Rocket Man

Bill Monroe led a band called the Blue Grass Boys, but bluegrass was not invented until banjo player Earl Scruggs joined in 1945, playing his three-finger “Scruggs Style” of lightning-fast banjo. Cementing his legacy, Scruggs went on to co-lead Flatt & Scruggs and create the ultimate bluegrass instrumental, “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.” His fellow North Carolina natives George Shuffler and Bobby Hicks made important sideman contributions with acts including Stanley Brothers and Ricky Skaggs. In the modern era, Steep Canyon Rangers and Chatham County Line continue the tradition.