Now for the first time, country music authority Wolfe gathers together his profiles of 50 legends of country music, from Bill Monroe and Lefty Frizzell to Kitty Wells and DeFord Bailey. Includes interesting anecdotes, quotations, and little-known facts behind the songs. 47 photos.

Acknowledgments Introduction Part 1 From the Hall of Fame 1a. The Carter Family 1b. The Carter Family on Border Radio 2a. Roy Acuff I 2b. Roy Acuff II 3. Lefty Frizzell 4. grandpa Jones 5. Pee Wee king 6. Bill MOnroe 7. Hank Snow 8. Kitty Wells Part 2 From the Victrola 9. Fiddlin' John Carson 10. Vernon Dalhart 11. Riley Dalhart 12. Charlie Poole 13. The Georgie Yellow Hammers 14. Darby and Tarlton Part 3 From the Airwaves 15. Lew Childre 16. The Blue Sky Boys 17. Brown's Ferry Four 18. Cousin Emmy 19. The Monroe Brothers 20. Wayne Raney 21. Karl and Harty 22. Bradley Kincaid Part 4 From the Shadows: Unsung Heroes 23. Tommy Magness 24. Arthur Q. Smith 25. Zeke and Zeb turner 26. Johnny Barfield 27. The Rouse Brothers 28. Seven Foot Dilly 29. The Jordanaires 30. DeFord Bailey 31. Emmett Miller 32. Tommy Jackson 33. Jimmie Riddle .Part 5 From the Stage: Classic COuntry 34. Curly FoX and tTxas Ruby 35. The Delmore Brothers 36. Don Gibson 37. The Louvin Brothers 38,. The Statler Brothers 39. Martha Carson 40. The Carlisles 41. Albert E. Brumley 42. Stringbean Part 6 From the West 43. Girls of the Golden West 44. Billio Maxwell 45. Red River Dave 46. Skeet McDonald .Part 7 New Fogies 47. Hazel and Alice 48. Doc Watson 49. Roy Harper 50. The Freight Hoppers index