On This Day in 1962, Flatt & Scruggs Recorded the Theme Song That Introduced Countless Viewers to Bluegrass—and Became a History-Making No. 1 Hit

On this day (September 24) in 1962, Flatt & Scruggs stepped into the recording studio with Jerry Scoggins to record “The Ballad of Jed Clampett,” the theme from The Beverly Hillbillies. The sitcom was one of the most popular television shows. As a result, it introduced countless viewers to bluegrass, boosting the genre’s popularity. Later, it became the first ‘grass song to reach the top of the country chart.

Despite receiving negative reviews from critics, The Beverly Hillbillies was one of the most popular shows on television for most of its nine-season run. It was the No. 1 program in the United States for its first two seasons. It set ratings records in its second season. The show’s popularity started to wane during its ninth and final season. Only then did it fall out of the top 20 most-watched shows in the country. Every episode opened and closed with “The Ballad of Jed Clampett.”

Flatt & Scruggs released “The Ballad of Jed Clampett” as a single in November 1962. The first two verses of the single version play during the opening credits of the show. Each episode closed with the final verse. According to Songfacts, Jerry Scoggins sings on the televised version. Lester Flatt sings on the single, which also appears on their album Hard Travelin’. That’s not the only difference between the two versions, though. The lyrics were edited several times to include nods to the series’ sponsors.

Flatt & Scruggs Almost Didn’t Record the Beverly Hillbillies Theme

“The Ballad of Jed Clampett” is Flatt & Scruggs’ biggest hit. However, they almost didn’t record it. In fact, the idea didn’t get to the duo before it was rejected the first time. Earl Scruggs’ wife, Louise, managed the band. Paul Henning, who wrote the song and served as a producer on The Beverly Hillbillies, approached her with the idea. She shot him down.

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“I turned it down at first because of the word Beverly Hillbillies. I didn’t know what connotation that was going to take with country people, and didn’t want to offend them,” she explained. She wanted to be sure that the duo wouldn’t be involved in a show that made fun of a large portion of their fanbase.

Henning explained to her that the Clampetts were “going to always be outsmarting the city slickers.” After watching an early cut of the pilot episode, Mrs. Scruggs was on board. Moreover, she suggested that the duo release it as a single.

Featured Image by CBS via Getty Images