I am from Simpsonville, South Carolina which is about ten minutes away from Greenville. I wish I would have been alive back then so I could see Earl and Lester play. I hope I can play my banjo as good as Earl one day.
Earl is the ultimate and has been the point of reference for 5 string banjo ever since he first recorded. He is the reason why I and so many others were drawn into Bluegrass for a lifetime. However, it is worth noting that while Bill Monroe had the highest regard for Earl's work, his opinion was that the instrumental part of Bluegrass centered around the fiddle, and probably had Kenny Baker's playing in mind. Be sure to check out the F+S Martha White TV show videos.
I sure wish I could tune into the NBC-TV evening news and catch a spot like this, instead of all the other stuff we see these days. Bless you Les & Earl, and Frank McGee for telling it like it is.
earl scruggs is the sound of bluegrass, I don't know how anyone would say bill monroe is the father of bluegrass . Don't get me wrong i like bill monroe and i have his music ,but until these two came along he was just a country artist and when flatt scruggs showed up they turned the industry on its ear , great video good post.
Thank you for this extraordinary video. Les is right, the banjo IS the most important lead instrument in bluegrass,and all acoustic instruments sound so much better and make bluegrass unique from country & other genres. What a FUN and nostalgic peek into bluegrass history !
I am from Simpsonville, South Carolina which is about ten minutes away from Greenville. I wish I would have been alive back then so I could see Earl and Lester play. I hope I can play my banjo as good as Earl one day.
MrJmefferd 1 month ago
A gem of a time capsule.
HankCashRevue 6 months ago
This is GRRRRREEEEAAATE!!! I love it!! thanks for posting it
TheGmdriver 6 months ago
And some of the so called modern bluegrass bands do not have a 5 string banjo, and so they should not be called bluegrass! Call them something else.
pegcage 7 months ago
Earl is the ultimate and has been the point of reference for 5 string banjo ever since he first recorded. He is the reason why I and so many others were drawn into Bluegrass for a lifetime. However, it is worth noting that while Bill Monroe had the highest regard for Earl's work, his opinion was that the instrumental part of Bluegrass centered around the fiddle, and probably had Kenny Baker's playing in mind. Be sure to check out the F+S Martha White TV show videos.
clyderf 8 months ago
I sure wish I could tune into the NBC-TV evening news and catch a spot like this, instead of all the other stuff we see these days. Bless you Les & Earl, and Frank McGee for telling it like it is.
bluemandos 10 months ago
I'm only about an hour and a half from Greenville, SC..I wonder if I leave now..if they'll still be playing? lol
bigmrclean 1 year ago
On what program was this originally aired? I am doing a research paper on bluegrass music and would like to be able to use it as a source.
hlfoltz 1 year ago
@hlfoltz It aired on NBC, but no clue about the program.
BanjoBoyMatteo 1 year ago
@hlfoltz Frank McGee (the anchor here) hosted a show called the Frank McGee Report during the 60s, my guess is it's from that.
banjochris 1 year ago
earl scruggs is the sound of bluegrass, I don't know how anyone would say bill monroe is the father of bluegrass . Don't get me wrong i like bill monroe and i have his music ,but until these two came along he was just a country artist and when flatt scruggs showed up they turned the industry on its ear , great video good post.
dwarf2 1 year ago
Thanks so much for posting this video - The views performing on top of the refreshment stand at the drive in movie is the first I've seen.
Banjonuke 1 year ago
Thank you for this extraordinary video. Les is right, the banjo IS the most important lead instrument in bluegrass,and all acoustic instruments sound so much better and make bluegrass unique from country & other genres. What a FUN and nostalgic peek into bluegrass history !
CARROLLCTYDOBROGIRL 1 year ago