Disillusioned with business at age 50, the author found himself irresistibly drawn to the joy and sense of community that music had first brought to his youth. Inspired by this rediscovered passion, he embarked on a remarkable 12-year odyssey, capturing the stories of artisans, performers, and teachers of traditional music across North America now preserved in this volume. These interviewees who represent the hears and soul of old-time music include instrument builders Bart Reiter, Doc Huff, Pete Ross, Zachary Hoyt, Bill Rickard, and William Seeders Mosheim; old-time performers Rayna Gellert, David Holt, Sparky Rucker, Claire Milliner, Mac Benford, Sheila Kaye Adams, Paul Brown and John McCutcheon; and historians and authors Dwight Diller, Bill Malone, Don Flemons, and Tim Brooks.