Rating:
Genre:
Country
Release Date: 05/21/2002
Legendary vocalist and guitarist
Lester Flatt shares the bill with his former bandleader,
Bill Monroe, on this live set from Vanderbilt's
Neely Auditorium in 1974.
Flatt & Scruggs had split from
Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys some 20 years earlier, and
Lester Flatt's reconciliation at an early-'70s
Bean Blossom Festival seemed to pave the way for
Monroe's guest appearances on this live album. Although the headliners are nearing the far edge of their prime (in the '40s, '50s, and '60s, first
Monroe, then
Flatt & Scruggs were virtually untouchable as leaders of the
bluegrass movement), they still surrounded themselves with the best bands around.
Curly Seckler,
Charles Nixon,
Kenny Baker, and even a 15-year-old
Marty Stuart back the gentle-voiced
Flatt and the always-energetic
Monroe on a whole series of
traditional standards. The college crowd (fresh from the radio popularity of
"Duelin' Banjos") actively seems to enjoy the performances, and both bands feed off of that energy. Although
Lester Flatt's performances with
the Nashville Grass were never as strong as the
Flatt & Scruggs recordings (as their Flatt & Scruggs at Carnegie Hall!: The Complete Concert showcases wonderfully), this live document captures the meeting of two
bluegrass legends and old friends performing the music they love for a crowd who loves them.
~Zac Johnson, All Music Guide
;)
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