Two minutes and 40 seconds of lightning-fast picking propelled bluegrass music into the mainstream. "" written by Earl Scruggs and first recorded by Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys in 1949 helped bluegrass move from a subgenre of country to a popular and recognizable sound for American audiences.
In his new book, longtime music journalist Thomas Goldsmith uses that beloved bluegrass classic as the anchorpoint to explore the history of the genre and of the life of Scruggs himself. Host Frank Stasio speaks with Goldsmith about Scruggs鈥� role in bringing bluegrass into the mainstream, and how Scruggs鈥� work ethic and many learned skills broke through hillbilly stereotypes.
Goldsmith will read from his book "鈥� (University of Illinois Press/2019) on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 2 p.m. at in Greensboro and on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. at in Asheville.
