Carl Story
b. 29 May 1916, Lenoir, Caldwell County, North Carolina, USA, d. 30 March 1995. Story followed his musical father by playing the fiddle and he was fronting his own band when only 19 years old. He played fiddle with Bill Monroe in 1942-43, but was then enlisted for the War. After demobilisation, he turned to guitar and reformed his own band, the Rambling Mountaineers, becoming popular on several radio stations. His records for Mercury were a mixture of mainstream country and bluegrass, and his many excellent musicians include Clarence ‘Tater’ Tate (fiddle), Bobby Thompson (banjo) and the brothers Bud and Willie Brewster (mandolin and banjo, respectively). Story's own bass-baritone was not the most natural voice for bluegrass music but he developed a countertenor which was ideally suited to the music. He co-wrote I Overlooked An Orchid, later a country hit for Mickey Gilley, as well as many gospel songs — Lights At The River, My Lord Keeps A Record and Are You Afraid To Die?. Many of Story's early recordings have been reissued by the German Cattle label.