Widely regarded as one of
bluegrass
' most influential recordings,
Foggy Mountain Jamboree
introduced audiences -- more specifically radio listeners -- to the crystal-clear vocals and peerless musicianship of former
Bill Monroe
Bluegrass Boys
Lester Flatt
and
Earl Scruggs
. Amassed between 1951 and 1955, the 12 tracks that made the cut served as a veritable blueprint for a genre that had been growing in popularity since the late '40s. While numerous
Foggy Mountain Boys
appear throughout --
Chet Atkins
,
Josh "Buck" Graves
--
Flatt
's fluid tenor and rhythm guitar work anchored the sessions,
Scruggs
' machine-gun
banjo
work provided the steam, and fiddler
Chubby Wise
, along with mandolin player
Curly Seckler
, carried the whole thing home without a care in the world.
"Flint River Special,"
"Earl's Breakdown,"
"Foggy Mountain Special"
became part of American culture, celebrating both its trailblazing work ethic and spirituality with equal amounts of grace and hellfire.
is essential listening for anyone with even the most remote interest in
. ~ James Christopher Monger