Earl Scruggs’ 100th Birthday Party

Legends and Laughter

After two days of rehearsals and a heck of a long Day of Show schedule, friends of the late banjo player Earl Scruggs came together on stage at The Ryman and threw him a birthday party to end all birthday parties. Under the command of Musical Director and professional banjo wrangler Jerry Douglas, the concert was just short of 4 hours and seemingly touched on the entirety of Scruggs’ influence on bluegrass.

In all of the rehearsal time leading up to the performance, and of course during the performance, the laughter never ceased and more stories were swapped between these long-time friends than you could shake a fiddle bow at. It was certainly a reunion of sorts but as Jerry Douglas said during the show, it was also an acknowledgement that Earl’s playing influenced the lives of every musician on stage.

Ultimately, I think these folks wanted to celebrate their dear friend, who just happened to change each of their lives as well as the entirety of the bluegrass world.

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