The Greatest Session Guitarist in Nashville History 

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My God, Chris is a walking encyclopedia of history. He’s right up there with the great Eddie Stubbs. I know Eddie is retired, but he’s be a great interview subject as well. Thank you so much for this, Otis. Chris is awesome.

Wow! Chris Scruggs has such a wealth of knowledge about country music in addition to being a super-talented multi-instrumentalist himself. I hope he writes a book someday. What great stories! Chris, Marty Stuart and Kenny Vaughan could entertain us all forever just sharing their knowledge of country music stories, not to mention exhibiting their superb musicianship whenever they play.

Grady Martin & Hank Garland where incredible players !!!!

I could listen to this guy all day long. Because of this interview, I'm thinking he oughta teach a Masterclass. I don't think there are any Country Masterclasses. Chris is the s***. Thanks for doing these Otis. I think you must be getting a really strong response. Everyone I know into this music listens to you.

My aunt Patti Page loved Grady and Hank Garland. Grew up hearing stories of these great musicians of Nashville...thanks for sharing your incredible knowledge

Chris is so eloquent with his description and accolades for Grady Martin. What a great interview!!

Otis, you are indeed a blessing to saving Nashville music history. Don't dare stopping.

Another Fabulous Superlative!! He’s such a killer musician; love his steel playing!! Love it!!

I was proud to call Grady a friend... he gave me the best advice I ever got on how to improve my guitar skills when he said, "Pay the most attention to where you DON'T play." Willie invited Grady to come on the road after the Honeysuckle Rose movie in which Grady was the "picking stand-in" for when Slim Pickens' character played guitar. Back in the day, during songs in Willie's show, solos got passed around to all the musicians in turn. However, Grady always got to shine alone on Stardust & All of Me. Even though he never played solos the same way twice, he always left you shaking your head in amazement. What a talent... he is missed.

Glen Campbell was another great session player for yrs before he became a recording artist himself. This guy played on so dang many songs it will make your head spin,

The A Team was the Nashville version of L.A.'s Wrecking Crew, that played on more records than you could count without a computer. And all were absolutely the best you could get. Both groups were full of amazing, truly legendary musicians. We'll never see their like again. Thanks for posting this!

Grady Martin --- I will never forget that name. Ive always wondered who the guitar player behind the song ElPaso was. Simply a masterpiece. Like you said " It tells the story ,even without the singing".

Grady was amazing indeed. A true pioneer and innovator of the instrument. I grew up with and was very close to his sons Justin, Jason, and Josh Martin, and I met Grady down at his house in Lewisberg, TN when I was in middle school or high school shortly before he passed. RIP Grady, you legend!

Absolutely love the history. It's amazing how much of these techniques bled over into the rock world later. Keep'em coming Otis.

Grady Martin's guitar solo on John Prine's classic song "A Good Time" is a solo that I have loved for the past 1/2 century!!!

Excellent, Otis. Chris just laid down 10 straight minutes of historical musical knowledge that spanned at least 50 years. Not counting that it is still relevant today...and still going. And he explained everything so well, that even I could understand. Kudos to you both. This is an episode of episodes. Many thanks to you both. Peace.

What insight into last century Nashville music scene, Nashville has dramatically changed even from the early 70s to today

❤ I am loving these interviews Otis, thank you Chris Scruggs is the real deal

Otis, I could listen to Chris all day long! He is a great artist and I like what he’s all about! Thanks for having him on your channel!

This gentleman gives a regular clinic on country music history every time he speaks.

I love listening to Chris Scruggs. He is so articulate and has a wealth of information.

Grady Martin on Marty Robbins' Saddle Tramp-so amazingingly beautiful! Another great Chris Scruggs interview♥

Great stuff, Otis. Thanks for what you do.

Always liked Grady's guitar work on the 1950s Johnny Burnette and the Rock n' Roll Trio recordings.

If ever get the chance go see Chris and Kenny Vaughn play together on Monday nights near Vanderbilt in Nashville. They play for tips only. I was blown away and had no idea who they were till years later.

I bought Marty Robbins "Gunfighter Ballads" LP when it first came out in the early 60's. I was mezmorised by the guitar playing behind Marty's vocals. It was years before I found out it was Grady Martin. He never got a mention on the record ..... so so unfair for such an amazing guitarist.

Can't tell you how many times I have had to look up these old legends because of you. What an education Otis! You-tubed it and found Buck Trent on Marty Stewart's show ,,, what a delight to watch! T.Y.

Fabulous! I met Chris Years ago when he was in BR5-49, we supported them on a date in Reading England, he was surprised when I asked him to autograph my copy of his solo album. We had a long chat, he's a really knowledgeable guy. Thanks for posting the video!

IIRC, Grady Martin played all the great guitar fills in "El Paso" by Marty Robbins ... what a guitar lesson!!

Ok, new bucket list item...go to an old record shop with Chris!!

