I originally started listening to country music, cos I was a fan of Johnny Cash's lyrical writing and I wanted to be able to write as good lyrics for the punk rock band I was singing with. For a few years, Cash and some com pilations I had gotten from a pal, as well as the great Swedish country band Jimbob Convoy, was all the country music I was listening to.
Then I started to, as I grew increasingly tired of punk (punk is still my first love, I just don't listen as much to it theese days), I started buying more country music records and I had always been a fan of Cajun music, so I decided to check out the other genrés within American folk and I discovered bluegrass.
It was thanks to a salesman at the brilliant Folk Å Rock record store in Malmö that I s´discovered Dock Boggs, Earl Scruggs and the other banjo legends. Persistent readers of this blog must have noticed that I have written more on banjo pickers than on any other genré the last months. I simply cannot get enough of banjo music.
Though I really like Boggs as well, mostly cos of his brilliant lyricism, I think Scruggs was the greatest banjo picker of the last century. He changed the sound of bluegrass and American folk forever with his inventive style of picking his banjo. It's like ska music, you simply cannot avoid feeling happy from listening to it.
Therefore, it is with great sorrow that I learn that mr Scruggs passed away yesterday.
I learned of his death from Dwight Yoakam on Facebook, who paid a nice tribute to him and I do believe the whole country and bluegrass communities will pay a massive tribute, a fitting tribute to a genious with the banjo that will never be outdone.
Scruggs was the greatest. Rest in peace, Earl, you'll be missed.
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