more on Earl Scruggs - His Family and Friends

Just found the entire clip of the scene from that trailer. This is the mighty Doc Watson with Earl and the boys doing the Carter Family's "John Hardy Was a Desperate Little Man" (surely you Uncle Tupelo fans will recognize this song ;-) ). This song is not on the album, but is on the DVD. Which for the record is called Earl Scruggs: Bluegrass Legend - His Family and Friends.

Earl Scruggs - His Family and Friends (ft. Byrds, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Doc Watson)

Another criminally underrated out of print album from Earl Scruggs. This is the one people.....this album is fantastic. Recorded in 1969 for a television documentary, not released on vinyl till 1971. This album is where that Byrds clip a few posts back came from. At the time Earl's son Randy was still in high school, of which there are some humerous soundbites about during his performance of Black Mountain Rag. Features such heavyweights as Doc Watson, The Byrds, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan (though he doesn't sing). If you are a fan of the Dirt Band's "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" album.....this is right up your alley. And besides, where else are you gonna hear 1. foggy mt. breakdown played on a synthesizer, and 2. Earl Scruggs speak out against the Vietnam war?

There is a DVD available of this (Get the DVD here) that I will surely be getting. You can watch the trailer here (sorry, embedding was disallowed)

1. Nine Pound Hammer
2. Lonesome Ruben
3. My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountain (with Joan Baez)
4. Love is Just a Four Letter Word (with Joan Baez)
5. The Last Thing On My Mind (with Doc Watson)
6. Streamlined Cannonball (with Doc Watson)
7. Nashville Skyline Rag (with Bob Dylan)
8. Foggy Mountain Breakdown (with Gil Tryhall)
9. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (with The Byrds)
10. Nothin' To It (with The Byrds)
11. Salty Dog Blues (with The Morris Brothers)
12. On Top Of Old Smokey (with The Morris Brothers)
13. Black Mountain Rag (Randy Scruggs)
14. Foggy Mountain Breakdown

MP3
Earl Scruggs - His Family and Friends

Earl Scruggs Revue - Live at Kansas State

Here's a long out of print album from the aforementioned Earl Scruggs Revue. Released in 1972, this gives a good glimpse of what Earl Scruggs was into at the time.....not your typical bluegrass. After splitting with Lester Flatt in the late 60's, he formed a new band with his sons. With a loose atmosphere, amplification, and a slew of songs from the likes of Dylan and Baez. This is a good album....a fun album. You can tell Scruggs was having a blast playing music with his family.

If anybody has the album that came out shortly before this called "Family & Friends" (also out of print) please share, I've been looking and looking for a digital copy of it.

MP3

Earl Scruggs Revue - Live At Kansas State

This is what it's all about folks...

The Byrds & The Earl Scruggs Revue playing Dylan's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere". If this clip doesn't define country-rock, then I don't know what does. I mean the mighty Clarence White on B-Bender plus the immortal Earl Scruggs on 5-string.....!!!!! Amazing!!!!.
If you've never heard of The Earl Scruggs Revue, it was Scruggs' band with his sons in the early 70's. They were (gasp..) a "bunch of longhairs". They made a few great albums back then, most notably Anniversary Vol.1 & Vol. 2 which featured a plethora of guests similar to Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's masterpiece of an album (that may be an understatement) "Will The Circle Be Unbroken". Only here's the twist, instead of a bunch of hippies enlisting bluegrass legends, they were bluegrass legends enlisting hippies. People like McGuin, Loudon Wainwright III, Charlie Daniels, Johnny Cash, Buffy Saint-Marie, & legendary producer Bob Johnston. A highly reccomended album if you enjoy this clip.