tandrink,

Tough one. I think that it may not be so much as when did they peak, but when were we first floored by them.

Earl, who along with Bill Monroe & Lester Flatt created a brand new Musical genre that made people stand up and take notice. The Stanleys more than anyone of their generation perfected Bluegrass harmonies. Again, it was new and exciting.

To get off topic a bit, I think that Hendrix's later studio stuff was much better than his first album, but we remember Foxey Lady and Hey Joe more than some of the later stuff, only because it forever changed the way that everyone, Jimi included, played.

Gene Krupa was electrifying with Goodman. Again he was a great drummer for the rest of his life, but it must have been something to have heard him drive Goodman's Orchestra in the 30's.