Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass
Band · Active 1970–present · Nashville, Tennessee
Traditional Bluegrass
Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass was the traditional-bluegrass band Lester Flatt formed in 1969 after his twenty-year partnership with Earl Scruggs ended. Where Scruggs moved toward folk-rock and counterculture material, Flatt went back to straight-ahead bluegrass — and took most of the Foggy Mountain Boys with him. The Nashville Grass recorded steadily for RCA, CMH, Nugget, Flying Fish, and Canaan until Flatt's death in 1979.
- The band name was chosen through a “name the band” fan contest sponsored by Martha White (Flatt's longtime sponsor), a pun on Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass.
- Founding lineup drew from the last Foggy Mountain Boys roster: Josh “Uncle Josh” Graves on Dobro, English “Cousin Jake” Tullock on bass, Paul Warren on fiddle, plus former Blue Grass Boys Roland White on mandolin and Vic Jordan on banjo.
- Signed to RCA Victor in 1970, making Flatt the first traditional country artist signed to the label since the Country Pardners in the 1950s. Key RCA albums include Flatt Out (1970), Kentucky Ridgerunner (1972), and Foggy Mountain Breakdown (1973).
- Duet albums with Mac Wiseman — Lester 'n' Mac (1971), Over the Hills to the Poorhouse (1972), and On the Southbound (1973) — are considered highlights of Flatt's post-Scruggs output.
- A 14-year-old Marty Stuart joined in 1972 and moved in with the Flatts, starting his professional career in the Nashville Grass and remaining with the band until Flatt's death.
- After leaving RCA in the mid-1970s, the band recorded prolifically for CMH Records, including Heaven's Bluegrass Band, Lester Raymond Flatt, and Pickin' Time; and for Canaan and Flying Fish.
- Flatt continued leading the band through health problems from a 1967 heart attack; he died of heart failure in May 1979 at age 64.
- At Flatt's request, longtime tenor singer Curly Seckler assumed leadership of the Nashville Grass and continued the band into the 1980s with Flatt sound-alike Willis Spears on lead vocals.
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I Don't Care AnymoreA Living Legend (1976)
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Lester FlattPlayed on recordings with Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass
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Charlie NixonPlayed on recordings with Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass
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John Ray "Curly" SecklerPlayed on recordings with Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass
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Marty StuartPlayed on recordings with Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass
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Paul WarrenPlayed on recordings with Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass
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Jack HicksPlayed on recordings with Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass
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Kenny IngramPlayed on recordings with Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass
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Clarence "Tater" TatePlayed on recordings with Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass
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English "Cousin Jake" TullockPlayed on recordings with Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass
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Pete CorumPlayed on recordings with Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass
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Roland WhitePlayed on recordings with Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass
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Vic JordanPlayed on recordings with Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass