This may be a little different post than the rest but consider it a "doodle". Yesterday, banjo great Earl Scruggs died at the age of 88. He had a huge influence on my life even though I never had the opportunity to meet him. He was the other half of the legendary bluegrass duo Flatt and Scruggs. (Lester Flatt died in 1979). Together they forever changed bluegrass music and greatly influenced other genres as well.Earl was probably best known for introducing a three-finger style of playing the banjo which forever changed the approach to the instrument. He wrote the instrumental, Foggy Mountain Breakdown which was the theme song for the movie, "Bonnie and Clyde". Who hasn't heard this classic? Along with Lester Flatt and the Foggy Mountain Boys, Scruggs also performed the theme song for the hit TV show, The Beverly Hillbillies.
The death of Earl Scruggs creates an empty space in me. I grew up listening to Flatt and Scruggs. They were the masters. They took bluegrass music to new heights. They introduced it to new audiences. Earl's signature sound was the driving force behind it all. I get goosebumps when I think of the innovation and creativity he had, yet he was such a humble man. He never cared for the spotlight, never liked public speaking, but man could he make that banjo ring! Country great Porter Wagoner probably summed up Scruggs' importance best of all: "I always felt like Earl was to the five-string banjo what Babe Ruth was to baseball. He is the best there ever was, and the best there ever will be."
Because bluegrass music is such a huge part of my life, (I probably own every Flatt and Scruggs recording), I feel like Earl was a close friend even though I never met the man. It's kinda funny - I've never met Jesus either, but He too has had a huge influence on my life. (Much bigger than Earl Scruggs) Could it be that our lives can still impact others even after we are gone? What kind of legacy do we want to leave? Will our life make any difference in the life of someone else?
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