DAVID HOFFMAN, Director: Directing and filming this documentary was one of the great moments of my life. PBS was looking for filmmakers to make films on country music, bluegrass music, mountain music. I had made several films on that subject including my classic, bluegrass roots, circa 1965
Due to the creative efforts of my partner at that time, we got the chance to be with Earl Scruggs and his family including his musical sons Randy and Gary, as he was on a mission in the early 1970s to find connections between his music and the banjo and other forms of popular music. He contacted great artists like Bob Dylan, Doc Watson (one of his closest and oldest friends) Bill Monroe whose band he had once played in, Roger McGuinn of The Birds, Charlie Daniels, Joan Baez and others and others and asked them if he could come and play his banjo on some of the greatest tunes. Of course all said yes.
This film presents the results. It ran on prime time television and has had many viewings at colleges around the country.
Earl Scruggs, the renowned banjo player and bluegrass pioneer, began exploring collaborations with musicians from other genres in the late 1960s and early 1970s, primarily to broaden his musical horizons and reach new audiences. His interest in working with artists like The Byrds, Bob Dylan, and Joan Baez came from a desire to experiment with different musical styles and find common ground between bluegrass and contemporary popular music. This was a bold move for Scruggs, who was known for his traditional bluegrass roots.
The result of Scruggs' quest to collaborate with these artists was my 90 minute primetime television documentary "Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends," which aired in 1972. It showcased Earl Scruggs playing banjo with well-known musicians such as The Byrds, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Doc Watson and others.
These collaborations were significant for several reasons:
They introduced Earl Scruggs to new audiences who might not have been familiar with his work in bluegrass, increasing his popularity and expanding his fan base.
They demonstrated the potential for cross-genre collaborations, proving that musicians from different backgrounds and styles could come together to create unique and exciting music.
The collaborations helped to bridge the gap between traditional roots music and the contemporary sounds of the era, further blurring the lines between genres and showing that music could be a unifying force.
They inspired future generations of musicians to explore collaborations outside their respective genres, paving the way for countless cross-genre collaborations in the years to come.
It is important for me to say in this commentary what an extraordinarily wonderful, kind, excepting man Earl Scruggs was. He treated me kindly when times were tough and I was finding environments where it was not too friendly to be a 16mm documentary filmmaker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlneqC0mVsk&ab_channe
