The annual Earl Scruggs Music Festival started its 2026 event over the Labor Day Weekend from September 4-6 in Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina. The opening day marked the return of the headliners. Grammy-winning The Earls of Leicester and banjo wizard Béla Fleck led the star-studded line-up on the first day of the three-day fest.
Despite the near-record daytime temperatures of the mid-nineties and high humidity, music lovers gathered at the festival to enjoy the two-day event that honors the iconic bluegrass patriarch Earl Scruggs with a night of masterful picking and toe-tapping tunes.
The Earls of Leicester Salute Flatt and Scruggs
Bluegrass supergroup The Earl of Leicester paid tribute to the legendary father-son duo Flatt and Scruggs with a set of their most popular songs. The Earls of Leicester are a bluegrass band featuring Dobro virtuoso Jerry Douglas and lead vocalist and guitarist Shawn Camp, and they performed their rendition of the most memorable Flatt and Scruggs’ numbers, including “Down The Road,” “Big Black Train,” “Salty Dog Blues,” and “Dim Lights Thick Smoke and (Loud, Loud Music).”
Russ Carson tickled the banjo frets to recreate Scruggs’ innovative approach, including the unusual open tuning of the “Flint Hill Special.” The powerful instrumentalal power and vocal support from fiddler Johnny Warren and guitarist Shawn Camp added to the set’s energy as the band performed “The Beverly Hillbillies” theme song and closed with “Rolling In My Sweet Baby’s Arms.”
Bela Fleck Heads An All-Star R&B Group
Banjo wizard Béla Fleck took the stage at the Flint Hill and was joined by an impressive array of musicians. Grammy-winning fiddler Michael Cleveland, fiddler Maddie Denton and mandolinist Harry Clark of East Nash Grass, and special guest Jerry Douglas were among the all-stars that joined Fleck on the stage.
Bela Fleck paid tribute to his rich creativity, which has made him a superstar in bluegrass music annals, with a stellar set of challenging compositions, including “Strider,” “When Joy Kills Sorrow,” “Major Honker,” and “Vertigo.” The highlight of the performance was a joint rendition of “Who’s That Knocking At My Door” with Jerry Douglas, which showcased the two musicians’ creative connection and paid tribute to their long collaboration in The Dreadful Snakes.
Fleck recently released the news of a new live album Live Heart: My Bluegrass Heart At the Ryman, due on October 16.
Honor Earl Scruggs’ Legacy And Inspire The Next Generation
The celebration of the iconic bluegrass patriarch paid tribute to his immense legacy and creative impact and inspired the next generation of bluegrass musicians. The first day of the 2026 Earl Scruggs Music Festival featured traditional music’s enduring appeal and progressive bluegrass.
