Earl Scruggs at WLYX - 1974 (C)Joe Spake -all rights reserved

I first heard Earl Scruggs playing on TV for Martha White Flour with long time partner Lester Flatt – The Flatt and Scruggs show came on on Saturday evenings in the 1950s and 1960s, I believe. Even though I was too young to really appreciate the music fully, I was glued to the old TV set.  All these years later, that Martha White jingle is still top of mind.

Even though Earl’s progressive Bluegrass style created a milestone in American music, He went on to do some more progressive music with his sons in the Earl Scruggs Review in the mid 1970s.  I met him, interviewed him, and he spent a lot of time with us at WLYX-FM, Southwestern College’s (now Rhodes) Radio Station (picture above). Continue reading →