Chapter 10: Bluegrass
Lester Flatt was one of the most influential guitarists and vocalists in early bluegrass music. Born in Overton County, Tennessee, Flatt began playing guitar at the age of seven and left school by twelve to work in the North Carolina textile mills. Despite long workdays, he remained active in the local music scene, eventually performing with Clyde Moody and other regional acts by the end of the 1930s.
In 1945, Flatt joined Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys, where he would meet Earl Scruggs. It was during his time with Monroe’s band that Flatt developed the “G-run,” a distinctive guitar riff based on a G major chord used to conclude musical phrases. Flatt employed the G-run as a practical tool during live performances; when he briefly lost his place or fell behind the tempo amid complex instrumental breaks, the riff served as a reliable musical cue to seamlessly catch back up with the band. Flatt’s lead vocals and solid rhythm guitar became a perfect complement to Monroe’s mandolin and Scruggs’s banjo, forming the vocal and rhythmic core of the band.
In 1948, Flatt and Scruggs left Monroe’s group to form The Foggy Mountain Boys, ushering in a new era of bluegrass excellence. After Flatt and Scruggs parted ways in 1969, Flatt founded The Nashville Grass, a band that became a staple of the 1970s bluegrass festival circuit and helped sustain interest in traditional bluegrass throughout the decade.