Earl Scruggs' Gibson banjo donated to Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Jerry Douglas, Sierra Ferrell, Vince Gill, Alison Brown, Charlie Cushman, Shawn Camp,  Jeff White, Daniel Kimbro, Johnny Warren, VP of Museum Services at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Michael Gray and CEO of Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Kyle Young attend the celebration of the donation of Earl Scruggs's Gibson RB-Granada Mastertone Banjo to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's permanent collection on May 22, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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On May 22, an all-star crew of Americana, bluegrass and country stars joined forces at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to elevate the legacy of bluegrass icon Earl Scruggs.

Country Music Hall of Fame member Scruggs' Gibson RB-Granada Mastertone banjo -- heard on his 1950 composition "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," played alongside Lester Flatt and the Foggy Mountain Boys -- was finally donated to the museum's permanent collection.

Multipl-time Grammy-winning 1985-inducted Country Music Hall of Famer Scruggs was an innovative banjo picker who was a member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys from 1945 to 1948, performed as Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys from 1948 to 1969. In 1972, he worked on their landmark "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" album alongside the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. In 2002, Scruggs won a Grammy for an updated take on "Foggy Mountain Breakdown."

Artists including The Earls of Leicester, 2022 Americana Music Award-winning Emerging Act of the Year Sierra Ferrell, plus Alison Brown, who performed "Earl's Breakdown" on Scruggs' donated Gibson banjo.

The Earls of Leicester featured an impressive lineup of Jerry Douglas (dobro), Shawn Camp (lead vocals and guitar), Jeff White (mandolin), Johnny Warren (fiddle), Daniel Kimbro (bass), and Charlie Cushman (banjo).

Scruggs' banjo was previously on loan to the museum. Now a part of the permanent collection, it joins an impressive group of country music's foundational musical artifacts, including Mother Maybelle's Gibson L-5 guitar, Bill Monroe's Gibson F-5 mandolin, Lester Flatt's Martin D-28 guitar, Cowboy Jack Clement's Gibson SJ-200 guitar and more.

Earl Scruggs' Gibson RB-Granada Mastertone Banjo seen during the celebration of its donation to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's permanent collection on May 22, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Earl Scruggs' Gibson RB-Granada Mastertone Banjo seen during the celebration of its donation to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's permanent collection on May 22, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee.

The 1930-made banjo was one of fewer than twenty of the model built by the Gibson company. Scruggs acquired the instrument in an amicable 1949 trade with banjoist Don Reno and Reno received a different Gibson banjo model in return. In addition, Reno offered Scruggs a Martin guitar because the now-donated Granada banjo was slightly damaged.

"These artifacts are unique historical treasures," said Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young. "They connect us to the lives of creative geniuses who forged the enduring sounds of our music."

Country Music Hall of Fame member and president of the museum's board Vince Gill thanked the Scruggs family for their generosity, noting that the banjo was "valuable to the history of music, and the history of Earl and his family."

President of the Board of Officers and Trustees of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Vince Gill speaks on stage during the celebration of the donation of Earl Scruggs's Gibson RB-Granada Mastertone Banjo to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's permanent collection on May 22, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee.
President of the Board of Officers and Trustees of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Vince Gill speaks on stage during the celebration of the donation of Earl Scruggs's Gibson RB-Granada Mastertone Banjo to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's permanent collection on May 22, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Scruggs family has also donated other artifacts and documents integral to Earl and his family's musical careers -- including a parlor guitar owned by Earl's father, Louise's fold-out desk from childhood, as well as audio and video recordings -- to the museum's collection.

Dobro icon Douglas spoke about the importance of the banjo's donation and the original Flatt & Scruggs instruments being reunited on stage -- including Lester Flatt's Martin D-28 guitar from the museum's permanent collection -- for the first time in over a half-century.

"These instruments are the reason why I play music at all," he said.

Sierra Ferrell (C) performs on stage with the Earls of Leicester during the celebration of the donation of Earl Scruggs's Gibson RB-Granada Mastertone Banjo to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's permanent collection on May 22, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Sierra Ferrell (C) performs on stage with the Earls of Leicester during the celebration of the donation of Earl Scruggs's Gibson RB-Granada Mastertone Banjo to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's permanent collection on May 22, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Scruggs' banjo is currently displayed in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's "Precious Jewel" exhibition.

For more information on the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, visit https://www.countrymusichalloffame.org.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Earl Scruggs' Gibson banjo donated to Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum