Lester Raymond Flatt, born on June 19, 1914, in Duncan's Chapel, Overton County, Tennessee, was a prominent American bluegrass and country music guitarist and singer. He began his musical career in the late 1930s, performing with his wife, Gladys. In 1945, Flatt joined Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, where he met banjoist Earl Scruggs. In 1948, Flatt and Scruggs left Monroe's band to form the Foggy Mountain Boys, becoming one of the most successful bluegrass bands of their time. They were known for their syndicated radio and TV shows and hit records, including "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" and "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," the latter gaining further fame from the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde.

Flatt and Scruggs parted ways in 1969, after which Flatt formed the Nashville Grass, continuing to perform until his death on May 11, 1979, in Nashville, Tennessee. His contributions to bluegrass music were recognized with a Grammy Award in 1968, and he was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1985 and the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 1991. Flatt's legacy is celebrated in his hometown of Sparta, Tennessee, through the annual Liberty Square Celebration.