Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Google is paying homage to renowned musician and banjo player Earl Scruggs with a new Doodle.
Scruggs was born in 1924 in North Carolina where he grew up on a farm. He joined Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys band when he turned 21 where he met guitarist Lester Flatt.
Scruggs and Flatt formed the Foggy Mountain Boys in the late 1940s and were managed by Scruggs' wife Louise Scruggs, making her one of the first female managers in the music industry.
The duo's music was used in the theme song for television series The Beverly Hillbillies and their song "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" appeared on the soundtrack for 1967 film Bonnie & Clyde. Scruggs and Flatt went their separate ways in 1969, with Scruggs then forming the Earl Scruggs Revue with his sons Gary and Randy and then later forming the Family and Friends band.
Scruggs is considered to be a banjo master who developed his own unique three-finger method of picking that is known as the Scruggs style. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was entered into the Country Music Hall of Fame, International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. The Earl Scruggs Center, a museum, was opened in 2014.
Google's homepage features artwork of Scruggs playing the banjo that highlights the music legend's unique way of playing the instrument. Scruggs's son Gary helped with the creation of the Doodle.
"I very much admired the fact that my Dad was not only a world-class musician, but was also willing and eager to teach his musical skills to anyone asking his advice. His banjo instruction book, Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo, is a testimony to his willingness to share his musical "secrets" with the world," Gary said about his father.
"And there's no doubt, he would be very proud that the Earl Scruggs Center offers educational programs and learning experiences to people of all ages," he continued.
