DandyRandy - Posted - 03/29/2012:  18:28:17

Not only was he the best, but he was humble and genuine as a human being. He brought together generations. I admired his character as much as his playing ability. Prayers to his family at this time.

DandyRandy - Posted - 03/29/2012:  18:28:54

Not only was he the best, but he was humble and genuine as a human being. He brought together generations. I admired his character as much as his playing ability. Prayers to his family at this time.

frailin - Posted - 03/29/2012:  18:51:12

Edited by - frailin on 03/29/2012 18:52:15

SB - Posted - 03/29/2012:  19:00:47

What a great and wonderful man. He changed my life as I know he changed many others. God bless you Earl, and thank you.

billlink - Posted - 03/29/2012:  19:03:57

He put a lot of smiles on a lot of faces with his music.

BenHar - Posted - 03/29/2012:  19:05:08

Hey guys.

Logged back in for the first time in nearly forever to mourn with you. Sad day.

Jeepster - Posted - 03/29/2012:  19:11:51

Feeling very sad...but thinking about all of the wonderful people I've met since I started playing banjo.

skajellafetty - Posted - 03/29/2012:  19:20:19

It's almost like Earl was to the bluegrass banjo as letters are to words... Not only did he invent a complete style we all accept as the reason 99% of pickers even picked up a banjo, but interest in bluegrass music itself, it seems, just simply could never have existed without his utterly absurd perfection blowing folks' socks off & showing what's possible (& forever ensuring a genre will endure to keep it rollin').... which of course serves as the basis/standard for ALL banjo players for the REST OF TIME to hear as "IT". And for me the real kicker is it's so rare & even more astounding when someone's the first of something AND was best at it. It's almost too much! RIP Earl.

blindsniper - Posted - 03/29/2012:  19:26:27

R.I.P Mr Scruggs.  The world of music will miss you.

Aussiepicker - Posted - 03/29/2012:  20:02:14

Hello All,

It is a sad thing to hear of the passing of a great musician. Earl Scruggs inspired almost all modern banjo players.

It was his style that made me want to pick up a banjo.

They'll be pickin in Heaven tonight.

God bless Earl Scruggs

myfavefive - Posted - 03/29/2012:  20:49:13

Thanks Dean for that great photo gallery of Earl down through the years.  To me, watching him playing live these past few years has been one of the most inspiring things I think I'll ever see. Let's hope we're all still having the time of our lives pickin' when we're in our late 80s.

BanjoLink - Posted - 03/29/2012:  21:06:41

We should mourn the loss and celebrate the life of a great man  -   the first person I heard that made me want to play the banjo!

Larry121047 - Posted - 03/29/2012:  21:09:16

He is the reason I play. Rest in peace Earl.

Larry121047 - Posted - 03/29/2012:  21:10:02

He is the reason I play. Rest in peace Earl.

Larry121047 - Posted - 03/29/2012:  21:10:51

He is the reason I play. Rest in peace Earl.

Bronx banjo - Posted - 03/29/2012:  21:41:43

His influence on me has been monumental. I dreaded this day but I knew it was coming. It was still a shock. So many wonderful things have been said about this great and humble man and I agree with all of it.  If you want to read a heartfelt and poignant tribute to Scruggs, read what Kristin Scott Benson wrote in "Bluegrass Today".  I don't think anyone can say it better. It makes me want to work harder to keep his music alive. 

daz - Posted - 03/29/2012:  21:48:12

I heard this sad news on the radio this morning.

What a legacy he has left behind for all of us.

RIP Earl

Dingoman25 - Posted - 03/29/2012:  22:55:33

What a truly wonderful world we would all live in if everyone was as kind and genuine as Earl.

RIP sir, and thank you for all the fine memories.

truenorthdv - Posted - 03/29/2012:  23:48:34

Condolences to the Scruggs family, He was a true musical icon and inspired countless pickers on this planet. His memory will live on forever.

Lou Bourbon - Posted - 03/30/2012:  01:06:21

How can this not be the headlining thread on this forum for the rest of of its, or our, eternity? I just can't imagine...I know you HAVE to move on...life stops for no one...but its just such a BIG deal. I still can't wrap my mind around stuff. I'm not sure what to do.

