Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs – Hits and Classics, 1951-1962

• Having previously anthologised the early years of bluegrass icons Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs in our recent CD “Lester And Earl”, Jasmine now carries their story forward with “Earl And Lester” which chronicles their shellac and vinyl activity from 1950 to the early 60s, presenting their best 78s and 45s from this period in chronological order of release
and including all of their Billboard ‘Country & Western’ chart hits from the time.
• F&S recorded in excess of 100 songs during the period covered by this collection, including many songs that have gone on to become bluegrass standards. Only a handful charted, towards the end of the 50s and into the early 60s, but many of their releases were very big sellers over a period of time, and their popularity was enough for Nashville’s famous ‘Grand Ole Opry’ to invite the duo to become members in the mid-50s.
• Their biggest hit ‘The Ballad Of Jed Clampett’ – the theme from the long running US TV series ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ – closes this collection. It remains the only bluegrass recording to top the C&W charts and one of only two to make the Hot 100 Pop charts, both of them by F&S incidentally.
• These peerless performances show exactly why these bluegrass trailblazers were so popular for so long, and why they continued to be beyond the time frame of this collection and up to the dissolution of their partnership at the end of the 60s.

Track Listing

1. COME BACK DARLING
2. PAIN IN MY HEART
3. TAKE ME IN A LIFEBOAT
4. I’M HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE
5. JIMMIE BROWN THE NEWSBOY
6. DOIN’ MY TIME
7. DON’T GET ABOVE YOUR RAISIN’
8. TIS SWEET TO BE REMEMBERED
9. ROLL IN MY SWEET BABY’S ARMS
10. GET IN LINE, BROTHER (If You Want To Go Home)
11. DIM LIGHTS, THICK SMOKE (And Loud, Loud Music)
12. FLINT HILL SPECIAL
13. WHY DID YOU WANDER? (Vocal: Lester Flatt and Curly Seckler)
14. I’LL GO STEPPING TOO (Vocal: Lester Flatt and Curly Seckler)
15. DON’T THIS ROAD LOOK ROUGH AND ROCKY
16. BEFORE I MET YOU
17. I’M GONNA SLEEP WITH ONE EYE OPEN
18. RANDY LYNN RAG
19. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT
20. SIX WHITE HORSES
21. GIVE ME FLOWERS WHILE I’M LIVING
22. DON’T LET YOUR DEAL GO DOWN
23. I WON’T BE HANGIN’ ROUND
24. CABIN IN THE HILLS
25. CRYING MY HEART OUT OVER YOU
26. POLKA ON A BANJO
27. GO HOME
28. JUST AIN’T
29. THE LEGEND OF THE JOHNSON BOYS
30. THE BALLAD OF JED CLAMPETT