Gilbert Chase in his book "America's Music" states that FIddlin' John Carson was recorded by Ralph Peer, for OKeh Records in Atlanta, June 14,1923. He relates that "Peer 'thought the singing was awful and insisted that only Carson's fiddle tunes be recorded.'... A local record dealer persuaded Peer to let him market 500 copies of the Carson recording in the Atlanta area. Within a few weeks they were all sold....Peer got the message: he brought Carson to New York, signed him up for an exclusive contract, and recorded twelve more songs."

He goes on to Quote Bill Malone from his book "Country Music, U.S.A."

...Essentially two forms of music developed within hillbilly music during the early period, two forms of music that dominated it until the emergence of "western" music during the 1930's. These... can be called "country" and "mountain." .....Mountain music came to be identified as the type that originated in Appalachians. Country music was that type which stressed more individual solo singing, utilized more nontraditional instruments, and was influenced by popular music and Negro blues music....

Nowadays I can hardly tell the difference between c/w and r&r. Who'd a figured...

Frank I.T.S.