After graduating from high school, Gail moved to Los Angeles and married a jazz musician. [36], In 1953, Martha White Foods sponsored the band's regular early morning radio shows on WSM in Nashville, where the duo sang the company's catchy bluegrass jingle written by Pat Twitty. Randy, according to his friend and colleague Jerry Douglas, was a quiet man who had an encyclopedia of music as a guide. They were known as the hillbilly rebels in their early years of success. Scruggs was a pioneer in the world of bluegrass music and his work has influenced generations of musicians. Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. [24] Her acumen and skills in the job were prescient. Earl Scruggs, Bluegrass Pioneer, Dies at 88 - New York Times His last album Travelin' Thru, 1967 - 1969: The Bootleg Series, Vol. McPeake stated, "They were good banjos, they just wasn't [sic] what Earl wanted to play. [2] His father, George Elam Scruggs, was a farmer and a bookkeeper who died of a protracted illness when Earl was four years old. After the death of his youngest son, he also lost his wife in 2006 because of respiratory complications. Bill Monroe was a member of the Blue Grass Boys right away. Randy Scruggs began playing the banjo at the age of 17 after learning from his father, and he went on to form his own band, the Randy Scruggs Band, in the early 1960s. [5] Scruggs had drilled some holes in the peghead of his banjo to install the device and chipped the pearl inlay. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. The Revue toured extensively, and during that early time in 1970 Gary convinced his father to go to a concert of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. [3] Upon his father's death, Scruggs' mother, Georgia Lula Ruppe (called Lula), was left to take care of the farm and five children, of which Earl was the youngest. This account has been disabled. Gary Scruggs was the eldest son of the late Earl Scruggs of Flatt & Scruggs fame. He played the banjo, and his siblings played both banjo and guitar. He and his entire family were in a car accident while driving to his hometown when a truck hit their car. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'simplywho_com-mobile-leaderboard-1','ezslot_19',650,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-simplywho_com-mobile-leaderboard-1-0');It became his inspiration to pursue music as a passionate banjo player. [71] Scruggs' actual 1934 model was previously owned by a series of influential players beginning with Snuffy Jenkins, who bought it for $37.50 at a pawn shop in South Carolina. Search above to list available cemeteries. The song the record company chose not to release, written by Davies and Harry Stinson, was entitled "Tell Me Why." [39] The company had made banjos since before 1912 and already had a Pete Seeger model. [55], In the late 1950s Scruggs met with Bill Nelson, one of the owners of the Vega Musical Instrument Company in Boston, to sign a contract to design and endorse a new banjo to be called "The Earl Scruggs Model".