I'm a musician and I feel like I'm on overload in a good way. It reminds me of the time my 10 yr. old daughter asked my wife a music question for her school homework. My wife said, "Why don't you ask your dad?" and my daughter answered, "I don't want to know that much."

Excellent content from the Fabulous Chris Scruggs. Thanks, Otis! Imagine the conversations on the Fabulous Superlatives' bus! I hope each of these guys is writing a book 🤞 - in the meantime, your interviews are a treasure of gold.

Pretty sure we could listen to Chris talk music all day...☆♡

Grady Martin has long been a favourite of mine. His guitar playing on Johnny Horton's early Rockabilly 78s, and the gut string on Marty Robbin's 'Gunfighter Ballads' was particulary magnificent. Is GM playing on Red Foley's 'Midnight? ' This beautifully melancholy record is supposedly the last thing Hank Williams had on the radio before the driver realised the worst. Grady should be better known; but then again it's nice to be part of the small club that knows of this very cool guitar player.

Chris is such a brilliant and knowledgeable historian of the Nashville music scene. I believe Earl would have been proud of him, and his dad Gary also had they not been estranged. I could listen to him for hours. He needs to do his own channel.

Grady was amazing! There is a CD out there of Grady's best work with various artists But "El Paso" is the beginning and end.

That is one knowledgeable fella right there 👍🇺🇸 Thank you for posting this 🙏

WOW!!! - Another Awesome vid Otis!!! How special to hear about Grady from Chris -- who is an incredible musician himself -- Thanks Much🎶

The interview with Joe Chambers and Marty Stuart , Stuart raved on Chris Scruggs knowledge . Scruggs a great orator of historic country music and probably more . Yes nerd but in my opinion , a guy I could listen and gain everlasting information for my own interest . Kind of like reading a good book , that reveals new material and continues to developing a on going plot that does not get old .

Jimmy Capps (or "The Sheriff") said on an interview here on RU-vid that the best recordings are those where the band and the singers do not record together and are on different tracks. The idea is the band goes first which makes the singer follow the band, not the band follow the singer. He said you get more out of the band that way. He also said eye contact between the band members when playing is very important. And he said he generally carried about 12 guitars in his trunk to the session. He said he first discussed the sound wanted with the guy paying the bills before choosing a guitar to play. He is credited with over 5000 tracks over many decades too. He said he never knew which recording would be a hit. He said his main thought was "don't be late for the next session" as he played. He was another high demand guy who often worked until 11 PM in the studios.

Man, do I enjoy listening to Professor Chris's history lessons. Thanks fellas !

Thanks again Otis ! , Good to see you are still bringing it Chris-Many good blessings to you both !!

Grady Martin Jr. was in my little sister's 1st grade class in West Meade back in the mid sixties. Grady wound up traveling with Willie Nelson in his later years.

I saw Willie Nelson way back in the early 80s , in Boston at a Concert On The Commons . There was an older guy playing a black Les Paul Custom and sounding pretty jazzy for a country gig . Now I know it was Grady Martin . Just goes to show you really great musicians are often bigger than a genre that others try to put them in . There was a Louis Armstrong interview " There's two kinds of music , good and bad ." The interviewer asks Louis , what's good music ? Louis replied " If it makes me tap my foot . " Great interview , thanks .

I went down the metal hot chops Rabbit Hole growing up. Has taken me 30 years to truly appreciate the awesome Talent in country music.

My dear old buddy Walter Haynes was on the A-Team for a while, until he started producing records for Owen Bradley. There’s video of him on RU-vid playing with Grady on the Jimmy Dean show. Walt also played with Patsy,Little Jimmy,Hawkshaw & many many many more. He got producer of the yr for Country Bumpkin & Satin sheets. Oh & he wrote the song Girl on a billboard. I was so proud to play beside Walt in a band all thru the 90’s. We played one month with Johnny Paycheck. I still pull out the videos. R.I.P. Grady was the man! ❤️❤️❤️

Grady Martin was also one of the first to ever record using an Echoplex effect on Little Jimmy Dicken's 1965 hit "May the Bird of Paradise(Fly Up Your Nose)".

Fantastic interview! Really appreciate this Otis and Chris!

These are unsung heroes.. the A Team. You never hear of them in the credits but without them the song would be nothing!

Fantastic information about Grady Martin. This man knows Country music and what he's talking about !

Thank you again , Otis. I could listen to this content all day.

Wow. That's some really good stuff. I could listen to these stories all day and still be wanting more.

Great! Thanks for posting.

Great deep dive on this! Thanks for the content.

Otis, Thank you for your time and effort. Your videos are outstanding. Next time you talk to Chris, please ask him where he buys his handkerchiefs / bandanas? Thank you.

Good stuff. Thank you for sharing. Have a blessed day.

I love seeing more of Scruggs on here…I will always watch/listen to them

FANTASTIC Video!! Thank You!!!

Keep it coming Otis your work just keeps getting better. It's always been great..but MAN you know who to talk to !

