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1955 Flatt and Scruggs
Nice story about Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs going back to 1955 in Huntington, WV.
https://www.herald-dispatch.com/spec...4d3524814.html
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Re: 1955 Flatt and Scruggs
Here's the photo and story published in and courtesy of the Herald-Dispatch, Huntington, WV
Music historians view the duo of singer and guitarist Lester Flatt and banjo player Earl Scruggs as
one of the premier bluegrass groups in the history of the genre. The two originally had been
members of Bill Monroe’s band, the Bluegrass Boys. In early 1948, they left to form their own
band, the Foggy Mountain Boys.
Although there were many factors that contributed to the success of Flatt and Scruggs, television
was one of the most significant. Television gave them unprecedented exposure and name
recognition.
According to bluegrass expert Richard F. Thompson, Feb. 2, 1955, was the first time Flatt and
Scruggs appeared on their own television program. That first live show, sponsored by Martha
White Flour, was aired from the Huntington studio of WSAZ-TV.
Thompson writes that within weeks of that first appearance, Flatt and Scruggs had begun doing
weekly live programs in three Tennessee towns — Knoxville, Johnson City and Jackson. Later they
added still more southern cities, logging as many as 2,500 miles a week as they drove their bus
from town to town for the live programs.
With the advent of video recording, the band was able to park their bus and record just one
program at WSMV-TV in Nashville, and then distribute it to multiple markets.
Flatt and Scruggs had a distinctive sound that won them many fans. In 1955, they became
members of the Grand Ole Opry. Over the years, Scruggs began experimenting on duets with
saxophonist King Curtis and adding songs by the likes of Bob Dylan to the group’s repertoire.
Flatt, a traditionalist, did not like these changes, and the group broke up in 1969.
Following the breakup, Lester Flatt founded the Nashville Grass and Scruggs led the Earl Scruggs
Revue. Flatt died in 1979. Scruggs died in 2012. The duo was elected to the Country Music Hall of
Fame in 1985.
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