Something of a supergroup in their day, the Carolina Tar Heels counted both Dock Walsh and Clarence "Tom" Ashley among their ranks. Recording as a duo featuring banjoist Walsh and guitarist-harmonica player Gwin Foster for Ralph Peer in the late '20s, they mastered a disparate repertoire of bawdy vaudeville songs, Appalachian folk, Victorian standards, and blues tunes. Walsh soon replaced Gwin with Garley Foster (no relation) and recruited Ashley on guitar. The band's lack of fiddle and rough-and-tumble marriage of rollicking banjo, emotive harmonica, and rural wit distinguished them from contemporary string bands. They split by 1932, but remain an important part of old-time's vernacular--particularly via their prominent inclusion on Harry Smith's ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC.