Musicians from across the bluegrass spectrum gathered at the famous Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Saturday to celebrate the 100th birthday of banjo innovator Earl Scruggs.
Among the lineup of performers were musical director Jerry Douglas, Béla Fleck, The Del McCoury Band, Sierra Hull, Sam Bush, Michael Cleveland, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Abigail Washburn, Bryan Sutton, Alison Brown, and many more. The show featured a number of collaborations honoring the late bluegrass legend, with Del McCoury, Jeff Hanna, Earls of Leicester, and Sam Bush teaming up on “Sittin’ On Top Of The World”, a rendition of “Easy Chair” featuring Hanna, Bush, and Jerry Douglas, and an extended jam featuring Douglas, Michael Cleveland, Béla Fleck, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, and more, to name just a few highlights.
Related: Béla Fleck Reimagines A Classic On “Rhapsody In Blue(grass)” [Listen]
Though he passed in 2012, the influence of Scruggs’ distinctive three-finger picking style helped shape the bluegrass sound, and it was evident on Saturday that his contributions to the genre are still very much felt and appreciated by the scores of fans who lined up around the block as well as the musicians on stage.
“That Earl Scruggs sure turned everything upside down – for a bunch of us!” Béla Fleck wrote in a social media post after the show. “He figured out how to grow the budding three finger idea into an elegant, beautiful and exciting new language. And something about hearing his amazing musicality and sound for the first time had the power to instantly convert one to a lifelong banjo person. My life path turned hard the very moment I first heard him play. I’m so thankful that he found his way to the banjo. Life is better upside down!”
Check out some fan-shot videos from the Early Scruggs 100 birthday celebration at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium courtesy of tennesseerosie below.
Michael Cleveland, Béla Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, More – 1/6/24
Del McCoury, Jeff Hanna, Sam Bush, Earls of Leicester – “Sittin’ On Top Of The World” – 1/6/24
Jeff Hanna, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Sierra Hull, More – “Easy Chair” – 1/6/24
The post Béla Fleck, Sierra Hull, Sam Bush, More Celebrate Bluegrass Pioneer Earl Scruggs’ 100th Birthday At The Ryman [Videos] appeared first on L4LM.
