Interpretation Of The Ballad Of Jed Clampett

Every Wednesday evening, all across America in the 1960s, a very familiar tune could be heard seeping out of the speakers of a plethora of televisions. “Come and listen to a story ‘bout a man named Jed, poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed” are the opening lyrics of a song that everybody knew (VinylNostalgia). The song is entitled “The Ballad of Jed Clampett”, and it is the theme song for The Beverly Hillbillies, a popular comedic television show from the 1960s and early 1970s (“The Ballad of Jed Clampett.”).
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs performed the song. Flatt was on guitar and vocals while Scruggs was on banjo. Aside from the lyrics, the banjo is the important part of the song. For example, the banjo opens and closes the song, and it bridges the gaps between verses in the song (“The Ballad of Jed Clampett.”). Fellow classmate Taylor Huddleston commented on Scruggs’ playing in “The Ballad of Jed Clampett”. She stated, “His banjo playing comes through the most then the more you listen you hear the background, the other instruments, but the banjo is just so fast and catchy.” The banjo adds to the country theme and mood of the show. It reflects the simplicity and friendly disposition of the stereotypical country folk, which was seen in the people at the Two Rivers Bluegrass Festival. Earl Scruggs’ banjo playing was extraordinary

and innovative. He popularized the Scruggs style, which is the three-finger picking style for banjoists (“Scruggs Style.”), and it is the technique used by bluegrass banjoists today.
The youngest of five children, Earl Scruggs was born into a musical family from North Carolina and grew up learning how to play bluegrass music. Playing a musical instrument was practically a requirement for being a part of the family because every member of the Scruggs family played an instrument. Before he died, Earl’s father played the fiddle and banjo; Earl’s mother played the organ; and Earl and his two brothers and two sisters played the guitar and banjo (“Earl Scruggs Biography.”). However, Earl took to the banjo more so than the guitar, which resulted in a wise decision on his part. Like most banjo players during his childhood, Earl was taught to use the two-finger plucking style when he was learning how to play. Earl learned some through imitation but mainly through teaching himself how to play. During the class interview, Bill Rodgers stated, like most bluegrass musicians, “I learned how to play the fiddle through imitation, by observing and listening and then trying to replicate the fingering and the sounds.”
Earl was extremely dedicated and used the majority of his time to practice (“Earl Scruggs Biography.”). In his preteen years after using his father and one of his brother’s banjos, Earl bought his first banjo, a Montgomery-Ward for about eleven dollars. He owned a couple of Gibsons during his profitable and professional career. The two-finger and the three-finger picking styles existed in the heavily banjoist populated area where Earl lived in North Carolina. When he was ten years old, Earl began using the three-finger picking style that would later become his signature playing style. He and his finger picking style became famous when he joined Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys in 1945 (“Earl Scruggs.”). However, only a few years later, Earl and fellow band member Lester Flatt left the Blue Grass Boys and formed the Foggy Mountain Boys.
The Foggy Mountain Boys were a successful bluegrass group. The group consisted of many other members and collaborators. They played with noted saxophonist King Curtis and famous musician Bob Dylan, who would maintain a friendship and perform with Earl for many years. Some of their most famous songs were “Foggy Mountain Breakdown”, “The Ballad of Jed Clampett”, and the Martha White jingle (“Foggy Mountain Boys.”). Bill Rodgers played the Martha White jingle during the class interview and mentioned its popularity among bluegrass bands. Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs guest starred in a Beverly Hillbillies episode in which they played “The Ballad of Jed Clampett” and “Pearl, Pearl, Pearl”. Earl and Lester performed on the Grand Ole Opry together in the 1950s. The Foggy Mountain boys played together for over twenty years before they broke up in 1969. Earl then formed the Earl Scruggs Revue with two of his sons. Earl received many honors and awards and played well into his eighties (“Earl Scruggs.”).
The Scruggs style is Earl Scruggs’ modified and highly popularized three-finger picking style used to play the five-string banjo. His technique was new and innovative because it was uncommon for the five-string banjo to be played with the three-finger picking style (Rosenberg 74). Interest in bluegrass music increased during the 1950s, and Earl just spurred it on with his three-finger picking technique (104). Earl learned how to use the three-finger picking style purely by accident as a child (“Earl Scruggs Biography.”). He was randomly picking when he realized he was using three fingers, and he also discovered that he could use the style when the banjo was in different tunings. Although he adopted the three-finger picking style, he made it his own.
The Scruggs style involves using the thumb, first finger, and middle finger to quickly pick the strings with banjoists wearing picks on their fingers (“Scruggs Style.”).

A string is never played twice in a row. The music is a mix of melody and arpeggios with features, such as staccatos, interspersed throughout, and the music maintains fast tempos. With the three-finger picking style, more notes can be played in a measure and at a quicker pace than that of the two-finger picking style. Earl gained much notoriety for his innovative banjo playing style, and his style is how bluegrass banjoists play their banjos

today.
Earl Scruggs left a legacy in bluegrass music after he died at age eighty-eight on March 28, 2012 (“Earl Scruggs.”). He reinvented the three-finger picking technique for the banjo. He redefined the bluegrass genre and saw the potential in the banjo (“Earl Scruggs.” Bio.). Earl enjoyed the modern influences and musical genres and wanted to attract a younger generation to bluegrass music. During his time in the Earl Scruggs Revue with his sons, Earl used an electric banjo in order to create a rock and roll sound.
Earl Scruggs had quite a bit of success during the 1970s and 1980s. The Earl Scruggs Revue broke up in the early 1980s, but that did not deter Earl. He produced many more albums, performed numerous times around the country, and influenced many people. The Earl Scruggs Center opened two years after his death in order to commemorate Earl Scruggs and the legacy that he left in the musical world. The Earl Scruggs center is a museum that displays his musical contributions along with cultural aspects of the South and music throughout history (“Earl Scruggs.”). Banjoist and fan and friend of Earl Scruggs, Rodney Dillard said that “Earl Scruggs created a banjo style with no preconceptions of how it should be done, which gave him the freedom as an innovator and a true creative musician,” (“Earl Scruggs.” Bio.). The legacy that Earl Scruggs left in the musical world cannot be forgotten.
Earl Scruggs is an extremely important figure in bluegrass music. He was one of the best and most influential banjoists. He loved playing the banjo so much that his dedication to the craft practically guaranteed him a successful career. His musical career began when he was very young but grew exponentially as he got older. Earl Scruggs was a great and innovative musician. He developed a signature playing style that became the trademark for playing the banjo. He experimented and devised modern ways to expand the utility of the banjo and the genre of bluegrass. Earl Scruggs created a number of classic and popular songs. His playing stands out among other banjoists not only due to his unique technique but also due to the fact that he just genuinely loved playing the banjo. It was his life and career, and he was happy because of it. Earl Scruggs made a name for himself in bluegrass music and among banjoists, and he left a legacy that will forever be remembered and honored.