Who was Clarence's biggest influence?

MickeyV · Joined: 15 Mar 2007 Posts: 35 Location: Los Angeles

According to his brother Roland, it was banjo player Earl Scruggs. (Jerry Garcia said Clarence played electric guitar "like a banjo player.")

Here's Earl playing Georgia Buck on guitar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOHdtWXeL0Y

(Hoping to energize the site.)

davidge1 · Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Posts: 16

He was very much influenced by Joe Maphis. The guitar breaks on the Kentucky Colonel's version of Fire on the Mountain are basically the Joe Maphis instrumental Fire on the Strings. He used a lot of Joe Maphis licks in the Kentucky Colonels

MickeyV · Joined: 15 Mar 2007 Posts: 35 Location: Los Angeles

Yes, Joe Maphis was an influence and from what I've read was also a big promoter of Clarence's career. The late Dick Fegy, utility man in the David Bromberg Band, explained it to me this way: Joe Maphis had great speed and NO TONE; Clarence had both speed and tone.

Tony Trout · Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 1:30 pm Post subject:

Also, according to what I've read, James Burton was a huge influence on Clarence on electric and Clarence even supposedly took lessons from James.