# David Letterman's Closing "Jam"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-closing-jam/93776>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 16, 2001, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-closing-jam/93776 "2001-11-16T18:30:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2001, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-closing-jam/93776/1 "2001-11-16T18:30:01Z")

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Did you catch David Letterman last night (thurs 11/15) with guest star, Steve Martin? If so, his show clsed with a country jam session. It is a banjo piece, primarily, performed by the Scruggs, I think? What piece is this?

I could swear it is an old banjo tune. I think the title is “Frieght Train”? Maybe a Roy Clark creation?

Please help with title and original artist,

- Jinx

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**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2001, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-closing-jam/93776/2 "2001-11-16T20:34:50Z")

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“Foggy Mountain Banjo”, written by Earl Scruggs himself, and brought to widespread popularity in the movie “Bonnie and Clyde”.

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**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2001, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-closing-jam/93776/3 "2001-11-16T20:36:06Z")

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Make that “Foggy Mountain _Breakdown_”.

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**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2001, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-closing-jam/93776/4 "2001-11-17T02:19:53Z")

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What I don’t get is the “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” is to banjos what “Lady of Spain” is to accordians, or “Stairway to Heaven” for electric guitars. Even Martin riffs on this cliche in one of his early albums.

So he peforms it more or less straight on Letterman???

…Or “Orange Blossom Special” to fiddles.

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**Author:** ![pesch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pesch/32/4925_2.png) [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2001, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-closing-jam/93776/5 "2001-11-17T04:21:40Z")

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I believe that SM performs “Foggy” on Scrugg’s latest album.

So it’s all right, kids, it was a plug.