Sleep With One Eye Open from The Earls

The Earls Of Leicester have released another video from their most recent album, Live at the CMA Theater, to promote their upcoming string of tour dates early in 2019. The two-disc set features 26 tracks of the Earls live on stage, performing the classic repertoire of Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs & The Foggy Mountain Boys.

This latest video is of the Flatt & Scruggs gem, I’m Gonna Sleep With One Eye Open. Jerry Douglas introduces the song by describing how it got Lester and Earl in some trouble with country radio when it was released back in 1955. Many programmers felt that the lyrics, which talk about a cheating wife and her husband’s attempt to catch her, were a bit too racy for public broadcast.

It was the B side of the band’s Before I Met You single on a 45 RPM record, and many station managers forbade their DJs to play it on the air. But it was a big hit for the group at live shows, just as it is now for the Earls.

The Earls of Leicester are inactive in December, as Jerry is out touring with Tommy Emmanuel, but they have a string of dates in Colorado during January, and a couple in Virginia in February at the start of a two week run. You can see all their dates online.

Don’t miss the opportunity to catch this remarkable throwback show if it comes your way.

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.