Welcome to the 500th episode of Bluegrass Jam Along!

My guest this week is Trey Hensley, who joins me to celebrate the very first record he bought - Flatt and Scruggs at Carnegie Hall.

This historic album was a pivotal moment for bluegrass and also served as a personal intro to the music for many fans.

We chat about why Flatt & Scruggs' performance at Carnegie Hall, on December, 1962 was groundbreaking, the initial skepticism from the press, the audience's enthusiastic reception and some of the famous (and soon to be famous) face in the crowd on the night.

We also talk about the pivotal role Lousie Scruggs had, not just in getting this performance recorded, but in putting Flatt and Scruggs (and bluegrass music) in front of a new, younger audience.

This one was a real treat!

For more info on Trey check out www.treyhensley.com

===

If you're a Flatt and Scruggs fan and missed the Earl Scruggs 100th birthday episodes I put together last year (including Trey as a guest!) you'll find them here:

Earl Scruggs 100th Birthday Tribute:

• Part 1 - Tony Trischka, Kristin Scott Benson and Alan Munde
• Part 2 - Jerry Douglas, Alison Brown and Tim O'Brien
• Part 3 - Trey Hensley, Kyle Tuttle (Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway) & Willow Osborne
• Jim Mills on Earl Scruggs and pre-War Gibson banjos
• Jerry Douglas celebrates Earl Scruggs' 100th Birthday

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's Bitesize episode celebrates one of the most important dates in bluegrass music - December 8th.

The main reason this date is so important is that it marks the first time Earl Scruggs joined Bill Monroe at The Opry, on December 8th 1945, leading many people to describe it as 'the birth of bluegrass'. That makes 2025 the 80th anniversary of bluegrass!

Fast forward to December 8th 1962 and we have another Flatt and Scruggs milestone - their performance at New York's Carnegie Hall, which was released the year after as Flatt and Scruggs Live at Carnegie Hall, a record that went on to become a firm favourite of bluegrass fans the world over.

To celebrate that record, I'll be joined by Trey Hensley in the next episode of the podcast...which is also Bluegrass Jam Along's 500th episode!

If you missed the Earl Scruggs 100th birthday episodes I put together last year, you'll find them here:

Jerry Douglas celebrates Earl Scruggs' 100th Birthday

Earl Scruggs 100th Birthday Tribute:

Part 1 - Tony Trischka, Kristin Scott Benson and Alan Munde

Part 2 - Jerry Douglas, Alison Brown and Tim O'Brien

Jim Mills on Earl Scruggs and pre-War Gibson banjos

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to this month’s Bluegrass Briefing, a monthly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.

Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.

News and announcements - church street news

• European Bluegrass Summit registration
• Alison Krauss & Union Station - Live - vinyl reissue
• Bela Fleck Jingle All the Way tour dates and vinyl reissue
• IBMA Webinar
• -- Thursday, December 4, from 12-1PM EST
• -- From the Table to the DSPs and Back Again: How To Make Money Without Selling Recordings
• -- Zoom link to join

Releases (The Grass is New)

• Hildaland (Bandcamp)
• The Grass is (mostly) New 2025 playlist (Spotify)

Scroll on Buddy

• Béla Fleck's My Bluegrass Heart & Punch Brothers - Holiday Medley (live)
• Watch

Other bits

• The Grass is (mostly) New 2025 playlist
• Full list of interviews
• Collings Guitars

Happy picking.

Matt

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.