The Essential Earl Scruggs (CD - 2004)

Personnel: Earl Scruggs (vocals, guitar, banjo); Lester Flatt (vocals, guitar); Johnny Cash, Mother Maybelle Carter, Ricky Skaggs, Tom T. Hall, Rosanne Cash (vocals); Doc Watson (guitar); Bonnie Bramlett, Linda Ronstadt, (background vocals); The Foggy Mountain Boys, The Oak Ridge Boys, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Hylo Brown & The Timberliners.

Producers include: Art Satherley, Murray Nash, Don Law, Frank Jones, Bob Johnston.

Compilation producer: Gregg Geller.

Recorded between 1946 & 1984. Includes liner notes by Rich Kienzle.

This is part of "The Essential" series.

Personnel: Earl Scruggs (baritone, banjo); Bill Monroe (vocals, tenor, mandolin); Hylo Brown, Johnny Cash, Lester Flatt (vocals, guitar); Gary Scruggs (vocals, harmonica, electric bass); The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Stacey Belson, Arloff Boguslavaki, Tom T. Hall, Linda Ronstadt (vocals); Curly Seckler (tenor, mandolin); Randy Scruggs (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar, background vocals); Josh Graves (guitar, dobro); Mark O'Connor (guitar, mandolin, fiddle); Doc Watson, Grady Martin (guitar); Charlie Daniels (12-string guitar); Ralph Mooney (steel guitar); Norman Blake (dobro); John McEuen (banjo); Jimmie Fadden (harp); Mother Maybelle Carter (autoharp); Charles Everett Lilly, Red Rector (mandolin); Byron Berline (fiddle, background vocals); Chubby Wise, Clarence "Tater" Tate, Howdy Foster, Art Wooten, Paul Warren, Benny Martin, Vassar Clements, Bobby Hicks (fiddle); Charlie McCoy (harmonica); Gene Sisk, Bob & Pauline Wilson (piano); Ron Bledsoe (harpsichord, organ); Shane Keister, Ron Oates, Steve Scruggs (keyboards); Joe & Rose Lee Maphis (drums, background vocals); Clyde Brooks, William Paul Ackerman, Kenneth A. Buttrey, Jerry Kroon, Jerry Carrigan, Karl Himmel, Buddy Harman (drums); Jeff Hanna (washboard); Farrell Morris (percussion); The Oak Ridge Boys, Rodney Crowell, Rosanne Cash, Bonnie Bramlett (background vocals).

Liner Note Authors: Rich Kienzle; Béla Fleck.

Recording information: Chicago, IL (09/16/1946-05/15/1984); Cincinnati, OH (09/16/1946-05/15/1984); Los Angeles, CA (09/16/1946-05/15/1984); Nashville, TN (09/16/1946-05/15/1984); Newport Folk Festival (09/16/1946-05/15/1984); Tampa, FL (09/16/1946-05/15/1984).

Photographers: David Gahr; Norman Seeff; Larry Dixon; Les Leverett.

Arranger: Earl Scruggs.

"The Paganini of the banjo"'s finest moments are collected on Columbia/Legacy's aptly named Essential Earl Scruggs. Unlike many other "best-of" collections, this two-disc set gathers tracks from nearly all of the stages of Scruggs' career, from his early days as one of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, through his genre-defining work with Lester Flatt, and a sampling of his solo career, including his appearances with Hylo Brown, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and leading his own Earl Scruggs Revue. Informative liner notes by historian Rich Kienzle, banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck, and Scruggs himself illustrate the man behind the fingers, and the recording quality of the music is clear and consistent throughout. Hearing all of this pickin' in one place really reminds the listener how vital Scruggs was in popularizing the sound of bluegrass in the '40s, '50s, and '60s, and his innovations through the '70s and '80s. While stronger collections of Flatt & Scruggs and Bill Monroe recordings are available, none showcase the man behind the banjo as completely as this fine compilation does. ~ Zac Johnson minimize