Playing the mix of early country, folk, blues, and string-band music that falls under the “old-timey” umbrella, Sam & Kirk McGhee spent the mid-to-late 1920s working with such greats as Uncle Dave Macon in addition to performing on their own. In the '30s they formed the Dixieliners with Fiddlin' Arthur Smith, but despite their success on the country circuit, they remained relatively unknown until their late-'50s recordings dovetailed with the revival of interest in roots music.