My brother Warren likes to say, "There are showmen and there are musicians. The best thing to be is both, but if you had to choose, it's better to be a showman." By that he means it's better to be able to put on a performance that the audience eats up, even if your musical skills are only adequate, than to be technically very accomplished but not terribly interesting, The latter, Warren claims, "are a dime a dozen."

In the hallowed category of being both a showman and a musician, Warren puts both the late John Hartford and the late Steve Goodman. I agree. In the other two categories, Warren says there are simply too many names to mention any. But I will risk proposing a few that I have actually seen and heard in person. Don't all jump on me at once!

Showmen:
The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem
Jesse Fuller
Johnny Cash

Musicians: The Earl Scruggs Revue