It’s Official: There Are Now FOUR Generations of Scruggs Musicians

It’s been proven time and time again in country music that pedigree can be a real thing. That’s most certainly the case when it comes to the House of Scruggs. The family’s grand patriarch is of course Earl Scruggs himself, one the most important banjo players of all time, so much so that he has his own banjo technique (Scruggs style) named after him. And as time has gone on, the apples haven’t fallen too far from the tree.

Earl’s two sons Randy (d. 2019) and Gary (d. 2021) were also big players in country music. Both were renown session musicians, touring musicians, songwriters, and producers who won CMAs, Grammy Awards, and accrued thousands of studio and songwriter credits between them. They also performed with their father in the Earl Scruggs Revue after their father left Flatt & Scruggs, and they played in their own band as well. Both also were considered instrumental to the Will The Circle Be Unbroken sessions with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

The Scruggs name has been kept alive in today’s country music thanks to multi-instrumentalist Chris Scruggs, who is the grandson of Earl, and the youngest son of Gary. Chris’s mother is also Gail Davies. The third generation Scruggs came to prominence during the revitalization of Lower Broadway in Nashville performing in the throwback country band BR549. Chris has since become one of the most revered musicians and producers in Nashville, and is also a permanent member of Marty Stuart’s Fabulous Superlatives.

For a while, the young son of Chris Scruggs has been seen on stage as well. Ben Scruggs has been a fun feature as a cute kid who comes up on stage and says precocious things. Similar to his father and grandfather, he’s grown up around the music. But now that Ben is 10-years-old, things are starting to get much more serious for the young man.

Similar to Randy, Gary, and Chris, Ben Scruggs is finding his way in more vintage-sounding music. But for Ben, that comes in the form of rockabilly. Though only available on CD at the moment, he’s recorded a selection of Sun Records classics that he’s been passing around, and by all accounts, the young man has something. That’s what Marty Stuart thought, and so did the Grand Ole Opry, who invited him to perform.

On Saturday (March 1st), Ben Scruggs officially made his Grand Ole Opry debut as a guest of Marty Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives, performing selections from his rockabilly album, and received not one, not two, but three standing ovations form the Opry audience.

The forth generation Scruggs says he now wants to start recording more original material, hoping to make his way into historic RCA Studio B, and make a serious career of making music. It appears the Scruggs name won’t be fading from memory anytime soon.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Marty Stuart (@martystuart)

– – – – – – – –

If you enjoyed this article, consider leaving Saving Country Music A TIP.