N.C. native Scruggs inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame
Published: Wed, Oct. 17, 2007 12:00AM
Modified Wed, Oct. 17, 2007 03:08AM
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closeEarl Scruggs and the late Lester Flatt are now members of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Flatt & Scruggs, a bluegrass act formed in the 1940s, recorded the theme song to "The Beverly Hillbillies" TV show in 1962. Their instrumental "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" was used in the 1967 film "Bonnie and Clyde."
Scruggs, who grew up near Shelby, N.C., has been playing the banjo since he was 4. The duo broke up in 1969 amid a dispute over whether they should incorporate other styles of music, as Scruggs wanted, or stick to tradition. Flatt died in 1979.
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"All songs don't have to have words," said Marty Stuart in introducing Scruggs, 83. "Some things are better left unsaid. With his fingers on the banjo, Earl provided a platform for the sounds they had going."
Hank Williams Jr., gospel singer Dottie Rambo, and country tunesmiths Bob DiPiero and Mac McAnally were also inducted in Sunday's ceremony.
McAnally's hits include "Old Flame" and "All These Years." "I Go to the Rock," one of Rambo's best-known songs, was recorded by Whitney Houston for her 1996 movie, "The Preacher's Wife." DiPiero wrote the hits "Blue Clear Sky" and "Wink."
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