Banjo musician Earl Scruggs remembered in Nashville...

More than 2,000 mourners paid tribute to pioneering US banjo musician Earl Scruggs on Sunday at a public funeral at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

Emmylou Harris and Ricky Skaggs were among the country stars who performed at the memorial to the late bluegrass artist, who died on 28 March, aged 88.

Scruggs' closed casket sat just below the stage, with a banjo behind it.

The performer was also remembered on Sunday at the Academy of Country Music Awards, held in Las Vegas.

Comedian and banjo player Steve Martin took part in a tribute alongside country band Rascal Flatts.

"No one will ever play the banjo like Earl," said musician Charlie Daniels at the Nashville event, which also saw performances from Vince Gill, Marty Stuart and Patty Loveless.

His sentiments were echoed by Skaggs, who remembered him as a "humble" man who "was always listening, not at himself but at the next generation".

Scruggs was known for his unique banjo playing technique. Involving just three fingers, it later became known as "the Scruggs picking style".

His playing was heard on the theme tune to TV series The Beverly Hillbillies and on Foggy Mountain Breakdown, featured in 1967's Bonnie and Clyde.

Source: BBC

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