Live at Vanderbilt

Legendary vocalist and guitarist Lester Flatt shares the bill with his former bandleader, Bill Monroe, on this live set from Vanderbilt's Neely Auditorium in 1974. Flatt & Scruggs had split from Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys some 20 years earlier, and Lester Flatt's reconciliation at an early-'70s Bean Blossom Festival seemed to pave the way for Monroe's guest appearances on this live album. Although the headliners are nearing the far edge of their prime (in the '40s, '50s, and '60s, first Monroe, then Flatt & Scruggs were virtually untouchable as leaders of the bluegrass movement), they still surrounded themselves with the best bands around. Curly Seckler, Charles Nixon, Kenny Baker, and even a 15-year-old Marty Stuart back the gentle-voiced Flatt and the always-energetic Monroe on a whole series of traditional standards. The college crowd (fresh from the radio popularity of "Duelin' Banjos") actively seems to enjoy the performances, and both bands feed off of that energy. Although Lester Flatt's performances with the Nashville Grass were never as strong as the Flatt & Scruggs recordings (as their Flatt & Scruggs at Carnegie Hall!: The Complete Concert showcases wonderfully), this live document captures the meeting of two bluegrass legends and old friends performing the music they love for a crowd who loves them. ~ Zac Johnson