Earl Scruggs and Tom Rush
Earl Scruggs’ legendary banjo playing, aptly named “Scruggs Style,” has left its mark on American pop culture and inspired generations of banjo players. In the late 1960s, Scruggs, along with his sons, bravely crossed musical boundaries, but his musical journey really started back at the beginnings of bluegrass, playing with Bill Monroe and later, Lester Flatt. We’ll talk to Earl and his sons, Randy and Gary, about performing on the stage of the Ryman Auditorium and why he doesn’t need to crack jokes about the banjo. New Hampshire-born folk singer songwriter Tom Rush may have gone to Harvard and studied with a ballad scholar, but he still knows how to sing the blues. We’ll visit with Rush to learn more about Boston’s folk scene in the 1960s, his time as a radio DJ and his inspired approach to songwriting.
HOUR ONE
Open Bed: Nashville Skyline Rag Flatt & Scruggs
The Essential, Columbia/Legacy
Hey Porter Earl Scruggs Revue with Johnny Cash
The Earl Scruggs Revue: Anniversary Special Volume One & Two, Sony BMG
Move Along Train Levon Helm
Electric Dirt, Vanguard
SEGMENT: Earl Scruggs
Instrumental: Cripple Creek Junie Scruggs
American Banjo Three Finger and Scruggs Style, Smithsonian Folkways
SEGMENT: Earl Scruggs Pt. 2
Ode to Earl Bela Fleck
The Bluegrass Sessions: Takes from the Acoustic Planet, Volume 2, Warner
Glendale Train New Riders of the Purple Sage
New Riders of the Purple Sage, Columbia
Instrumental: RS Stomp Roosevelt Sykes
Blues by Roosevelt 'the Honeydripper' Sykes, Smithsonian Folkways
La Valse de Meche Red Stick Ramblers
My Suitcase is Always Packed, Sugar Hill
Be Real Freda and the Firedogs
Keep Your Soul: A Tribute to Doug Sahm, Vanguard
Nightlife John Doe & the Sadies
Country Club, Yep Roc
St. James Infirmary Allen Toussaint
The Bright Mississippi, Nonesuch
Baby Baby Blues Josh White
Empty Bed Blues, Elektra
End Bed: Tipitina Allen Toussaint
American Routes Original Recording
HOUR TWO
Open Bed: San Francisco Bay Blues Tom Rush
Blues, Songs & Ballads, Fantasy
Good Time Music The Lovin' Spoonful
Forever Changing: Golden Age of Elektra Records 1963-1973, Rhino
Sugar Mama Lil' Son Jackson
The Complete Imperial Recordings, Capitol
Love Me Like A Man Bonnie Raitt
The Bonnie Raitt Collection, Warner Bros.
Two Trains Running Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis
Forever Changing: Golden Age of Elektra Records 1963-1973, Rhino
Mobile-Texas Line Tom Rush
The Very Best of Tom Rush: No Regrets, Columbia
Instrumental: She's a Women The Charles River Valley Boys
Forever Changing: Golden Age of Elektra Records 1963-1973, Rhino
San Francisco Bay Blues Jessie Fuller
Brother Lowdown, Fantasy
On the Road Again Tom Rush
Take a Little Walk with Me, Elektra
Who Do You Love Bo Diddley
His Best, MCA
Blood & Fire Niney the Observer
Reggae Anthology: Niney the Observer - Roots with Quality, VP
Kids These Days Tom Rush
The Very Best of Tom Rush: No Regrets, Columbia
Instrumental: Flat Foot & Buck Dance John Jackson
Don't Let the Deal Go Down, Arhoolie
SEGMENT: Tom Rush
The Circle Game Joni Mitchell
Hits, Reprise
Urge for Going Tom Rush
The Circle Game, Elektra
End Bed: Rockport Sunday Tom Rush
The Circle Game, Elektra