I’m not going to lie to you. Almost every time I hammer the throttle on a car or truck, slide something sideways in the dirt, or participate in some sort of automotive tom foolery, this song is front and center in my mind. Foggy Mountain Breakdown by Flatt and Scruggs was released in 1949 and has stood the test of time as both a bluegrass classic and a song almost ready made for movie and television car chases. I has been used in both instances and loosely copied variations have been used even more. How important is this song? The freaking Library of Congress has added it to the National Recording Registry where important American music is archived for generations.
There are a million different variations of this song out there but by far this is the best. Why? Basically because it is an incredible collection of musicians that all meld together into one ball of awesome through a series of solos that stay true to the song’s original form yet all speak their own language. Simply put, this is all that is good and right about music. This group won a Grammy in 2001 for very obvious reasons.
Here’s the line up-
Earl Scruggs, banjo –
Glen Duncan, fiddle –
Randy Scruggs, acoustic guitar –
Steve Martin, 2nd banjo solo –
Vince Gill, 1st electric guitar solo –
Marty Stuart, mandolin –
Gary Scruggs, harmonica –
Albert Lee, 2nd electric guitar solo –
Paul Shaffer, piano – Jerry Douglas,
dobro – Leon Russell, organ – Glenn Worf, bass – Harry Stinson, drums
PRESS PLAY BELOW TO SEE AN ALL STAR CAST PERFORM WITH EARL SCRUGGS! FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREAKDOWN!
Yep, there went an hour of my morning. The linked videos (The Dillards/Darlings? come on down!) kept me going into one song after another. Whole new respect for Steve Martin, too.
Great song, one of my very favorites! Nobody can play it like Earl played it. The original 1949 recording is the best me thinks :
http://youtu.be/aNuqKB6H3Iw