Extra Earl Page
The photographs on this page are by various others, for whom the credits are lost in time. Access to these photos courtesy of Louise Scruggs.
This photo was taken in 1948; circa Foggy Mountain Breakdown debut and a year before he recorded the classic. Imagine how he was about to upend the bluegrass & country music world.
Earl playing with King Curtis in 1960 during a break in production of the Revlon Revue Folk Sound USA television show. The back of the original photo states that he was playing “Flint Hill Special” at this moment. You can almost hear his banjo, from the joy in his expression. Truly a great photo of Earl.
Earl started playing the banjo at age four. A couple years or so later, he looked like this. This is possibly a school photo as evidenced by the formal, soft portrait lighting.
When he was performing, Earl was always a natty dresser, but this jacket wins the contest. Did he choose it? Or maybe Louise did? And it surely was multi-colored!
I got this autograph from Earl backstage at the Cellar Door in Washington, DC, in 1971. When I told him I was a learning banjo player, he slung his epic Mastertone over my neck and told me to pick a little. In the background Vassar Clements was noodling on his fiddle. When he said that I had “a good right thumb,” I almost passed out. My hero, his epic banjo, Vassar, and a moment for a lifetime.
This well-published photo of Earl and brother Horace on the guitar is a remarkable testament to the fact that if you are too small to even hold an instrument but are determined to play it anyway, you have the gift.
These signature banjo strings are no longer available, but as a fanboy back in the day, I bought 20 sets because, of course, they made me sound just like Earl!