Fanfare; 14; Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends

thumbnail of Fanfare; 14; Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends
This content has not been digitized. Please contact the contributing organization(s) listed below.
This record is featured in “National Educational Television.”
Series
Fanfare
Episode Number
14
Episode
Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends
Producing Organization
Amram Nowak Associates
Contributing Organization
Library of Congress (Washington, District of Columbia)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip/512-br8mc8sb01
NOLA Code
FANF
If you have more information about this item than what is given here, or if you have concerns about this record, we want to know! Contact us, indicating the AAPB ID (cpb-aacip/512-br8mc8sb01).
Description
Episode Description
Joan Baez and Bob Dylan are among the guest performers in this musical study of Earl Scruggs, generally acknowledged to be the worlds greatest banjo player. He is also the man who, with remarkable virtuosity and inventive physical modifications of the five-string banjo, is credited with having elevated it from the strumming category to the level of an important solo instrument in American music. To America at large, Scruggs is best known for his composition Foggy Mountain Breakdown -- the Bonnie and Clyde theme. But wherever country music has been popular Scruggs has been among the stars for more than two decades. He and his combo, the Earl Scruggs Revue, which includes his three sons, are currently in the forefront of recent trends toward the fusion of country, popular and folk music. To illustrate where he has been, musically, and where he is today, Scruggs (with his sons) is presented in performance with various artists with whom he has been associated. Comprising the list are: the Morris Brothers, who gave Scruggs his break on radio in the early 40s; guitarist Doc Watson; country music King Bill Monroe; the Byrds, a folk-rock and country-rock group; and the two giants of the folk music world, Dylan and Baez. With one exception the performances are informal, taking place in living rooms or backyards. The exception is a segment filmed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville with Scruggs and Monroe. Featured in the program are Scruggs two oldest sons, Gary, 21, who sings and plays the guitar, and Randy, 16, who plays guitar and banjo. The boys take part in most performance segments; they are profiled in interviews with them and with friends, and are seen at their own recording sessions. In other segments: Mrs. Scruggs talks about her family; Scruggs and sons attend one of the Washington moratoriums and talk about the war; Nashville sideman Charlie Daniels contributes his opinions about Scruggs; a neighbor and close friend of the Scruggs family, Nat Winston, discusses Earls ability to express himself with the banjo more than with words. Following is the musical rundown in order of performance. In all cases Scruggs and/or his sons perform with the artist indicated: Bob Dylan: East Virginia Blues and Nashville Skyline Rag Doc Watson: John Hardy Morris Brothers: Salty Dog Blues, Flint Hill Special, and On Top of Old Smoky Doc Watson: Cripple Creek The Byrds: You Aint Goin Nowhere Gary and Randy (alone): Road to Nowhere Randy (alone): Black Mountain Rag Bill Monroe: Nine Pound Hammer and Ruben Joan Baez: My Home is Across the Blue Ridge Mountains, Love is Just a Four Letter Word, It Aint Me, Babe, I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine, and If I Were a Carpenter Randy (alone): Both Sides Now NET Fanfare -- Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends -- is a presentation of NET Division, Educational Broadcasting Corporation produced by Amram Nowak Associates and transmitted nationally by the Public Broadcasting Service. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
Episode Description
90 minute piece, produced by Amram Nowak Associates and initially distributed by NET in 1971. It was originally shot in color.
Series Description
Fanfare is an anthology series of performing arts programming.
Broadcast Date
1971-01-10
Asset type
Episode
Genres
Documentary
Performance
Topics
Music
Media type
Moving Image
Credits
Camera Operator: Hoffman, David
Director: Hoffman, David
Director: Wiland, Harry
Editor: Hoffman, David
Executive Producer: Davis, Curtis W., 1928-1986
Executive Producer: Nowak, Amram
Interviewee: Scruggs, Louise
Interviewee: Daniels, Charlie
Interviewee: Scruggs, Gary
Interviewee: Scruggs, Randy
Interviewee: Winston, Nat
Performer: Baez, Joan
Performer: Watson, Doc
Performer: Monroe, Bill
Performer: Scruggs, Gary
Performer: Scruggs, Randy
Performer: Scruggs, Earl
Performer: Dylan, Bob
Performing Group: The Byrds
Performing Group: Morris Brothers
Producer: Wiland, Harry
Producing Organization: Amram Nowak Associates
AAPB Contributor Holdings
Library of Congress
Identifier: 1185239-7 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: Betacam: SP
Generation: Master
Color: Color
Duration: 1:27:22
Library of Congress
Identifier: 1185239-6 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: 2 inch videotape: Quad
Generation: Master
Color: Color
Duration: 1:27:22
Library of Congress
Identifier: 1185239-8 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: Digital Betacam
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: Color
Duration: 1:27:22
Library of Congress
Identifier: 1185239-1 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: 1 inch videotape: SMPTE Type C
Generation: Master
Color: Color
Duration: 1:30:00
Library of Congress
Identifier: 1185239-2 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: U-matic
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: Color
Duration: 1:30:00
Library of Congress
Identifier: 1185239-4 (MAVIS Item ID)
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: Color
Library of Congress
Identifier: 1185239-5 (MAVIS Item ID)
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: Color
Library of Congress
Identifier: 1185239-3 (MAVIS Item ID)
Generation: Master
Color: Color
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
Citations
Chicago: “Fanfare; 14; Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends,” 1971-01-10, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed January 15, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-br8mc8sb01.
MLA: “Fanfare; 14; Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends.” 1971-01-10. Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. January 15, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-br8mc8sb01>.
APA: Fanfare; 14; Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends. Boston, MA: Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-br8mc8sb01