WATCH: Earl Scruggs' Classic Hits
Earl Scruggs, the Bluegrass legend and banjo master, died Wednesday morning at the age of 88, and he has left his fans quite the musical legacy with his songs.
The Associated Press didn't mince words when describing the contributions Earl Scruggs bestowed upon this nation's culture, describing him as a "pioneering banjo player who helped create modern country music," an icon in the vein of Johnny Cash and Hank Williams.
The day after he died, Earl Scruggs fans turned to YouTube to record tributes. Some posted covers of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," the remarkable 1949 track by Scruggs and Lester Flatt, while others thanked him for his contributions to music. Still more fans were searching the web for recordings of his biggest hits.
Scores of celebrities remembered Scruggs on Twitter. Country star Dierks Bentley said Scruggs should always be remembered for inventing the three-finger style of playing the banjo and noted that Scruggs was not a single-genre icon. "It's not just bluegrass," he said. "It's American music."
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Actor and bluegrass musician Steve Martin also chimed in on, tweeting this tribute:
Earl Scruggs, the most important banjo player who ever lived, has passed on. tiny.cc/c4mwbw
— Steve Martin (@SteveMartinToGo) March 28, 2012
"Some nights he had the stars of North Carolina shooting from his fingertips," Martin wrote on the website of The New Yorker.
We've collected some of Earl Scruggs biggest hits and most memorable songs in the slideshow below. Give them a listen and let us know which are your favorites in the comments.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
