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Award Winning Country Gentlemen
- Artist: Earl Scruggs
- Rating:
- Release Date: November 18, 2008
- Type: Compilation (best of), Live
- Genre: Country
Review
Earl Scruggs first stepped onto the legendary Ryman Auditorium stage in 1945 as one of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. His signature three-fingered banjo style would go on to influence countless musicians in the years to come, cementing him as a legend in his own right. In 2007, at the age of 83, Scruggs took the stage again, this time with family and friends who included Rob Ickes (dobro), Randy Scruggs (guitar, vocals), John Jorgenson (mandolin, guitar, clarinet, vocals), Jon Randall (guitar vocals), Gary Scruggs (bass, vocals), Hoot Hester (fiddle, vocals), and John Gardner (drums) to record Ultimate Collection: Live at the Ryman for Rounder Records. Boasting 18 tracks that include perennial favorites like "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," "Lonesome Ruben," "Ballad of Jed Clampett," "Soldier's Joy," "In the Pines," and "Earl's Breakdown," it's not surprising that Scruggs hasn't lost a beat, as he's been tearing through most of these songs for well over 50 years. While 2005's Essential Earl Scruggs remains the best entry point into this bluegrass icon's impressive canon of songs, it would be hard not to want to delve deeper into the man's history after an evening spent with him at the Ryman. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music GuideTracks
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Salty Dog Blues | Earl Scruggs | (2:56) | |
| Borrowed Love (Lyrics) | Earl Scruggs, Dwight Yoakam, Randy Scruggs | Earl Scruggs | (3:37) |
| Earl's Breakdown | Earl Scruggs | Earl Scruggs | (3:08) |
| Streamlined Cannonball | Roy Acuff | Earl Scruggs | (2:48) |
| You Ain't Goin' Nowhere | Bob Dylan | Earl Scruggs | (3:33) |
| Soldier's Joy | Earl Scruggs, John McEuen | Earl Scruggs | (2:27) |
| In the Pines | Traditional | Earl Scruggs | (6:58) |
| Doin' My Time | Jimmie Skinner | Earl Scruggs | (5:07) |
| Sittin' on Top of the World | Earl Scruggs | (3:18) | |
| Sally Gooding | Earl Scruggs | Earl Scruggs | (2:36) |
| Foggy Mountain Rock | Earl Scruggs | (2:58) | |
| You Are My Flower | A.P. Carter | Earl Scruggs | (4:42) |
| Bound in Jail All Night Long | Earl Scruggs | (3:04) | |
| Black Mountain Blues | Earl Scruggs, |
Earl Scruggs | (2:15) |
| Step It Up and Go | Traditional | Earl Scruggs | (5:12) |
| Ballad of Jed Clampett | Earl Scruggs | (4:07) | |
| Foggy Mountain Breakdown | Earl Scruggs | Earl Scruggs | (3:39) |
| Lonesome Ruben | Earl Scruggs | Earl Scruggs | (5:17) |
