Earl Scruggs and Foggy Mountain Breakdown

The Making of an American Classic

by Thomas Goldsmith

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Pub Date 13 Sep 2019 | Archive Date 15 Oct 2019

University of Illinois Press

Biographies & Memoirs | Nonfiction (Adult)

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Description

Recorded in 1949, "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" changed the face of American music. Earl Scruggs's instrumental essentially transformed the folk culture that came before it while helping to energize bluegrass's entry into the mainstream in the 1960s. The song has become a gateway to bluegrass for musicians and fans alike as well as a happily inescapable track in film and television. Thomas Goldsmith explores the origins and influence of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" against the backdrop of Scruggs's legendary career. Interviews with Scruggs, his wife Louise, disciple Bela Fleck, and sidemen like Curly Seckler, Mac Wiseman, and Jerry Douglas shed light on topics like Scruggs's musical evolution and his working relationship with Bill Monroe. As Goldsmith shows, the captivating sound of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" helped bring back the banjo from obscurity and distinguished the low-key Scruggs as a principal figure in American acoustic music.Passionate and long overdue, Earl Scruggs and Foggy Mountain Breakdown takes readers on an ear-opening journey into two minutes and forty-three seconds of heaven.

Recorded in 1949, "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" changed the face of American music. Earl Scruggs's instrumental essentially transformed the folk culture that came before it while helping to energize...

Advance Praise

"Thoroughly researched, elegantly written, this is a superb study of a tune, a man, and the creation of a highly distinctive American musical style. Loaded with information and interpretation, its warm personable style makes for a compelling and insightful read."--Douglas B. (Ranger Doug) Green

"An enormous contribution to the history of bluegrass and a fascinating read, well organized and well told. Goldsmith's lengthy interview with Earl is a treasure trove of information not only about 'Foggy Mountain Breakdown' but about the early days of bluegrass and specifically Earl's working relationship with Bill Monroe, which has long been clouded in mystery."--Murphy Hicks Henry, author of Pretty Good for a Girl: Women in Bluegrass

"A fascinating read! Goldsmith tells how Earl Scruggs used his unique artistic vision to invent a musical language understood and embraced by performers and audiences alike, reviving the five-string banjo to leave an enduring mark on American popular music."--Neil V. Rosenberg, author of Bluegrass Generation: A Memoir

"Thoroughly researched, elegantly written, this is a superb study of a tune, a man, and the creation of a highly distinctive American musical style. Loaded with information and interpretation, its...

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-National Media Advance Copy Mailing

-Feature on NetGalley

-Social Media Campaign on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

-Email blast to in-house e-mail lists

Available Editions

EDITION	Other Format
ISBN	9780252084782
PRICE	US$19.95 (USD)
PAGES	184

Additional Information

Average rating from 8 members

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Featured Reviews

Denice L, Reviewer

I have yet to meet anyone who could truthfully say the did not like Earl Scruggs' music. While it might have a "genre", it definitely is loved by all. Thomas Goldsmith rolls out Scruggs' life to show us the risks and sacrifices he met as he follows his love of music to become a legend. A very interesting read that will make you appreciate Scruggs' music even more.

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Angelia S, Reviewer

What a fascinating history of an American icon. If you want to introduce someone to bluegrass, the best example of the genre is Earl Scruggs’ Foggy Mountain Breakdown. Thomas Goldsmith does a masterful job telling the story not just of this great piece of American music, but also of it’s creator, the incomparable Earl Scruggs. I was so impressed by this book that I’ll be adding it to my 12 year-old son’s homeschool curriculum this year.

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Melissa O, Reviewer

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of Earl Scruggs and Foggy Mountain Breakdown. I really enjoyed this look into the history of one of my favorite bluegrass musicians. Thomas Goldsmith did a great job exploring the birth of bluegrass music and Earl Scruggs' role in bringing this music genre to life.

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Patricia C, Reviewer

For me, a life long lover of Blue Grass music, this was a treat to read. It's more than a biography of Earl Scruggs, it's a history book of Blue Grass itself.

Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.

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Robert E, Bookseller

This book told me more about banjo playing than I ever needed to know -- and that is part of what makes this a great book. The author can take the most minute details of the story and make them fascinating. I actually asked a friend who plays the banjo to show me what the author was talking about and he had described it so perfectly that I could recognize it when my friend played. And I don't play any instruments at all....

In the course of this book you not only get the life of Earl Scruggs in very human detail but also meet his influences and the founders of bluegrass music, some barely known, some legendary. Everyone comes through in very human detail and the author makes you feel like you are sitting down at the dinner table in some rural shack with the people themselves, hearing them talk and play.

The list of people who influenced Earl Scruggs is almost as long as the list of people he influenced or helped get their start in music. His amazing musical legacy is served very well by this fine book.