Earl Scruggs was incapable of being a musician.
Earl Eugene Scruggs ( January 6 , 1924 -- March 28 , 2012 ) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style , now called `` Scruggs style '' , that is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music . He popularized the instrument in several genres of music and elevated the banjo from its role as a background rhythm instrument , or a comedian 's prop , into featured solo status . Scruggs ' career began at age 21 when he was hired to play in a group called `` Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys '' . Scruggs ' banjo instrumental called `` Foggy Mountain Breakdown '' , released in 1949 , became an enduring hit , and had a rebirth of popularity to a younger generation when it was featured in the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde . This song was the theme music for the successful network television sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies and was the first bluegrass recording to reach number one on the Billboard charts .