Banjo hero Earl Scruggs received a rousing tribute near his North Carolina hometown over Labor Day weekend, bringing together bluegrass stars like Sam Bush, BĂ©la Fleck, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, and many others. The inaugural event took place Sept. 4 to 6 in Tryon, about 30 miles from the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby. Scruggs, who died in 2012, was raised in the small Flint Hill community nearby, and remains one of the most pivotal figures in bluegrass.
Enjoy photos from the inaugural Earl Scruggs Music Festival below. (Photos by Eli Johnson unless otherwise noted.)
Darin & Brooke Aldridge
Alison Brown
Becky Buller
Chatham County Line
The Earls of Leicester
Fireside Collective
Photo by Tori Marion
BĂ©la Fleck with Mark Schatz
Andy Thorn of Leftover Salmon
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Photo by Ron Pankey
Rissi Palmer
Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley
Photo by Ron Pankey
Jon Stickley
Town Mountain
Unspoken Tradition
Fireside Collective hosts a collaborative performance of the 1972 album Earl Scruggs Revue: Live at Kansas State played in its entirety, sponsored by The Bluegrass Situation
Photo by Toni Marion
