On This Day in 1979, Bluegrass Lost One-Half of Its Greatest Duo and a Guitarist Who Shined Alongside Bill Monroe

On this day (May 11) in 1979, Lester Flatt died of heart failure in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 64. Most remember him as half of Flatt & Scruggs, the foundational bluegrass duo. He and Earl Scruggs influenced generations of country and bluegrass musicians. Earlier in his career, he was a member of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys, the group that defined the genre.

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Flatt started his career playing mandolin in Charlie Monroe’s band, the Kentucky Pardners, in 1943, according to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Two years later, he joined Charlie’s younger brother, Bill in the Blue Grass Boys, where he played rhythm guitar. Three years later, he and banjo player Earl Scruggs, another former member of Bill Monroe’s foundational ‘grass band, formed Flatt & Scruggs. Along with their backing band, the Foggy Mountain Boys, the pair extended the genre’s reach.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1963, Bluegrass Greats Flatt and Scruggs Were at No. 1 With a Classic TV Theme Song]

Lester Flatt and the Origins of Bluegrass

Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys are credited with the invention of bluegrass. The style combined then-modern country music, old-time, and blues into an instantly recognizable sound that has largely been associated with the Appalachian region. In 1945, Monroe and his band took their new sound to the Grand Ole Opry for a performance that is widely hailed as the birth of the genre. Lester Flatt was on the Opry stage that night.

While Flatt is remembered for his guitar skills, he was also a songwriter. He and Monroe co-wrote a handful of bluegrass classics, including “Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong,” “Little Cabin Home on the Hill,” and “When You Are Lonely.” When he and Earl Scruggs joined forces, they began writing songs together. “Shuckin’ the Corn,” “Get in Line, Brother,” “Down the Road,” and “The Ballad of Jed Clampett” are among the many songs they co-penned.

Flatt & Scruggs parted ways in 1969. According to the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, Scruggs wanted to shift to a more modern sound, covering songs by Bob Dylan and other folk luminaries. Flatt, on the other hand, was a staunch traditionalist and had no interest in making modern music. As a result, he started the Nashville Grass, taking on several members of the former duo’s backing band.

Flatt continued to play traditional bluegrass with his band until he retired in early 1979, months before he died.

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