NASHVILLE, TN (CMA) - Fifty years ago,
Louise Certain Scruggs, wife of famous banjo innovator Earl Scruggs, took on the role of manager and booking agent for the now legendary bluegrass outfit Flatt and Scruggs, making her the first female manager and booking agent in Country
Music history. Today, this extraordinary woman was posthumously honored by the Country
Music Association with the presentation of the Joe Talbot Award during a reception at CMA. Earl Scruggs and sons Gary Scruggs and Randy Scruggs accepted the award on her behalf.
"With her driving business ethics and ability to see outside the box, Louise significantly helped to progress Country and bluegrass music on a global scale," said CMA Chief Operating Officer Tammy Genovese. "She worked tirelessly throughout her life to promote Earl and the music she loved and we are proud to honor her."
The Joe Talbot Award is voted on by the CMA Board of Directors, and awarded to a person (living or deceased) in recognition of outstanding leadership and contributions to the preservation and advancement of Country Music's values and traditions. The Award was created in 2001 and bestowed posthumously on its namesake, Joe Talbot, a beloved lifetime member of the CMA Board of Directors who passed away in 2000.
"As a female executive, I wish I had been able to present this Award to Louise for all she represented to this industry as a female's role model," Genovese said. "Fortunately, Louise knew before she died that she was the recipient of the Joe Talbot Award, but her failing health prevented us from presenting it to her while she was with us, but her legacy and inspiration will certainly remain."
For years, Louise Scruggs ran Scruggs Talent Agency Inc. out of the couple's Madison, Tenn. home. In 1959, she booked Earl to play at the first Newport Folk Festival. The performance was well received and Bluegrass entered the popular folk world. This significant breakthrough led to broader national gigs for Flatt and Scruggs and a call to record the theme song for the popular television show The Beverly Hillbillies.
Flatt and Scruggs went their separate ways in 1969 and Earl and sons Gary, Randy and Steve formed the Earl Scruggs Revue. Booked and managed by Louise, the band performed everywhere from the country's most prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall and the Fillmore Auditorium to national and international music festivals.
Louise Scruggs continued working to further the music of Earl Scruggs up to the time of her passing on Feb. 2, 2006. She was 78. During her life, she was at Earl's side as he received countless awards and accolades including being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame (1985 with Lester Flatt), winning multiple GRAMMY Awards, receiving the National Medal of the Arts and becoming a Hollywood Walk of Fame honoree.
Both Earl and Louise Scruggs are being honored by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum with an exhibit entitled "Banjo Man: The Musical Journey of Earl Scruggs," which opened March 2005 and will remain open through June 16, 2006.
