Flatt and Scruggs formed one of the greatest bluegrass teams in the history of American country music. The team consisted of guitar player Lester Flatt (1914-1979) and banjo player Earl Scruggs (1924-2012). Both also sang. For more than 20 years, Flatt and Scruggs led a band called the Foggy Mountain Boys. They became internationally popular through their recordings, concerts, and many appearances on the “Grand Ole Opry” country music radio program.
Lester Raymond Flatt was born on June 19, 1914, in Overton County, Tennessee, and Earl Eugene Scruggs was born on Jan. 6, 1924, in Flint Hill, North Carolina. The two first performed together in 1945 as members of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys. They formed their own band in 1948 and gained fame for their exciting guitar and banjo playing. Scruggs wrote or co-wrote most of the band’s original compositions.
Flatt and Scruggs recorded a number of hits, beginning with “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” (1949), which became the theme song of the motion picture Bonnie and Clyde (1967). The popularity of that song spread bluegrass music to new audiences in many countries. They also recorded the theme song for the television series “The Beverly Hillbillies” (1962-1971). Their other popular songs include “Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms” (1951) and “Old Salty Dog Blues” (1952).
Flatt and Scruggs broke up in 1969. Flatt then formed a band called the Nashville Grass, while Scruggs led a show called the Earl Scruggs Revue. Flatt died on May 11, 1979. Flatt and Scruggs were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1985. Scruggs died on March 28, 2012.
