought "Flatt and who?" But from the minute I heard Earl play Salty Dog Blues, Flint Hill Special and Hot Corn, Cold Corn, I was a goner. The first thing I thought was "Forget the guitar. I want to do that!" Of course, fifty years later I still can't do it like Earl. But I've been having a fantastic time trying. It's a debt of gratitude I'll never consider repaid.  It's also wonderful to see how many posters on here have expressed a similar response to hearing Earl for the first time. What a great tribute to a great man. 

Crabgrass - Posted - 03/28/2012:  19:48:04

THANK YOU EARL!

sam fugate - Posted - 03/28/2012:  19:49:14

A sad time, I surely loved earl and all he did. God Bless you Earl Scruggs You will be sorely missed.

Dochat - Posted - 03/28/2012:  19:50:10

Thanks, Earl for all the memories and great times playing banjo. Very few people have had such a marked influence on my life.

Billy Cipri - Posted - 03/28/2012:  19:50:25

Heard this terribly sad news earlier this evening and I join in mourning with each of you. I will pray for all those grieving his passing.

If this news of Mr. Scruggs passing wasn't hurtful enough....now, Doug Dillard lies in intensive care and the outcome does appear grim.

Contemplating tonight,  losing BOTH of my supreme banjo heroes is an awful blow and this truly will be very hard news for the Bluegrass and Banjo communities, alike.

May the good Lord bless them, their families and the legions of admirers whom these gifted and wonderful men inspired....and who will carry on their legacies in the years and decades ahead.    

steve davis - Posted - 03/28/2012:  20:02:50

Thank you,Earl.

jaderhold - Posted - 03/28/2012:  20:04:40

Earl was blessed with a long life, but  we all knew  this day would come.  Many folks here could write pages about the influence Earl had on their lives.  Not only musically, but the paths their lives have followed, careers chosen, income earned, and friends made, just to name a few.  My wife and I would never have met without our common interest in the banjo.  We lived 200 miles apart.  We both played banjo and met at a fiddlers convention.  Neither of us would have been there without Earl's influence.  I feel fortunate that my time line allowed me to attend his shows during the height of his career and to meet and talk with him on a few occasions.  He was not only a musical genius, but a kind, generous, humble man.  Rest in peace Earl Scruggs.  You were a positive influence on my life.  You will be missed, but your music will live on and  influence peoples lives for generations.

nibert26 - Posted - 03/28/2012:  20:04:45

I am in such shock,,, i always wanted to meet him. Rest in peace earl, You were my biggest hero :(

doug.knecht - Posted - 03/28/2012:  20:04:45

Everyone learned so much from Earl. God bless you, Earl Scruggs.

Barnet in SoCal - Posted - 03/28/2012:  20:09:33

God bless you Earl... lay your burdens down, and rest in peace...

Iderhobanjer23 - Posted - 03/28/2012:  20:10:31

this morning, out of the blue, fresh out of bed, earl popped into my mind. I thought, "It will be a tragic thing when we lose him."
This one's for you. Thank you.

BANJOBOB549 - Posted - 03/28/2012:  20:11:03

Although he never knew, He was responsible for me acquiring my first original 5 string flathead. The person who had the first chance at buying the banjo, Refused because it did not look like Earls banjo. ,,,As Crowe related to me,,After Earl picked a tune,,You might as well leave yours in the case,,,We will never see another like Earl,,,

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 03/28/2012:  20:16:43

Sad, sad, sad for all of us. Mr. Scruggs was much loved and respected.

It is hard to imagine a world with out him. He has been with us so much in so many ways. We can all be thankful for what he gave us.

God Bless.

Ken

uptofreedom - Posted - 03/28/2012:  20:19:19

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's first exposure to bluegrass and/or the banjo was courtesy of the Beverly Hillbillies. Maybe not the southerners, but this planted a seed in many a Yankee mind... youtu.be/0_XAPku7SgE

philip4229 - Posted - 03/28/2012:  20:20:35

It's such a shame to lose a pioneer like Earl. Thankfully, he lived a very long and fruitful life. What he did for the banjo and bluegrass music will never me matched. When I first heard the news, I sank into my sofa with my lovely wife, watched an episode of the Flatt & Scruggs show and cried. Shortly after, I disappeared into my shop where I got lost playing many of Earl's tunes for hours on my banjo. I hate to see him go, but there is no comparison to the life he gets to live now in heaven to here on earth.

banjonoah - Posted - 03/28/2012:  20:21:38

Thanks Earl for everything. The music, the technique, and your awesome attitude towards it all. You should have been given a Nobel peace prize. I will always remember you.

pdquantum - Posted - 03/28/2012:  20:23:05

Things in life that truly made me happy: I can count them on my hands....Earl's playing was one. Thanks.

danielburdett - Posted - 03/28/2012:  20:35:41

I went to dinner tonight to celebrate getting into a Masters program.  It was a bitter sweet moment when I toasted myself for my accomplishment, but also the wonderful life of Earl Scruggs.  As the meal progressed, I began to cry thinking about all that Earl had done for me, and for all of us.  He was a great man, but more importantly, he did some GREAT things, like invent the style of banjo playing that we all love.  I'll miss you Earl.

