The Bluegrass geneology gets a bit tricky. We can certainly trace the Carter Family approach back to the traditional British isles ballads, but if you believe (as I do) that what "we" call Bluegrass started that day that Earl Scruggs joined Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, Chubby Wise, and Cedric Rainwater on the stage of the "Opry", you have to deal with the origins of 3 finger banjo. That's turn of the century "classical" style, which obviously influenced some country folks in the 20s and led to Snuffy and Hoke Jenkins and eventually Scruggs and Don Reno. I think the lyric content of the music (which had been around for many years was much less important than the instrumental style....and that meant Monroe's keys and tempo, and Earl Scruggs style.

Rick