Hills, that is. Swimming pools, movie stars.

Today, the bluegrass world lost a great legend. Earl Scruggs, banjo extraordinaire.  

Truthfully, I didn't realize quite the extent that Scruggs had had on the country music world until I listened to the memoriums tonight. I always knew he was very, very good and a living legend, but I didn't quite put it together that he really revolutionized the way the banjo was played. Up until Scruggs the banjo was used mostly as a prop for comedy and Scruggs actually brought respect to the instrument. That lack of knowledge immediately shows that I don't listen to enough bluegrass music on my own, but tonight I pulled it out in honor of Scruggs.

(Although I LOVE listening to fast banjo music while driving. It makes me feel like I'm flying. FLYING.)

If you haven't heard of Scruggs on his own, then you've probably heard of him in conjunction with his partner Flatt. In further reading that I did, Flatt & Scruggs eventually parted ways due to an argument over whether they should stay traditional or whether they should experiment with their sound. Scruggs was the one wanting to break ground and push himself. In the articles I read, he said he didn't feel like as satisfied when he only played bluegrass even though he really enjoyed it. He wanted to keep trying new things. I really liked that.
 I'm not always a big of country music (at least not songs like "American Farmer" which is so repetitive it makes me insane. *shudder*) but for some reason bluegrass seems like a class on its own. It's really because of my grandpa that I enjoy it as much as I do. Over the years he's really shown me how incredibly talented bluegrass musicians are and what they can do (and let's face it. those instruments sound awesome.) And we do sit around and pick on mandolins from time to time - well, I plunk around and pray one day I can learn A chord and he really lays out this awesome picking. But we do it together. :)
One day I should find edit the video of his playing and post it. You would enjoy that.

Anyway.

If you think you've never heard Scruggs, you probably have. Ever heard The Beverly Hillbillies theme song, "The Ballad of Jed Clampett"? Then you have. :)

Even if you're not into bluegrass music, this video is really a must-see. This is some of the talent in that genre at its highest, even if you only give it two minutes instead of the full four. And this is truly his classic: "Foggy Mountain Breakdown."



And if you are into bluegrass, it's definitely worth watching. Earl Scruggs, Marty Stuart, Steve Martin? Oh yes.