American Songcatcher

05/05/2026

Coming this fall!!

Something BIG is coming to Shelby…

Get ready for Roots Music R***e — a brand-new LIVE radio experience at the Earl Scruggs Center!

In partnership with WNCW and American Songcatcher, this one-of-a-kind series brings together storytelling, live music, and Appalachian history — all recorded in front of a live audience.

Hosted by and featuring incredible guest artists, each night dives into the sounds and stories that shaped Appalachia.

Save the dates:
Sept 24 - of Rising Appalachia Music
Oct 29 - of The Infamous Stringdusters
Nov 19 - of Mama

Be part of the broadcast. Be part of the story. Purchase tickets now at www.EarlScruggsCenter.org/events

01/19/2026

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.”

Happy Birthday MLK ❤️✌🏼

01/12/2026

We lost Bob Weir over the weekend. We care an awful lot about the origins and traditions of American music, and there isn’t enough awareness of how Bob, Jerry and The Grateful Dead kept the evolution of traditional American roots music at the forefront of their music. Makes sense, since the group formed as a jug band initially and Jerry was a phenomenal bluegrass banjo picker who followed Bill Monroe around.

Not only that, but Bob’s rhythmic guitar playing, improvisational instincts, authenticity, and songwriting were all cutting edge.

He once said that “the real adventure begins after death.” Pleasant travels Bob.

01/07/2026

Wishing a very happy belated birthday to the one and only Earl Scruggs, born January 6th, 1924 in Flint Hill, North Carolina.

“The king of the 5 string banjo” started playing his father’s open back banjo at age four, primarily using his thumb and index finger. He frequently visited a man named Smith Hammett, who was like a cousin of the family of sorts, because he played a “little banjo” with a 9” head that little Earl could handle much better. He also admired banjoists throughout Western North Carolina using three fingers, such as blind banjoist Mack Woolbright, Rex Brooks, Mack Crow, and Obray Ramsey.

Despite these mentors, Earl couldn’t quite get the three finger style down until it was an accident. In the wake of a fight with his brother, Horace, Earl had grabbed the banjo and gone into a different room. He was mindlessly picking the tune “Reuben” when he looked down and realized he was playing with three fingers. He described that first time playing it as “dreamlike.”




earlscruggscenter

10/01/2025

We’re counting down to the next American Songcatcher episode release: a very special field recording we did at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival back in August, combined with a big narrative piece that releases October 15th!

Earl Scruggs revolutionized bluegrass music and the banjo itself with his explosive three-finger picking style that transformed the instrument from rhythmic accompaniment into a lead voice capable of breathtaking speed, clarity, and melodic complexity. Born in North Carolina in 1924, Scruggs joined Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys at age 21 and immediately changed the sound of American roots music forever—his syncopated rolls and driving rhythms on songs like “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” became the blueprint that every banjo player since has followed.

His technical innovations, combined with his willingness to collaborate across genres with everyone from Bob Dylan to the Byrds, cemented his status as not just a bluegrass legend but one of the most influential instrumentalists of the 20th century.

06/19/2025

Today, we honor and celebrate Juneteenth, commemorating the day in 1865 when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, over two years after Lincoln unveiled the Emancipation Proclamation. Some of the earliest documentation of Black community celebrations in Texas commemorating emancipation detail that gatherers sang “John Brown’s Body”, a popular folk hymn about the abolitionist, John Brown, in addition to speeches and the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation. Celebrations through the rest of the 19th century indicate that song, dance, and parades were integral parts of Juneteenth celebrations, rooted in African American spirituals, work songs, and gospel traditions, early Juneteenth gatherings often featured call-and-response singing, drumming, and hymns that spoke to themes of freedom and faith.

Officially recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, it serves not only as a celebration of freedom but also as a time to reflect on America’s history of slavery and the work still needed to achieve true equality, highlighting the uneven pace at which freedom reaches all corners of the country.

03/08/2025

We are so grateful to have new support this week from Sister Sadie, the all female, Grammy Nominated and 3-time IBMA Vocal Group of the Year out of Nashville, TN.

It’s relationships like these that foster our mission to give instruments to flood victims from Hurricane Helene and Milton. We still have a few hundred instruments to folks who have applied, and with your tax exempt contribution, we can continue to brighten the lives of over 100 more musicians who lost so much from this unfathomable disaster.

So many people assume that because the floods happened 5+ months ago, and it’s not in the news cycle anymore, that things have settled. The truth is, the waves of this process in rebuilding takes a very long time, and as much as these folks want an instrument again, they have other priorities. But we can change that, and you can too. Help us continue this work and consider contributing at the link in our bio.

02/27/2025

Earlier this week, we had the opportunity to meet with the CEO of Carter Vintage Guitars, Ben Montague, while in Nashville picking up instruments. We were struck by Ben’s compassion for flood victims and value he placed on our mission. It’s not often you collaborate with a CEO who leads with his heart.

Ben and his team graciously donated three incredible electric guitars that will find deserving homes for three professional musicians who applied for assistance.

We are grateful to be doing this work. This is why we’re here.

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02/25/2025

Yesterday, we spent time with two of the most gentle-yet-famous souls we know of, Abigail Washburn and Bela Fleck, who have so graciously donated four brand new Gold Tone banjos to some very deserving recipients in Appalachia.

Bela also showed us a rare treat, the only still existing banjo bass from over 100 years ago, and offered one of his earliest Deering prototype banjos for auction, which will help raise funds for our next cycle. More info soon!

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02/12/2025

Meet Heather, who lives in Weaverville, NC. There is such a wide range of loss throughout Appalachia. She lives on the river, which rose and took away her entire backyard and music space, housing her upright bass, a cello and a fiddle.

We were able to give her a fiddle from an anonymous donor, and an upright bass that came compliments of the in Greensboro, NC. We picked it up a few weeks back and it was ready for Heather, but she had no way to pick it up. So, two of our team members dropped it off to her.

She told us, “You've brought me so much hope and relief, it feels like I'll be getting part of myself back.”

This is why we are here.