Pluckin Mutha - Posted - 03/28/2012:  20:37:35

What can be said?

He was, is, and will be, everything to Banjo and Bluegrass.

Mutha

quantum_information - Posted - 03/28/2012:  20:40:34

I was drinking my evening tea, and my wife (who doesn't play the banjo, but puts up with my banjo obsession because she loves me) quietly walked over to me with her laptop opened, her face ashen, and showed me the news. At first it almost didn't register, but over the past few hours it has hit, and very hard. The rush of memories and sounds, and the impossible question as to which memory to relate? The whole spectacle of the many, many years ... remembering ... ok, well this one will do: back in California so very long ago, the helicopters overhead flying Marines from El Toro Air Station to Camp Pendleton to be shipped out to 'Nam, in the background the radio is on ... I am hearing Flatt & Scruggs ...

and now, it is March 28, 2012, and this old man is crying ...

There are various honorifics for the dead in Judaism, but this one, THIS one, is reserved for truly holy or righteous persons:



זכר צדיק לברכה

zekher tzadik livrakha

May the memory of the righteous be a blessing



Earl, you were a Mensch, Sir, with the exceedingly rare combination of towering talent and great modesty ... and you brought more light into the world than you consumed ... thank you ....

 

XXXris - Posted - 03/28/2012:  20:43:04

Rest in Peace Earl; a great artist that will be missed but never forgotten......

oldfivestring - Posted - 03/28/2012:  20:46:22

I always wanted to be a banjo player... I was never really good... still ain't! Taught myself, never had anything really to listen to, just the radio. After playing WRONG for so many years, a friend of mine, Sherril Jennings said to get a copy of Foggy Mountain Banjo... best thing I ever did!! Thanks Sherril for a few meaningful lessons, you are a GREAT picker and THANK YOU Mr Scruggs for being THE inspiration to us all!!! God Bless you Earl! Rest In Peace!!!

marshh - Posted - 03/28/2012:  20:48:52

Earl won't really be gone as long as one of us banjo pickers is around to remember him. Thanks for the memories, Earl.

Douch - Posted - 03/28/2012:  20:59:15

Shocked and saddened over here in Germany.  He lived a truly blessed life and provided all of us with a style a means to create joy in ours.  

eMike - Posted - 03/28/2012:  21:00:24

Thank you, Mr Scruggs, for the gift you gave to the world of music.  You will be missed.

pjfolino - Posted - 03/28/2012:  21:00:29

Inspirational. We were lucky to have him.

uptofreedom - Posted - 03/28/2012:  21:01:20

quote:

---

Originally posted by marshh

Earl won't really be gone as long as one of us banjo pickers is around to remember him. Thanks for the memories, Earl.

---

QFT

Jeff Glasscock - Posted - 03/28/2012:  21:08:01

R I P Earl, you will always be Loved, Respected and Remembered forever ! 

banjo5don - Posted - 03/28/2012:  21:10:50

When I think of how different my life might be now if not for Earl it boggles my mind! Of course he's solely responsible for the musical direction my life has taken, but that course led me to my wife of 26 years and eventually my two now-grown children. My best friends in the world came from that direction as well as many of my business associations.

I spend time daily (still after 31 years) studying and trying to get my backup to resemble his. His legacy will reach into CENTURIES to come! I was asked during a radio interview recently who I'd like most to have lunch with. It required no second thought. My response was
easy-"Earl Eugene Scruggs"!



Rest and pick in peace Earl. I know you and Les' are havin' a "Reunion

Thanks Earl for the course your influence set my life on. It's been richer by far as a result!

Edited by - banjo5don on 03/28/2012 21:11:27

Rich C - Posted - 03/28/2012:  21:10:57

Mr. Scruggs you will be missed; there will never be another one of you.  My inspiration to play the banjo, and most of the world. Thank You!  Prayers for the family that God will comfort them. 

                                                                                                                              Rich Collins

jaysails - Posted - 03/28/2012:  21:11:20

I can still visualize Earl playing with his sons, and Vassar Clements in a small place in Boulder in 1971. I will always remember that time. A master, and gentleman who's sound may never be matched. Thank you Earl.

jswkingsfield - Posted - 03/28/2012:  21:14:48

 Fare thee well, dear Teacher of us all, may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

Edited by - jswkingsfield on 03/28/2012 21:15:19

banjodad - Posted - 03/28/2012:  21:16:18

Just breaks my heart

ShawnKirkpatrick - Posted - 03/28/2012:  21:20:18

Rest in Peace, Earl Scruggs. You are my hero and my inspiration to all the music I play, You will be missed but not forgotten!! As long as we all still play the banjo you will live on!! Rest In Peace, Earl Scruggs!

pickNgrin - Posted - 03/28/2012:  21:39:42

I am just now getting the news about Earl. When I wake up in the morning I am going to play Reuben first thing... the tune that Earl was playing when he figured out his three finger roll. Rest in Peace and Godspeed Earl.

-matt

Big Dan - Posted - 03/28/2012:  21:43:45

Thank you Earl.

I hope you know how many people will dearly miss you.