Earl Scruggs (banjo genius) Interview in 2002 

Earl is so thoughtful and sincere with his answers, no ego or attitude.

Thank God for Earl he brought a lot of people joy

I love that Earl asks Lousie Scruggs the tough questions.

Have picked the banjo my whole life and knew that Earl had come up with the 3 finger style, but had no idea it came to him by accident while "parlor picking" by himself 2-finger style on the tune, "Reuben." That is VERY important historical knowledge!

Very glad to say that the Farm an Fun time is still on the air! Brought to you by Kody Norris band from Mt City Tenn!

I could listen to Earl talk all day

My ambition is to rise to the position of the second worst banjo picker in the cosmos, and Mr Scruggs is my inspiration. He was, and remains the best.

Earl Scruggs - the Jimi Hendrix of the Banjo

Jacks exactly right. I’ve interviewed many musicians and an interview should feel like a conversation. This is the exact reason most musians HATE doing interviews because most interviewers SUCK. When I first started out, I was doing the same thing with Dr Hooks Ray Sawyer and he said, why don’t you put the pen and paper away and let’s just get drunk. I kept the tape player rolling for the next 4 hours I got more information that I would ever have gotten otherwise. That’s how I learned. If you let musicians talk then most of them will keep on talking and tell you stories that you would never have thought of (although I’ve heard Earl was pretty shy).

Earl scruggs has been a favorite banjo player of mine for 55 years. i live 22 miles from where earl lived in boiling springs n.c. i remember the 1st time i seen earl scruggs play banjo was in 1960 something. he came on author smith tv show. and of coarse he played foggy mountain breakdown. from that day i wanted to play banjo. i have never met or seen earl in person, but i can tell he is a one of a kind. and genuine, i would not think you could find anyone as interesting and gentle as earl. i could not wait til Friday nites for the grand ole opry on radio am channel wsam in Nashville tenn. to see if earl was there performing. R.I.P. Earl, the master of the 5 string banjo lives on forever.

RIP Earl Scruggs!

Para mí Earl fue el mejor ,todavía escucho su musica

Those magic fingers of his, smooth and machine like.

Earl had a bunch of banjos and by the time of this interviewed had marketed Earl Scruggs banjos with several different makers

There will never be anybody like him again, many have tried but nobody’s got the drive in the music and the confidence he had it’s, still amazing

Earl is the man.

Happy Birthday Earl

GOD BLESS AMERICA - - GOD BLESS THE SCRUGGS FAMILY - -

Everyone in the original Foggy Mountain Boys was in Monroe's band. Basically Earl and Lester didnt think they could adequately support their families on the money. Earl was thinking of going back into the Carolina Cotton Mills at that point with his family started when he learned Lester also was leaving the band to get better money.

Really enjoyed this, Herb--Earl's still one of my biggest musical heroes! Your Pal, Bill Turner

Interviewing requires skill, attention to the flow of the responses, and to the nuances of the conversation. The questions are only a framework, a starting point on which to build an exchange of real substance. This interviewer is lacking the essential qualities that could have made this conversation with the great Earl Scruggs a good deal more interesting and memorable.

WCYB Bristol participated in Network Broadcasting. Many of their radio programs were broadcast in those days were broadcast as far North as Southern Michigan. WKZO Kalamazoo WNIL Niles and WDOW- Dowagiac ,Mi just to name a few. The Detroit Area had numerous stations.WMAQ Chicago was the most powerful In later years .It was a powerful Country station. WMAQ in the 1960s their frequency became so powerful it was heard in every state East of the Rockies. WMAQ became news radio after Westinghouse Broadcasting bought it in 1988. WSM programs from Nashville were also broadcast from these stations because of Network Broadcasting.Saturday night Opry could be heard from participating stations. Many men from Appalachia went north to work in the Manufacturing towns from Chicago, Northern Indiana and along the New York Central Railroad through Southern Michigan towards Detroit in the 1950s and 60s.These men would tune a station in when the programs would come on. The music gave them a little taste of home. Even some of the homegrown Northerners enjoyed the music also.Because of Network Broadcasting they were able to listen to programs from WCYB and WSM.Their was also Network Broadcasting participating stations In Arkansas,Missouri,Mississippi, Texas, Ohio and Indiana.

never be another!

Great Interview !

Like Marty Stuart jokingly said to Earl on a show after listing all of Earl's awards, "The only award Earl has not won is Female Vocalist of the Year." Earl got a kick out of that.

Yes

Uncle Floyd I saw him in the intro

This is all pretty bizarre without starting with the mention of two important words "Bill Monroe"

Radio anywhere couldnt play records to make them sound as good as live music until the late 1940s. They were always looking for bands of any kind to play because they couldnt play records.

Uncle Floyd I saw him

This seems like more than like an exam than an interview and he struggles to answer it’s a shame but a good questions I feel the interview maybe should of been a bit more relaxed

Funny how he didn’t answer the question about trading don reno banjos 🪕

Your crazy

How could you not mention the Bonnie and Clyde movie?

wow, he still looks so young in this interview. i bet he could play up some smoke on a Banjo even in 2002 and beyond. Didn't he live till like 2016 or something?

Actually WCYB still has music on its noon TV show.

(uneasily speaking) "good management. Y'all need good management" With his wife looking on stinky‐eyed. Haha

"Earl why did you have to play everything so goddamn fast"?

There is nothing wrong with just asking questions.

What a poor interviewer ! Could have been so much better. If i were Earl i would have quit the crap ..

TERRIBLE interview - Interviewer needs to educate himself then think about what should be asked. Throw away them cards! Plus...the interviewer has some misinformation - like Earl trading his RB-11 "mother of toilet seat" to Reno for Earl's Granada. Now this all being said, the interviewer did loosen up some....Earl does have some good info.

Many people did not know that Earl and Lester had a sexual relationship. This was kept very secret because of the time and the stigma that doesn't exist these days. Apparently is was a fiery and passionate union. He was an amazing man.