Lou

jessie - Posted - 03/30/2012:  05:00:48

rest in peace earl,the final journey in your everlasting life has  just begun.

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 03/30/2012:  05:07:02

Bluegrass Today is having some daily remembrances of Earl Scruggs:

bluegrasstoday.com/

bbanjoboy - Posted - 03/30/2012:  05:22:59

Everytime someone passes on I am reminded of what a great native American chief once said:

"When you are born you cry, and the people around you rejoice. Live your life so that when you die you rejoice and the people around you cry."

I'm sure Earl is now rejoicing, and all of us are crying.

Old-timer - Posted - 03/30/2012:  05:37:48

Like so many others, Earl is the reason I play banjo. I grew up listening to "The Ballad of Jed Clampett".

What an amazing legacy....

billlink - Posted - 03/30/2012:  05:46:13

Come and listen to a story 'bout a man named Earl

Poor mountaineer but his music changed the world...

Groundsignal - Posted - 03/30/2012:  06:34:21

The Legend of the Banjo. Thank you Earl for me trying to learn and like the Banjo. All I can say is if you wanted to learn to play the banjo you had to learn to play Earl's songs. May there be some great Banjo music at the memorial service this Sunday at the Ryman. 

ThomasW - Posted - 03/30/2012:  07:13:34

I've always wondered where would the banjo be today, if it wasn't for Earl.

R.I.P. Earl Scruggs.

Edited by - ThomasW on 03/30/2012 07:19:34

aletheia - Posted - 03/30/2012:  07:29:23

For me, the only thing that outshown his banjo pickin' was his humility.   

owlcreekdan - Posted - 03/30/2012:  08:25:13

his impact on banjo playing & bg music is unmeasurable. i'm just blessed i got to see & hear him plus all the other legends of bluegrass.

5-stringreiny - Posted - 03/30/2012:  08:43:29

He lived a rich and full life - and through his music will live on. God bless Earl, his family and friends...

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 03/30/2012:  09:46:46

quote:

---

Originally posted by larry p

Dear Friends, It's with the utmost regret and sorry that I'm sharing this news with you: I've just been told by someone in Earl's Doctor's office that our beloved Earl Scruggs passed away this morning around 10:00am at St. Thomas Hospital...Full of hope that this was a mix up of some kind, I asked the receptionist if she was CERTAIN of this, and she said she was, and one of the Doctor's assistants confirmed it as well by saying that she was the one that took the call from St Thomas with the news..

---

Larry,

 I know you lived with Earl and that you have the greatest of regards for him not only as a musician but as a person. Is there anything you would like to share with us all about him? I can understand that because this is a time of great grief for you, that  you may not be inclined to do so at this time.

Thanks,

Ken

fundamentalpreacher - Posted - 03/30/2012:  10:45:23

I posted this on Sonny's forum before I saw this one. I hope the moderators won't mind me copying it in this one too:

Legend has it that an old mountain preacher once said, "You might as well give your son a ticket to hell as to give him a five string banjo." Well, thank the Lord for sending Earl Scruggs to help us find a way to play it that works well with gospel songs. Some of the best banjo pickin' I've ever heard in person was in church and it was always 3-finger style. Don Reno and Ralph Stanley gave us a lot of great gospel music in that style too, but Earl set the standard. RIP Earl, and thanks for giving us a way to get the banjo out of the bar and into church ;-)

corgies - Posted - 03/30/2012:  10:59:58

May Earl rest in peace. His contributions to music will live on for generations.

The Pope - Posted - 03/30/2012:  11:09:59

I just watched Earl (on Youtube) playing Ground Speed (my favorite Earl tune). I love it when he showed his hand to the rest of the band & then gave that grin. He didn't smile very often while playing...

docham - Posted - 03/30/2012:  12:25:54

I've put some photos of Lester and Earl and the band on my Facebook page. Enjoy!

five-string fever - Posted - 03/30/2012:  15:48:40

There was only one Earl Scruggs and there will always be a whole lot of "Earl Want-to-Be"s, myself definitely included. I fell in love with his sound when I was a kid in the Sixties and I still love it today. Us banjo players sure got lucky to get him as the instrument's representative "genius". R.I.P. Earl Eugene Scruggs and thank you for all that you gave us and the world.

