Anybody with any first hand knowledge want to state why J.R. wasn't brought into such circles of the folk revival like his contemporaries such as Doc Watson, Bill Monore, Flatt & Scruggs, Johnny Cash, let alone all the legendary Black Country Blues players etc.? Even post Folk revival era of the last 30 years while acknowledging Merle Travis, Chet Atkins, Willie Nelson . I don't really know about his personal political beliefs ...but was it because people stereotyped him as a redneck. At least some of the people I mentioned above I would speculate had some Conservative leanings, but it didn't stop them from playing at the Newport Folk Festival , or recording with Dylan or the Circle be Unbroken entourage ..... Thoughts? He certainly was diverse, and amazing easily holding his own (at least) on those duets with Chet!