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Public Programs

The Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum

The Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum, made possible by Gibson Gives and presented for the first time in 2007, was created to honor a music industry leader who represents the legacy of pioneer Louise Scruggs. Her understanding of music and musical trends, coupled with her formidable business acumen, allowed her to steer her husband Earl Scruggs’s career toward ever-widening audiences. In 1955, she began booking and managing the Flatt & Scruggs show, and she continued to guide her husband’s career until her passing in February 2006. As the first woman in country music to assume these roles, she set new standards for the industry. ​

Seventeenth Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum Honoring Alison Brown

Wednesday, August 13, 2025 | 6:30 – 7:45 PM | Ford Theater

Join the Museum for the seventeenth Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum honoring musician, producer, songwriter, and record label executive Alison Brown.

Each year, the Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum recognizes a music industry leader who continues the legacy of trailblazer Louise Scruggs, a formidable businesswoman who set new professional standards in artist management.

Alison Brown began playing banjo as a teenager in Southern California, eventually receiving an offer from Alison Krauss to play in her band. She is the first woman to win the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Banjo Player of the Year award, in 1991, and was inducted into the American Banjo Hall of Fame in 2019. Brown co-founded the internationally recognized label Compass Records with her husband, Garry West, in 1995.

Watch Interviews with Past Honorees

Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum Include:

  • Sally Williams (2024)
  • Lorianne Crook (2023)
  • Kay West (2022)
  • Bev Paul (2020)
  • Bebe Evans and Marcie Allen Van Mol (2019)
  • Cindy Mabe (2018)
  • Traci Thomas (2017)
  • Dixie Hall (2015)
  • Jo Walker-Meador (2014)
  • Kay Clary (2013)
  • Nancy Shapiro (2012)
  • Sarah Trahern (2011)
  • Bonnie Garner (2010)
  • Mary Martin (2009)
  • Liz Theils (2008)
  • Denise Stiff (2007)