Foggy Mountain Breakdown: A Bluegrass Tribute to Earl Scruggs

A couple of years ago, Tim Austin, one of the founders of the Lonesome River Band, kickstarted a project that would bring together the best banjo players in the game to record the music of Earl Scruggs, who was then in the twilight of his years. Before the album was completed, Scruggs passed away at the age of 88. Thus, a tribute album also became a memorial to one of the most important artists in the history of American vernacular music. Using concert and studio recordings made by Scruggs and his cohorts between 1949 and 1969 as a guide for performing and arranging the songs, a dozen tracks were produced during the Nashville sessions. The gaggle of banjo masters included Tom Adams, JD Crowe, Kenny Ingram, Joe Mullins, Craig Smith, and David Talbot. The superstar line-up of accompanists included Dan Tyminski (mandolin, guitar), Tony Trischka (mandolin, guitar), Randy Kohrs (Dobro), Clay Hess (guitar), Dennis Crouch (bass) and Ron Stewart (fiddle), among others.

The repertoire includes traditional tunes such as ‘Sally Goodin’ and ‘Reuben’, reworked versions of recognisable classics such as Dylan’s ‘Nashville Skyline’ and Bill Monroe’s ‘Pike County Breakdown’ plus a heapin’ helpin’ of Scruggs originals including ‘Earl’s Breakdown’, ‘Ground Speed’ and, of course, ‘Foggy Mountain Breakdown’. No musician will ever replace Earl Scruggs or exert a similar impact on the genre. Be that as it may, fans of acoustic bluegrass will revel in this superbly performed instrumental tribute to the boundless creative talent of the godfather of banjo picking.