That was a really great interview Otis! Really informative. I love the guitar work on El Paso!Thanks for sharing!

I have always wondered who played the fill in guitar picking in the Marty Robins, El Paso. It is some of the most ingenious notes I have every heard in a song. I love listening to that song primarily because of the music that brings the story to life.

Grady Martins playing on Marty Robbins Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs album, especially on El Paso is so great that I never get tired of listening to it.

My grandfather sings on one of Grady's records, Cecel Bailey.I miss him very much.

Otis; I could listen to this conversation all night. Well done, delightful.

Good God Otis this guy is a genius

As a measure of how good these cats were, the A-Team harmonica player, Charlie McCoy, was brought on a Bob Dylan session for that purpose and ended up playing the eleven minutes of impromptu acoustic lead that propels Desolation Row to eternal greatness.

Reggie Young is one of my personal favourites.

God bless RU-vid for letting us watch this…LOVE this kind of music history.. thanks Otis!

Excellent appreciation for a guitarist who deserves to be much better known.

Amazing. File this under players and history I wasn't aware of. I guess I gave some listening homework over the weekend Thank you, Otis and Chris 🙏🏻🤍💛

This guy sure knows how to tell a good story. Hope to see more

All of the "A" players for Chet Atkins (RCA), Owen Bradley (Decca), Fred Foster (Monument), Don Law, etc. were incredible. And, don't forget the underappreciated Anita Kerr who put a lot of the arrangements together for the sessions she was in with Jim Reeves and others.

So informative and very interesting to know ! We all have learned about the " Wrecking Crew".. and now it's time to respect the greatness of Grady Martin and the rest of the boys ! Regards. JT ✌️

Ole Chris knows a tremendous amount of great info! as others have already noted in their comments. WOW!!😄 I'm very happy to be a subscriber to this wonderful channel!!👍

This was excellent. I went and looked up a bunch of Grady Martin vids. Yeah. So, you got me interested in Grady and Joe Maphis. Great talents both. I thank you Otis.

love this !!

Bud Isaacs, Tommy Jackson and Grady Martin were the core of a group called the "Crossroads Gang" that played a radio show out of Springfield, Mo for Red Foley. It was a 15 minute show back in the early 50's.

This was an unexpected, but very well done, interview with Chris talking about Grady Martin.. Thanks, Otis.

Thank you for mentioning Dean Porter. He was a friend of our family. After finishing his run with Little Jimmy Dickens and Nashville, Dean moved to Portsmouth, Ohio. From Portsmouth, he drove 50 miles each weekend to play on WSAZ-TV's Saturday Night Jamboree from 1954 to 1965. My father, Harry Mills, was also a regular on the show. Dean was spectacular. I even had the honor, as a 9-year-old child, to have Dean back me up on a local telethon, as I sang the Buck Owens' song "Excuse me, I think I've got a heartache." I wish I had a tape of that broadcast, but I don't. I love this RU-vid channel. Your stories are wonderful!

This is great history!

Man oh man another awesome video. I love hearing about the stuff not in your face. The background stuff always completes the story. I thought Kenny Vaughan had some excellent stuff. Looks like he has some competition with Chris. LOL Have you ever thought about talking to Harry Stinson. I bet he has some killer stories as long as he's been in the business. Great job again!

Historic stuff here. Love to hear about his Dad, Mom, Grandpa and Relatives.. His house must have been Crazy with Music all the time..

Hank Garland was another great. Met him here in Jacksonville Florida. It was at a guitar show, they had his log books and guitars

Otis, your interview selections are the best bar none ! Keep them coming !

Super cool man. Thx Otis. 👍

His work with Don Gibson is superb.

Wonderful history-thanks so much!

MR CHRIS HAS GREAT 15 MINUTE SHOW FRIDAY NIGHT AFTER OPERA HE HAS ALL KINDS OF TALENT ANS SKILL AND A WONDERFUL GROUP IVAN FROM ILLINOIS.

This is so informative. Incredible. Thanks so much for this!!! The "palm pedal" ??? whoa.... so cool.

Yeah let's have more of Chris!

The A Team … was so hot and so tight it’s incredible even today. Interviews with the A team today they seem so … humble .. so much so it’s like it was almost a job to them .. unbelievable !!

Fantastic. What a source of knowledge and wisdom.

Saw a I love Otis bumper sticker out here in San Jose CA. Honked at driver and gave thumbs up.

Awesome video!

i dig this stuff. thank ya!

That was effing great! Otis, did you even have to ask a question? Amazingly good stuff here. MORE from this guy.

A great history lesson from Chris Scruggs Thanks Otis

This is phenomenal. I love his anecdotes so much. He is such an easy and eloquent speaker, too. I was led to believe that the "A Team" was a somewhat nebulous term with a rotating cast. I think he half alluded to that or maybe that is obvious. I love this discussion so much, though.

I was playing my guitar the other night and sounded just like Grady, then I woke up darn it. He was a great, as was Pig. Cris is amazing too. Thanks gentlemen.