From the time of my boyhood I have been exposed to the genre of music which locally is termed mountain music. The music partly comes from England, Ireland and Scotland and is entwined with religious music, country music among others. In my community Zirconia, North Carolina and surrounding communities, I was blessed to sit in parlors, front porches and at area churches and enjoy listening to folks who were playing guitars, banjos, fiddles, mandolins, autoharps, harmonicas and many times a doghouse bass.The music was down to earth. Simple melodies some that had a minor refrain telling stories of a tragic love, songs about a mothers love and songs about Jesus. The simple issues of life we all face set to lyrics with melody. With this environment I soon developed a love for the music and an interest in playing the guitar. At my work some of my co-workers were learning to play banjo and I joined them watching PBS recorded lessons. Soon I had mastered Cripple Creek and a few other standard tunes. I would visit family and friends where jam would be held and I realized then how important this activity was to them. I married a gal who had musical roots in shape note singing and in time I also learned this style of music. Next I was given an old fiddle by an Aunt which needed repairs. Through a string of circumstances I met Jack Branch from Bristol, Virginia, a well known luthier who fixed my fiddle. In a subsequent visit to his home in Bristol, I was able to see his shop and many of the fiddles he had built. I would ultimately purchase one and having invested that much money ($1500) I decided i must learn to play fiddle. Since that time, my son who plays mandolin and guitar we began our own little band. The heritage continues and we currently play for three health care facilities near our home and at a restaurant once a month sharing our music with over the road truckers and others who stop in at the dinner hour.