Louise Scruggs, one of the most influential and the first manager in country and bluegrass music, passed away on February 2 in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1946, on a visit to the Grand Ole Opry she would first see the man who would become her husband,  Earl Scruggs, and in 1955 would begin taking on the business responsibilities of Flatt & Scruggs.

Her guidance would be critical in shaping their careers, including involvement with The Beverly Hillbillies television series, on the soundtrack of the Oscar winning movie Bonnie &' Clyde, and expanding their influence well beyond their core audiences to folk, pop and rock music.

After Flatt and Scruggs split in 1969, she would help guide the Earl Scruggs Revue (which included sons Gary, Randy and Steve) to further build bridges to new audiences as they became one of the most popular acts on the college circuit and would be critical in the development of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's seminal Will the Circle Be Unbroken album in the 1970s. A special exhibit was dedicated to both Earl and Louise at the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. She continued to be a great ambassador and worked until her passing.

[Reprinted from International Bluegrass, with permission from IBMA].