Who played the banjo on ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ theme song?
Earl Scruggs played banjo on the theme song for *The Beverly Hillbillies*, performing with guitarist Lester Flatt and singer Jerry Scoggins. The song helped bring bluegrass music to a much wider audience as the sitcom became one of the most-watched programmes in the United States.
The series led US television ratings from 1962 to 1965, and its 1963–64 average rating was 39.1, close to the 2026 Super Bowl’s 39.7. After the show became a hit, Flatt and Scruggs released their own version of the theme, which reached number one on the country chart. Earl Scruggs’s wife and manager, Louise, helped secure the musicians’ television deal.
In short
- Earl Scruggs played banjo on the theme.
- Lester Flatt played guitar, with Jerry Scoggins on vocals.
- The hit helped spread bluegrass music to a broad audience.
Explained simply
The Beverly Hillbillies was an American comedy series that began in 1962. It followed a poor family from the countryside who become wealthy and move to an affluent part of California, providing the setting for jokes about differences in class and way of life.
Bluegrass is a style of American country music, often featuring banjo, guitar and close vocal harmonies. Earl Scruggs was a leading banjo player, and he performed the show’s theme with guitarist Lester Flatt and singer Jerry Scoggins. The programme’s popularity gave their music a much larger audience, while Louise Scruggs helped Flatt and Scruggs arrange a television deal.