Recorded in 1949, Foggy Mountain Breakdown changed the face of American music. Earl Scruggs's instrumental essentially transformed the folk culture that came before it while helping to energize bluegrass's entry into the mainstream in the 1960s. The song has become a gateway to bluegrass for musicians and fans alike as well as a happily inescapable track in film and television. Thomas Goldsmith explores the origins and influence of Foggy Mountain Breakdown against the backdrop of Scruggs's legendary career. Interviews with Scruggs, his wife Louise, disciple Bela Fleck, and sidemen like Curly...
Recorded in 1949, Foggy Mountain Breakdown changed the face of American music. Earl Scruggs's instrumental essentially transformed the folk culture th...