Randy Lynn Scruggs (August 3, 1953 – April 17, 2018) was an American music producer, songwriter and guitarist. He had his first recording at the age of 13. He won four

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

s and was named Musician of the Year at the

Country Music Association Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony f ...

three times. He was the middle son of

Earl Scruggs Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-fin ...

and Louise Scruggs.

Career

As a songwriter, Scruggs's credits include "

We Danced Anyway "We Danced Anyway" is a song written by Randy Scruggs and Matraca Berg, and recorded by American country music artist Deana Carter that reached the top of the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It was released in December 1996 as ...

", "

Love Don't Care (Whose Heart It Breaks) "Love Don't Care (Whose Heart It Breaks)" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Earl Thomas Conley. It was released in April 1985 as the third and final single from the album '' Treadin' Water''. The song was Conley's ...

", "

Love Has No Right "Love Has No Right" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Billy Joe Royal. It was released in May 1989 as the second single from the album '' Tell It Like It Is''. The song reached number 4 on the '' Billboard'' Hot ...

", "

Don't Make It Easy for Me "Don't Make It Easy for Me" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Earl Thomas Conley. It was released in January 1984 as the third single and title track from the album '' Don't Make It Easy for Me''. The song was Con ...

", " Chance of Lovin' You", and " Angel in Disguise". Scruggs worked with many artists, including

Michael Card Michael Card (born April 11, 1957) is an American, Christian singer-songwriter, musician, author, and radio host from Franklin, Tennessee. He is best known for his contributions in contemporary Christian music, which combine folk-style melod ...

, The Talbot Brothers,

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

Earl Thomas Conley Earl Thomas Conley (October 17, 1941 – April 10, 2019)Wood, Gerry. (1998). "Earl Thomas Conley". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 108. was an American country music singer-songwriter. Between ...

George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. In the 1980s, he was credited for ...

and

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, including ...

. His career began in 1970 with the release of ''All the Way Home'', a collaboration with his older brother Gary. Scruggs recorded his debut solo LP ''Crown of Jewels'' in 1998. He played the electric bass on

John Hartford John Cowan Hartford (December 30, 1937 – June 4, 2001) was an American folk, country, and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive kno ...

's 1972 album ''

Aereo-Plain ''Aereo-Plain'' is a 1971 studio album by American bluegrass singer-songwriter and instrumentalist John Hartford. It reached number 193 on The Billboard 200 chart. Background The music on ''Aereo-Plain'' is a blend of traditional bluegrass music ...

''. In 1972, Scruggs released another album recorded with Gary: ''The Scruggs Brothers''. Reviewing in '' Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies'' (1981),

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

said: "Significant that two musicians so close to the Flatt- picking roots—though it ought to be remembered that their father is an entertainer, not a mountaineer—have put together such a doleful-sounding

country-rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal ...

band in the face of the good-time sippin'-that-wine stuff the more famous guys are selling." In 1994, Scruggs teamed with

and

Doc Watson Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. Watson won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. W ...

to contribute the song "Keep on the Sunny Side" to the AIDS benefit album ''

Red Hot + Country ''Red Hot + Country'' (or ''RH+C'') was the follow-up to ''No Alternative'' in the Red Hot Series of compilation albums, a series produced to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV as well as other related health and social issues. This com ...

'' produced by the

Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...

. Scruggs died after a short illness on April 17, 2018 at the age of 64.

Awards and Honors

2002 Best Country Instrumental Performance: Earl Scruggs, Gary Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, Steve Martin, Leon Russell, Vince Gill, Jerry Douglas, Glen Duncan, Albert Lee, Paul Shaffer and Marty Stuart – "Foggy Mountain Breakdown"

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Scruggs, Randy 1953 births 2018 deaths People from Nashville, Tennessee American country guitarists American male guitarists American country singer-songwriters Grammy Award winners Singer-songwriters from Tennessee Guitarists from Tennessee 20th-century American guitarists Country musicians from Tennessee 20th-century American male musicians American male singer-songwriters