Tony Trischka is one of the most influential modern banjo players. However, every legend draws inspiration from those who came before them. Trischka, like nearly every other banjoist in the world, looked to the late great Earl Scruggs for inspiration. With that in mind, he brought together an all-star list of pickers and players to create a fitting tribute to celebrate the legend’s 100th birthday. Earl Jam: A Tribute to Earl Scruggs hits shelves and streaming this spring. Today, fans can hear Trischka, Billy Strings, and other bluegrass A-listers team up for “Brown’s Ferry Blues.”
Videos by American Songwriter
Trischka spoke to American Songwriter exclusively about the lead single from the upcoming tribute album. “’Brown’s Ferry Blues’ happened to be one of my favorite songs of the over 200 John Hartford and Earl Scruggs jam tunes that fell into my welcoming hands,” he said. “Those tunes quickly became the inspiration for Earl Jam. I’d already asked Billy [Strings] to join me on the session and Béla [Fleck] put the rest of the band together,” he added. That band included Sam Bush (mandolin), Michael Cleveland (fiddle), and Mark Schatz (bass).
About the finished product, Trischka said, “The groove was deep, thanks to these amazing players, and Sam’s glorious mandolin chop didn’t hurt at all. Every note I played on my solos was note for note what Earl played in the original jam with Hartford. I asked Béla to add a solo, and he took it interplanetary.”
Why Tony Trischka Recorded Earl Jam
During the height of the pandemic, Trischka received a thumb drive in the mail. The drive contained over 200 recordings of Earl Scruggs and John Hartford jamming together. Per a press release, they made the recordings at private gatherings at Scruggs’ house. After pouring over the recordings, Trischka sat to work transcribing all of Scruggs’ solos. For him, it was like getting to see a new side of a player he’d been studying most of his life.
Trischka got some of these new solos and songs under his fingers and played them at Joe’s Pub in New York City. Down the Road’s Ken Irwin heard them and convinced Trischka to create an album of this new material.
Of course, he couldn’t do the album alone. “Whether or not you’re a banjo player, if you play bluegrass you’re influenced by Earl. So, it was easy to get world-class players on board,” Trischka shared in a statement. The list of guests on the album is a multi-generational genre-spanning group of top-notch musicians. The list includes Ronnie McCoury, Darol Anger, Molly Tuttle, Billy Strings, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, and many more.
Earl Jam Tracklist
- “Brown’s Ferry Blues”
- “San Antonio Rose”
- “Chinese Breakdown”
- “My Horses Ain’t Hungry”
- “Roll On Buddy”
- “Freight Train Blues”
- “Casey Jones”
- “Dooley”
- “Cripple Creek”
- “Amazing Grace”
- “Lady Madonna”
- “Bury My Beneath the Willow”
- “Shout Little Lulu”
- “Little Liza Jane”
- “Amazing Grace Postlude”
Earl Jam: A Tribute to Earl Scruggs will arrive in late spring via Down the Road Records. Pre-order or pre-save your copy of the album today.
Featured Image by Greg Heisler
