CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. — Pioneering banjo player and Cleveland County native Earl Scruggs, who helped create modern country music, died Sunday of natural causes.
Scruggs’ string-bending way of picking the banjo transformed a regional sound into a national passion. He weaved himself into the fabric of American culture with music that included the theme from the show "The Beverly Hillbillies."
"He influenced so many young people," Scruggs' nephew, JT, said.
JT Scruggs said the 88-year-old last performed at Shelby's Don Gibson Theater in 2010 to a packed house.
"At the end of the day, he was just Earl Scruggs who grew up on a farm, and he would say he was 'somewhat successful,'" JT Scruggs said.
Scruggs is survived by two sons. His funeral will be held Sunday in Nashville.
WSOC
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
