Thanks to everyone for sharing your wisdom. I knew of Gid Tanner, John Hartford, New Lost City Ramblers, and Charlie Poole but everything else is new to my ears and I'm so looking forward to checking it out!

I have a great box set called "Goodbye, Babylon" which has lots of old wonderful recordings and some Smithsonian Records recordings of older stuff but am so glad to get names of groups of musicians still making this kind of music today.

Thomas, I'm not sure how closely related to Bill and Earl I am. They're from Hickory, NC as I understand it and my family is from just up the mountain, near Blowing Rock, NC. I sure do love all those close-harmony groups. When my sister and I sing together there is a particularly beautiful quality to the tone.