Lester Flatt and The Nashville Grass - Pickin' Time - MP3

Lester Flatt and The Nashville Grass - Pickin' Time

Release Date: 6/16/2023

Bluegrass fans are most familiar with Lester Flatt through his work with Earl Scruggs in the groundbreaking bluegrass duo Flatt and Scruggs. The two were not only majorly successful in their lifetimes, but are considered essential performers of the genre by bluegrass historians and received the honor of induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1985.

What’s less known, however, is Flatt’s later work with his own ensemble, The Nashville Grass. Formed in 1969 after the breakup of his seminal duo, The Nashville Grass consisted of some of the finest bluegrass performers in Nashville, including several who had previously supported Flatt and Scruggs as the Foggy Mountain Boys. The Nashville Grass would also prove to be a launching pad for a teenaged Marty Stuart who would go on to fame as a solo artist in his own right. No mere footnote in his discography, Flatt’s later recording career consists of some essential works, the culmination of several decades of picking. Flatt had a life in music ever since he first supported bluegrass legend Bill Monroe in 1945 and he carried many lessons with him along the way.

His final album, Pickin’ Time, recorded for CMH in 1978, just a year before he passed, shows he had it in him until the very end. This collection is stacked with heartfelt ballads, brilliant instrumentals, and Flatt revisiting some old country classics, all captured with expert clarity and warmth. All the while, Flatt’s voice heartily slides across the melody with trademark charm and wit while his fingers pluck the six-string with as great precision as ever. At CMH we are proud to present one more breathtaking work in a career full of them.

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