In 1960 only a few bands were making a living at Bluegrass, and for most of them it was a major struggle: country music in general was still reeling from the effects of the rock & roll boom, and other avenues such as the college audiences were just starting to open up to groups like Flatt & Scruggs, Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers. Carter and Ralph had a top flight band at this time and had moved to Live Oak, Florida, where they were fortunate to be sponsored on radio by Jim Walter Homes. This CD is a marvelous sampling of their daily radio shows, with theme songs, Jim Walter commercials and a generous helping of the songs and tunes that made up a part of their repertoire --there are 32 tracks in all, though a few of the instrumentals are pretty short. In addition to Carter & Ralph the group heard here includes Ralph Mayo or Chubby Anthony on fiddle, George Shuffler on bass, and Bill Napier on lead guitar. This is a really nice album that finds the group in fine form, and gives the listener a chance to hear Napier's pioneering guitar work and Carter's relaxed MCing.
