It is used as background music in the 1967 motion picture Bonnie and Clyde, especially in the car chase scenes, and has been used in a similar manner in many other films and television programs, particularly when depicting a pursuit scene in a rural setting.[2] In 1968, both the 1949 Mercury Records version and a newly recorded Columbia Records version were listed at one position of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at no. 55.
In 1969, at the 11th Annual Grammy Awards, "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" earned Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs a Grammy for Best Country Performance, Duo Or Group – Vocal Or Instrumental.[3] In 1999, the 1950 recording of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" on Mercury Records credited to Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[4]
Because of its ubiquity and its status as a favorite tune at bluegrass jams and concerts, guitar and mandolin players commonly learn solo breaks to this song that closely mirror the original banjo version. The instrumental is related to Bill Monroe's "Bluegrass Breakdown", which Scruggs helped write. It[clarification needed] featured the same opening double hammer-on, but "Bluegrass Breakdown" goes to an F major chord whereas Foggy Mountain Breakdown goes to the G major chord's relative minor, an E minor chord.
The Cuban Boys engineered an electronica-inspired version of the song for their early EP Blueprint for Modernisation (appearing again in their Art Vs. Commerce – The Singles Collection).
