I’ve been a lifelong fan of Earl Scruggs’ music, but it never occurred to me he would provide me with one of the most incredible experiences of my life; I actually played guitar with him one night in Nashville. Here’s how it happened.
On an October evening back in the early 80s, I was walking through the lobby of the Opryland Hotel when I ran into D. J. MacLaughlin, a booking agent I knew fairly well. D. J. had played some bass with the 60s rockabilly group The Fendermen (yes, because they used Fender guitars and amps). D.J. asked me if I had dinner plans. I told him I was going to order room service and watch the World Series game on TV. Suspecting he probably had something interesting in mind, I asked D.J.what he was up to.
D.J. said, “I’m going out to Earl Scruggs’ place for dinner and to watch the game with Earl and Louise. You know Southern folks, Lyman, there’ll be enough food for a banquet, so I’m sure they wouldn’t mind you tagging along.” As I’ve already said, I was a lifelong fan of Earl’s, and the thought of meeting him, let alone spending an evening with him, was about as good as it gets; or so I thought.
Naturally, I said, “Love to!” D.J. went out to check with Earl, who was waiting out front in his car, which meant that I’d just walked right past him on my way into the hotel. Two minutes later, D. J. having thoughtfully hopped into the back seat, I was sitting beside Earl in his big, long Cadillac heading out to his home for dinner. The Scruggs family lived in the Nashville suburb of Madison, where Hank Snow also lived and where Pat Boone grew up.
I don’t remember whether the baseball game was rained out or we just never got around to watching it, but there was no baseball at the Scruggs household that night. We had a wonderful dinner with interesting conversation and stories, and after dessert Louise said, “Let’s have a tune.”
We followed her into their spacious music room where she sat down at the piano and waited while Earl dug out an acoustic six-string bass, handed it to to D. J., and then picked up a guitar. D. J. said, “No, Earl, get your banjo. Lyman’s an old rocker, he can play guitar.” So there I was, holding Earl Scruggs’ Martin acoustic guitar, which was likely the one he had played on the Flatt & Scruggs hit You Are My Flower, a rare recording on which Earl played guitar, not the banjo. I’d always felt that Earl’s performance on that record was the sweetest acoustic guitar playing I’d ever heard. But back to the main part of the story.
About twenty years earlier I had played rhythm guitar in a rock band in PEI, but this was Earl Scruggs, the best banjo player in the world, in Nashville! I said earlier that the evening couldn’t get any better than having dinner with Earl Scruggs; but playing with him was infinitely better, so even though I’m not a very good guitar player there was no way I was going to beg off. I did, however, warn Earl that he’d have to let me know the key before we started a tune. He assured me that was perfectly normal when people weren’t accustomed to playing together.
We played The Ballad of Jed Clampett (the theme song from the iconic TV show, “The Beverly Hillbillies”), Foggy Mountain Breakdown (which had been featured in the movie “Bonnie & Clyde), Fireball Mail, Rolling in My Sweet Baby’s Arms, Wildwood Flower, and a few others the names of which I don’t remember, but would have likely included Flint Hill Special, Cripple Creek, and Salty Dog. Even with my limited skill, I’m a better guitar player than a singer, so D.J., Earl, and Louise took care of the vocals. Although I’ve forgotten some of the details I’ll never forget the night.
Earl Scruggs was a friendly, gentle, courteous, unbelievably talented man who kindly provided me with the thrill a lifetime.