Daddy used to drive us crazy when he played the Stanley Brothers - back in the 50's - even when very young we had internalized the message that being an Appalachian hillbilly was a shameful thing.

So glad Daddy refused to turn the radio down.

He insisted, throughout his career in music, on the beauty of the Appalachian voice, best represented and preserved among the assorted and often quarrelsome Baptist congregations of the south central Appalachian region, and the context in which he first came to music. Vocally he never wavered or changed.

His influence on American music is well documented and well lauded, before and after Carter's death. He mentored many other musicians. His banjo playing has been very influential. But for me, his greatest instrument was his remarkable voice. Whether singing lead or harmony, his voice was a force of nature.