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After his interview with Thomas Goldsmith, Bill turns to Earl’s banjo-and-fiddle duet accompaniment style, analyzing “Grey Eagle” from a 1950s radio broadcast with fiddler Benny Martin and “Fiddle and Banjo (Stoney Point)” with fiddler Paul Warren, from Flatt and Scruggs’s December 1962 Carnegie Hall concert. Bill also takes a look at “Across the Blue Ridge Mountains” (also known as “My Home’s Across the Blue Ridge Mountains”) from Flatt and Scruggs’s 1963 Vanderbilt University concert in Nashville, discussing Earl’s solo and analyzing the different backup approaches Earl uses throughout the song.
| SESSION 5: Special Guest Charlie Cushman |
| SESSION 5: Special Guest Charlie Cushman |
In this session, Bill is joined by 1996 IBMA Banjo Player of the Year Charlie Cushman. Charlie plays banjo and Earl Scruggs–style guitar in the Earls of Leicester, the Flatt and Scruggs tribute band led by dobro legend Jerry Douglas. He discusses some of the most important aspects of Earl’s playing that move beyond tablature, including Earl’s fingering choices, right-hand rhythm and note spacing, and much more. You can read about Charlie in Bill’s 2015 Banjo Newsletter column in the PDF below, which includes tab to Charlie’s “Back to Foggy Mountain.”
Reading Assignment
Chapter 14 “Scruggs’ Banjo Gains A Cult Following” from Earl Scruggs and Foggy Mountain Breakdown: The Making of an American Icon, by Thomas Goldsmith.
LIstening (and Viewing) Assignment
“Back To Foggy Mountain,” by Charlie Cushman. From the CD Strictly Instrumental by Charlie Cushman and Johnny Warren.
The Earls of Leicester Live at the CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame, full one hour performance (also available as an audio release).
Here are some links to the recordings that Charlie references in Bill’s interview:
Charlie’s Scruggs Medley: “I Wonder How The Old Folks Are At Home,” Flatt & Scruggs live video “The Old Home Town,” Flatt & Scruggs audio “My Saro Jane,” Flatt & Scruggs “Get In Line Brother,” Flatt & Scruggs “Get In Line Brother,” Earls of Leicester live video “Cumberland Gap” Flatt & Scruggs live video Reno & Smiley live audio “Big Ball in Brooklyn” Flatt & Scruggs live video Reno & Smiley live audio| Charlie Cushman “Back to Foggy Mountain” with Tab (Available to subscribers) |
