Premiere: Tony Trischka Welcomes Billy Strings and Béla Fleck on Earl Scruggs’ “Brown’s Ferry Blues”

Photo by Greg Heisler

Tony Trischka has embarked on a musical journey through time, unearthing a treasure trove of rare recordings featuring the legendary Earl Scruggs. The unexpected discovery came in the form of a thumb drive containing over 200 recordings of Scruggs jamming with John Hartford at private gatherings during the ’80s and ’90s.

Trischka, having studied Scruggs for over half a century, delved into the collection, transcribing new solos, tones, and tricks from the bluegrass icon. Inspired by this musical goldmine, he showcased some of these pieces in an overview of Earl’s career at Joe’s Pub in New York City. When Ken Irwin of Down The Road Records heard a recording of the show, the idea for a unique album was born and Trischka wasted no time bringing together a stellar lineup of musicians to bring this new material to life.

The result is Earl Jam: A Tribute To Earl Scruggs, set to be released in late spring via Down The Road Records. Today, we have the pleasure and honor of premiering the first taste and opening track of the project, “Brown’s Ferry Blues,” which features a banjo duet with Béla Fleck and the spectacular Billy Strings on lead vocals and guitar.

Strings and Trischka have united at a couple of the former’s shows and recorded together on Fleck’s award-winning LP My Bluegrass Heart. The dynamic familiarity between the three artists and the mutual respect is palpable on the recording.

Fleck had his hand in producing the song at Parlor Studios in Nashville, which is dripping with talent with the aforementioned artists accompanied by Mark Schatz on bass, Sam Bush on mandolin, and Michael Cleveland on fiddle. The album also features Stuart Duncan, Ronnie McCoury, Darol Anger, Molly Tuttle, Brittany Haas, Dominick Leslie, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, and more.

“Hearing Billy’s playing up close during the recording absolutely blew me away. He had his own sound, which most people aren’t able to develop, and he could play completely inside or take it outside the chordal structure. Plus, of course, his time and tone were incredible, accompanied by a never-ending stream of wonderful ideas,” Trischka shared with Relix.

He continued to sing the artist’s praises, saying, “With Billy’s incredible vocal, laying on top, I couldn’t have been happier. When Billy got to the last verse, he sang, ‘Well, here we are, and here we are…,’ and then mentioned the names of everyone in the band. This was taken from the original jam with John and Earl. John had forgotten the words and just started riffing and named the folks that were in the jam.  And that’s the wonderful thing about the sessions with John and Earl.”

As Trischka reflected on the recording process, he noted the spontaneity and creativity that defined the sessions, including unexpected renditions of familiar songs like “Lady Madonna” and even “Here Comes the Bride.” The album promises a cross-generational celebration of the best pickers alive today, paying homage to the everlasting influence of Scruggs.

Listen to the premiere of Tony Trischka’s cover of “Brown’s Ferry Blues” below.