From classicjake@yahoo.com Tue Dec 16 14:13:39 2003
Subject:RE: Breaking keys

Dear Y'all,

I've broken lots of Rhodes and Wurli tines, and more
than a few piano strings on my Melodigrand and
Helpenstill Roadmaster (remember those?). But never
broke a key. But since we are this far off course
here, I can relate a humorous story about a time we
shared the stage with The Earl Scruggs Review.

The Earl Scruggs Review was formed in 1969 when Earl
left "Flatt & Scruggs" and teamed up with sons Randy,
Gary, and Steve. Though the band rarely got radio
airplay, it was a source of great pride for Scruggs
who has called it one of the highlights of his career.
"To me, it was the most exciting thing that I've ever
done," he said. "At my age, playing with my own kids
and the energy they had. I hadn't played with that
kind of energy before in my life. It was really an
exciting time for me."

I recall one time in 1975 we were opening the show for
The Earl Scruggs Review at The Tomorrow Club in
Youngstown Ohio. NEW HAVEN was quite popular in OH and
PA and well known for the honky-tonk piano stylings of
yours truly. Knowing that both The Earl Scruggs Review
and NEW HAVEN featured acoustic piano the club owners
called in a local piano tuner and craftsman to have
the old Baldwin baby-grand tuned and ready to go for
the show.

We arrived late in the afternoon and I remember
speaking with the piano tuner. He had just finished
the tuning and had decided to replace several missing
ivories on the keys. Seemed like a good idea at the
time, but he had miscalculated the drying time
required for the contact cement to set properly.

Two hours later, when NEW HAVEN took the stage, the
glue was still not dry. About two or three songs into
our set I felt one or two of the new ivories begin to
slide around. The more they moved around the looser
they became. Then the still sticky glue worked its way
up between the cracks and got onto my fingertips. I
looked over my left shoulder and there was Steve
Scruggs in the wings watching me play. The piano was
so far to the right of the stage that I could actually
have a conversation with Steve and the audience
couldn't see who I was talking to. I motioned toward
the sticky piano keyboard. "You're gonna have an
aweful mess here," I yelled. Steve Scruggs took a
closer look at the keyboard as I played. By now my
fingers and the tops of the piano keys were covered
with glue. It was a sticky situation to say the least.
When he saw my predicament, Steve began
laughing out loud! He was really bustin' a gut over
this! At one point one of the new ivory laminates
actually came completely off and was stuck to my
finger! So I turned around and sort of flipped it to
Steve. "Here, have a souvenir!" I laughed.

Between our set and his we got together with a can of
lighter fluid and cleaned up the messy keys. We had to
peel off the remaining new ivories that had not yet
dried and then clean off the glue. When The Earl
Scruggs Review took the stage I took Steve's place
standing in the wings and watched the performance from
back stage.

The Earl Scruggs Review, with Randy on guitar, Gary on
bass and Steve on piano last played together late in
1980. Earl Scruggs is now 79 and his latest CD, "Earl
Scruggs and Friends," is his first album in a decade.
It's an extension of The Earl Scruggs Revue. Over 12
songs, he collaborates with an impressive stable of
admirers. Elton John, Dwight Yoakam, Travis Tritt,
Sting, Melissa Etheridge, Leon Russell, Vince Gill,
Rosanne Cash, John Fogerty, Don Henley, Johnny Cash
and
actor Steve Martin (on banjo) are all featured. Randy
Scruggs produced the album, and Gary Scruggs performs
on it.

Randy is now an established songwriter, producer and
studio owner in Nashville. Gary is also a songwriter
and producer. Steve Scruggs died in 1992.

__________________________________
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