Piedmont Laureate Presents: A Chat With THOMAS GOLDSMITH, Earl Scruggs and Foggy Mountain Breakdown: The Making of an American Classic
Recorded in 1949, "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" changed the face of American music. Earl Scruggs' instrumental essentially transformed the folk culture that came before it while helping to energize bluegrass's eventual entry into the mainstream in the 1960s. Goldsmith explores the origins and influence of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" against the backdrop of Scruggs' legendary career and how the captivating sound helped bring the banjo back from obscurity and distinguish the low-key Scruggs as a principal figure in American acoustic music.
Thomas Goldsmith is a music journalist. For more than thirty years, he has worked daily newspapers in North Carolina and Tennessee and as a freelance writer. He is the editor of The Bluegrass Reader, and the winner of the International Bluegrass Music Association's best journalist award. He will be in conversation with Piedmont Laureate David Menconi.
Recorded in 1949, "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" changed the face of American music. Earl Scruggs's instrumental essentially transformed the folk culture that came before it while helping to energize bluegrass's entry into the mainstream in the 1960s.