My beautiful daughters range in the ages of 26-31. They like most young people listen to modern music, rap and pretty much everything else. I sent them my version of "blue mountain" Katie wrote me and said "I love it daddy, but I still like the way Art Thieme does it better" LOL.   They listen to their music but on their Ipod lives, Art, and Frank, Jerry, and Kendall, and the list goes on and on. Because they grew up with the music and love it. You see you guys , this was your work, but more than that you left a legacy. One that will live on for generations. Ron Bankley told me once that you can never underestimate the power that music has on a person's life. All of you guys get a little embarrassed when we praise you too much, but you cannot know how many people you reached. In High School I was a rocker, that was the "cool" music. I grew up with country but rock was the thing. Then I heard a song that a neighbor was playing on his record player that was sung by a guy named "Frank Hamilton". Afterwords, I started listening to folk that was my music. You see you guys influenced me, you influenced my kids, when my grandson is born he will know the music and the generations go on. Jerry nailed it with his "handful of songs" that is what you Art and the other masters left us for our kids, grand kids and so on.

Your work was far more than work, you influenced new songwriters, taught new people the old songs, taught other musicians how to play them, showed us the correct way to pick or flail a banjo, how to phrase the old songs. This is what you and others have done. It left behind a legacy that others will follow for generations.

Thank you

Dan