Edited by - five-string fever on 03/30/2012 15:52:56

Joe2112 - Posted - 03/30/2012:  17:05:09

He is the reason I play. I'm grateful I was able to see him on the hill at Winter Hawk a couple of years ago. It was raining cats and dogs and they shut the stage down, but Earl got a chair and a mike and started playing from the warmup room behind the stage. I could barely see him through the back stage door, but he looked to be having a great time. Thank You Earl for everything you have given us. You are missed. j.

MikeMac - Posted - 03/30/2012:  17:30:24

Well done Earl!
RIP

MadisonBanjo - Posted - 03/30/2012:  17:49:33

The first concert that I got to see (an hear) Earl, I was so excited setting in the audience at the NC Mountain State Fair (not sure of the year) that I started crying. I saw Earl many times after that and treasure each memory.

maxthegardener - Posted - 03/30/2012:  19:08:47

Incredible talent and insiration, from the day I discovered his muuic. and picked up my Banjo, it was beautiful here in Scotland today, sat down on the bank with my Ipod listened to Earl & Lester, its amazing the music transends the decades, takes me to Carolina every time....Condolenses from across the pond

jaap - Posted - 03/31/2012:  03:47:07

Thanks for al this banjo joy Earl! Since I had the luck to shake your hand in Alexandria, 2006, my picking improved greatly. So please keep an eye om me, and fill Heaven with your music.

blamethebanjo - Posted - 03/31/2012:  10:25:58

In my younger days I heard Earl playing on the radio. Foggy Mountain Breakdown. I had no idea what this magician used to shoot notes out so furious and wonderful. It was like my ears couldn't keep up. That day I decided that what ever was making that sound I would investigate when the chance came to do so. It would be many years before I owned a banjo that displays Earls' signature. He moved me like precious few ever have. My dear friend Larry Perkins has to be taking this hard. He and Earl had gotten very close during these last years and Larry is surely one who is capable to keep the flame lit for many years to come. Players all over the world will continue to study Earls' style and some will come close but for me and millions of others it is a sad goodbye for now. Thanks Earl.

Nymphadora - Posted - 03/31/2012:  11:53:32

How interesting....we learned the "Theme to Martha White Flour" from Earl's book when we were starting out. We never questioned the fact that it was a commercial because Earl played it.  I wonder if anyone will ever ask, "Does anyone know where I can get the TAB for Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia?"  We miss ye, laddie, and we hardly knewe ye.  Hugs........

chrome - Posted - 03/31/2012:  12:03:56

I was shocked when I picked up my copy of the Shelby Star newspaper at work and to see Earl had the whole top half of the front page, They did a great job. With that being said with out Earl Eugene Scruggs this fourm would not be here and 95% of the members wouldn't know what a banjo was.

whatswithamy - Posted - 03/31/2012:  12:33:26

Earl has only left us in body, but never in spirit. He'll forever remain in the chords, in the fingers, and in the moon-shaped instruments of many banjo players. Rest peacefully Earl........you are so loved.

obxpix - Posted - 03/31/2012:  13:08:00

Very sad week.  Just a short while back I got to meet Earl and sit, eat and pick with him....I will now cherish that moment even more....The greatest banjo picker ever, but more importantly, he was a very nice man.

Lucille - Posted - 03/31/2012:  13:20:00

I just learned this morning of Earl's passing.  Even though I play hammered dulcimer, one of my styles emulates what Earl did on the banjo.  So, he contributed to my outlook on stringed-instrument music making.  One day I will learn his style on the banjo.

f#dead - Posted - 03/31/2012:  16:28:25

WWEP Sad to hear. He had a long life, well played.  

Bronx banjo - Posted - 03/31/2012:  17:55:20

It's been a couple of days now since Earl has passed and as I watch the Flatt and Scruggs videos, my sadness is second only to the passing of a family member. I can't think of anyone in the arts who has held such a position where followers have been so dedicated to the exact method of how it's done. Not Picasso, not Beethoven. In short, Earl holds a unique place in the arts. I think this is a testimony to his greatness. Not bad for a humble farm boy from North Carolina. I take some consolation from the fact that he was aware of how many lives he touched. The quintessential legend in his own time. It falls upon us who play his style to keep it going. In this way, he will live forever.