Echoing what Art said - Mike and the New Lost City Ramblers were a critical force in preserving much of the traditional "Old Time" Appalachian music and maintaining the public's interest in it. While many of us caught the folk bug in the late 50's, a good many (not all) of us moved substantially into singer/songwriter material in the 60's (and later to folk rock, soft pop, country, bluegrass, newgrass etc) and those guys didn't. They just kept doing what they did for half a century until people like me, who had almost forgotten about them, came back to them, found them still there as good as ever, and came to appreciate what a debt we owed them.   Others certainly helped, including my own local hero John Hartford, but Mike and the other Ramblers were there from the get go, stayed for the duration, and never lost their way.   I never saw them perform but I listen to their music constantly. Thanks for doing it, Mike for all of us.