The Earls of Leicester
Band · Active 2014–present · Nashville, Tennessee
Classic Country
Contemporary Bluegrass
The Earls of Leicester is a Nashville-based sextet assembled by Dobro master Jerry Douglas in 2013 to perform the repertoire of Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, and the Foggy Mountain Boys in the style of the original band's 1954–65 classic period. The name is a pun: the English city Leicester is pronounced "Lester," and Earl is Scruggs's given name. Though "tribute band" is a label Douglas rejects, the Earls recreate the music with period-accurate instrumentation, stagecraft, and even costumes.
- Formed by Jerry Douglas in 2013, originally as a one-off album project that turned into a touring group after winning its first Grammy.
- The founding lineup: Shawn Camp as Lester Flatt (guitar, lead vocals), Charlie Cushman as Earl Scruggs (banjo), Jerry Douglas as Uncle Josh Graves (Dobro), Johnny Warren — son of longtime Flatt & Scruggs fiddler Paul Warren — as his father (fiddle), Tim O'Brien as Curly Seckler (mandolin, tenor), and Barry Bales as Jake Tullock (bass).
- Jeff White later replaced O'Brien on mandolin and tenor vocals as the group's ongoing touring commitments grew.
- Self-titled debut album The Earls of Leicester (Rounder, 2014) won the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album.
- Swept the 2015 IBMA Awards with Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year, Instrumental Group of the Year, and Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year.
- Won IBMA Entertainer of the Year three consecutive years (2015, 2016, 2017).
- Follow-up studio album Rattle & Roar released in 2016; live album The Earls of Leicester Live at the CMA Theater followed in 2018.
- Known for their commitment to the early-60s Foggy Mountain Boys presentation: single-microphone staging, period suits and ties, choreographed step-aways, and Douglas channeling his longtime idol Josh Graves on Dobro.
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Branded Wherever I GoRattle and Roar (2016)
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I Won't Be Hanging AroundThe Earls of Leicester (2014)
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The Girl I Love Don't Pay Me No MindRattle and Roar (2016)
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Shuckin' the CornThe Earls of Leicester (2014)
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Barry BalesPlayed on recordings with The Earls of Leicester
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Charlie CushmanPlayed on recordings with The Earls of Leicester
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Jerry DouglasPlayed on recordings with The Earls of Leicester
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Johnny WarrenPlayed on recordings with The Earls of Leicester
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Shawn CampPlayed on recordings with The Earls of Leicester
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Tim O'BrienPlayed on recordings with The Earls of Leicester
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Jeff WhitePlayed on recordings with The Earls of Leicester