Lester Flatt

Lester Raymond Flatt (June 19, 1914 – May 11, 1979) was an American singer, bluegrass guitarist, and mandolinist, best known for his collaboration with banjo picker Earl Scruggs in the duo Flatt and Scruggs.

Flatt's career spanned multiple decades, breaking out as a member of Bill Monroe's band during the 1940s and including multiple solo and collaboration works exclusive of Scruggs. He first reached a mainstream audience through his performance on "The Ballad of Jed Clampett", the theme for the network television series The Beverly Hillbillies, in the early 1960s.

Birth and Death Data: Born (Overton County (county in Tennessee, United States)), Died May 11, 1979 (Nashville (capital and largest city of Tennessee, United States) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1946 - 1956

Roles Represented in DAHR: guitar, lead vocal, songwriter, composer, lyricist, vocalist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 72 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia RHCO4358 10-in. 11/21/1950 Come back darling Lester Flatt ; Foggy Mountain Boys ; Earl Scruggs String band, with male vocal solo vocalist, lead vocal, instrumentalist, guitar, composer, lyricist  
Columbia RHCO4359 10-in. 11/21/1950 I'm head over heels in love Lester Flatt ; Lester Flatt ; Foggy Mountain Boys String band, with male vocal solo vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer, lyricist  
Columbia RHCO4360 10-in. 11/21/1950 I'm waiting to hear you call me darling Lester Flatt ; Foggy Mountain Boys ; Earl Scruggs String band, with male vocal trio vocalist, lead vocal, instrumentalist, guitar, songwriter  
Columbia RHCO4361 10-in. 11/21/1950 The old home town Lester Flatt ; Foggy Mountain Boys ; Earl Scruggs String band, with male vocal solo vocalist, lead vocal, instrumentalist, guitar, composer, lyricist  
Columbia RHCO4362 10-in. 11/21/1950 I'll stay around Lester Flatt ; Foggy Mountain Boys ; Earl Scruggs Stsring band, with male vocal solo vocalist, lead vocal, instrumentalist, guitar, composer, lyricist  
Columbia RHCO4363 10-in. 11/21/1950 We can't be darlings any more Lester Flatt ; Foggy Mountain Boys ; Earl Scruggs String band, with male vocal duet vocalist, lead vocal, instrumentalist, guitar, songwriter  
Columbia CCO4605 10-in. 9/16/1946 Heavy traffic ahead Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys String band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, guitar  
Columbia CCO4607 10-in. 9/16/1946 Blue moon of Kentucky Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys String band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, guitar  
Columbia CCO4608 10-in. 9/16/1946 Toy heart Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys String band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, lead vocal  
Columbia CCO4609 10-in. 9/16/1946 Summertime is past and gone Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys Male vocal trio, with string band vocalist, lead vocal, instrumentalist, guitar  
Columbia CCO4610 10-in. 9/16/1946 Mansions for me Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys String band, with male vocal duet vocalist, lead vocal, instrumentalist, guitar  
Columbia CCO4611 10-in. 9/16/1946 Mother's only sleeping Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys String band, with male vocal duet vocalist, lead vocal, instrumentalist, guitar  
Columbia CCO4612 10-in. 9/16/1946 Blue yodel #4 Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys String band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, guitar  
Columbia CCO4613 10-in. 9/16/1946 Will you be loving another man Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys String band, with male vocal duet instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, lead vocal, songwriter  
Columbia CCO4614 10-in. 9/16/1946 How will I explain about you Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys String band, with male vocal duet vocalist, lead vocal, instrumentalist, guitar  
Columbia CCO4616 10-in. 9/17/1946 Wicked path of sin Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys Male vocal quartet, with string band vocalist, lead vocal, instrumentalist, guitar  
Columbia CCO4874 10-in. 10/27/1947 I'm going back to old Kentucky Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys String band, with male vocal duet vocalist, lead vocal, instrumentalist, guitar  
Columbia CCO4875 10-in. 10/27/1947 It's mighty dark to travel Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys String band, with male vocal duet vocalist, lead vocal, instrumentalist, guitar  
Columbia CCO4876 10-in. 10/27/1947 I hear a sweet voice calling Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys String band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Columbia CCO4877 10-in. 10/27/1947 Little cabin home on the hill Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys String band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, lead vocal  
Columbia CCO4878 10-in. 10/27/1947 My rose of old Kentucky Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys String band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, guitar  
Columbia CCO4879 10-in. 10/27/1947 Blue grass breakdown Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys String band instrumentalist, guitar  
Columbia CCO4880 10-in. 10/27/1947 Sweetheart you done me wrong Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys String band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, lead vocal  
Columbia CCO4881 10-in. 10/27/1947 The old cross road (is waiting) Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Quartet Male vocal quartet, with string band instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, lead vocal  
Columbia CCO4882 10-in. 10/28/1947 That home above Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Quartet Male vocal quartet, with guitar and mandolin vocalist, lead vocal, instrumentalist, guitar  
(Results 1-25 of 72 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Flatt, Lester," accessed January 3, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/369907.

Flatt, Lester. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 3, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/369907.

"Flatt, Lester." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 3 January 2026.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/369907

External Sources

Discogs: Lester Flatt

RILM: Lester Flatt

IMDb: Lester Flatt

Britannica: Lester Flatt

Linked Open Data Sources

LCNAR: Flatt, Lester - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82096196

Wikidata: Lester Flatt - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1346706

VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/61731754

MusicBrainz: Lester Flatt - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/a9468a9a-b5ea-43b8-85c7-d86542bd2537

Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/95721 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/95721

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