Born of the Broad River: The Life and Career of Earl Scruggs in His Own Words 1924-1945

Featuring new research taken directly from Earl’s own personal writings (now in the Earl Scruggs Center Collection), this exhibit promises to be the most accurate portrayal of the early life of one of the most influential musicians in American history.

The exhibit places Earl at the center of the Broad River Region that encompassed parts of Cleveland and Rutherford Counties in North Carolina, and Cherokee County in South Carolina. This community proved to be the perfect incubator of American music, allowing Earl to soak up the rich cultural traditions his ancestors had brought with them as they emigrated from Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. Scotch-Irish, English, German, and African American folk music blended together on the banks of the Broad River before being sped up to a dizzying rate leading to the creation of Bluegrass.

Born of the Broad River follows the young life of the aspiring musician as he navigates the trials and triumphs that came with living in the small farming community of Flint Hill. The exhibit continues with Earl’s slow and steady rise through the turbulent world of show business before finally culminating in a fateful encounter with Bill Monroe, one of the greatest country music performers of his time.