Lester Flatt
June 19, 1914 – May 11, 1979
Guitarist, mandolinist, singer and songwriter, Lester Flatt, played in a number of bands during his 20s all throughout the American south. In 1945, he joined Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys and the history of country music was altered forever. Flatt played rhythm guitar and sang lead vocals for the legendary group for 3 years, churning out dozens of hits that shaped the eponymous new genre: Bluegrass.
In 1948, Flatt left the Blue Grass Boys along with banjo player, Earl Scruggs. The two would team up to form Flatt and Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys and become one of the most popular bluegrass acts of all time.
Flatt and Scruggs enjoyed a 20 year career together that led to celebrated popular songs in television (The Beverly Hillbillies) and movies (Bonnie & Clyde) in addition to radio hits like “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” and “Crying My Heart Out Over You.” They released nearly 30 albums together with a rotating cast of bandmates. While Earl embraced the challenge of working with and incorporating more varied genres and artists in their recordings, Lester maintained a more traditional outlook on their music. This led to some tension between them and, in 1969, the duo split up. Flatt formed a new group, Nashville Grass, and continued recording until his death from heart failure in 1979.
Though Flatt and Scruggs went their separate ways, their time together defined and influenced bluegrass music for generations to come. They are both memorialized as members of the Grand Ole Opry and inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Burial
Oaklawn Memorial Cemetery – Sparta, TN
Specific Location
Enter the cemetery and take the first right, then stop before the road turns again. Lester is buried to the south of this intersection about 2 rows east and about 7 spaces south.
Celebrity Graveland 
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