I Saw the Light with Some Help from My Friends

by Earl Scruggs

Overview

When Earl Scruggs split with longtime collaborator and fellow Foggy Mountain Boy Lester Flatt in 1969, it was evident who of the pair had the more commercial aspirations. While Flatt remained firmly rooted in the bluegrass tradition, Scruggs, much like similar-minded artists such as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Johnny Darrell, and the Dillards, sought to bridge the gap between pop, folk, and the old-timey sounds of yesteryear. I Saw the Light With Some Help from My Friends may sound like it was culled from the buckle of the "Bible Belt" (there are indeed a few spirituals), but the "friends" referenced in the title are merely saviors of the late-'60s/early-'70s country-folk movement. Scruggs gathered both family -- sons Gary, Randy, and Steve -- and contemporaries like Linda Ronstadt, Arlo Guthrie, Vassar Clements, Tracy Nelson, Norman Blake, and the aforementioned Dirt Band, to flesh out an album of covers both sublime (Merle Haggard's "Silver Wings") and surprising (Monkee Michael Nesmith's "Some of Shelley's Blues"). The musicianship is top-notch and the vocals, especially Ronstadt and Nelson -- Arlo Guthrie will always be an acquired taste for some -- are warm and soulful, resulting in one of the more lucid and enjoyable examples of the crossover genre. [In 2005, Columbia/Legacy reissued the record with extensive liner notes and three bonus tracks: "Fireball Mail," "Tramp on the Street," and "The Cure."] ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	07/12/2005
Label:	Legacy / Sony Music Distribution
UPC:	0828767762623

Tracks

1. Lonesome and a Long Way from Home
2. Silver Wings
3. It's a Picture from Life's Other Side
4. Motherless Child Blues
5. Some of Shelley's Blues
6. Never Ending Song of Love
7. Rock Salt and Nails
8. The Banks of the Ohio
9. Ring of Fire
10. Propinquity
11. Fireball Mail
12. Tramp on the Street
13. The Cure
14. I Saw the Light

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Earl Scruggs   Primary Artist,Banjo
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band   Guest Artist
Tracy Nelson   Guest Artist
Arlo Guthrie   Guest Artist,Vocals
Linda Ronstadt   Guest Artist,Vocals
Jimmy Ibbotson   Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Norman Blake   Dobro
Jody Maphis   Drums
Randy Scruggs   Guitar
Karl Himmel   Drums
Bob & Pauline Wilson   Piano
Les Thompson   Mandolin,Vocals (Background)
Tracy Lee Nelson   Vocals
Gary Scruggs   Bass,Vocals
Jeff Hanna   Guitar,Vocals
John McEuen   Banjo,Vocals (Background)
Vassar Clements   Fiddle
Steve Scruggs   Keyboards
Jimmie Fadden   Harp,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Merle Kilgore   Composer
Michael Nesmith   Composer
Hank Williams   Composer
Gregg Geller   Reissue Producer
Vic Anesini   Mastering
June Carter Cash   Composer
William E. McEuen   Photography
Slick Lawson   Cover Photo,Photography
Howard Fritzson   Art Direction
A. Cole   Composer
John R. "Ricky" Jackson   Series Director
Mark Keresman   Liner Notes
G.M. Cole   Composer
B. Phillips   Composer
David Gahr   Photography
Randall Martin   Design
T. Nelson   Composer
Lily Lew   Packaging Manager
Traditional   Composer
Steven Berkowitz   A&R
Don Law   Producer