I first saw 'em in 1959 at the Gate Of Horn in Chicago--opening the show for Bob Gibson who, then, did trad music only with just a banjo--no guitar yet. And Mountain Music, to me, meant the WLS Barn Dance radio show. The NLCR personally all by themselves CREATED an interest in Old Time Music. Now it's everywhere!! Paley was with them then, but only for those early couple of years. Tracy Mike and John have personified the Ramblers ever since.----Good memories.

The boys were the ones around whom the early years of the University Of Chicago Folk Festival were centered.--- It was an all traditional fest.--- They ran the workshops because they were the only ones, besides some few academic folklorists, who knew what to ask the great still alive masters of the music the collectors had found around the U.S.A.

What a privilege it was to be there for all of that...

Art Thieme