Matthew Prater

While the number of recordings this early Mississippi mandolinist made is relatively small, his influence seems epic. The type of material he recorded in duo with guitarist Napoleon "Nap" Hayes was wide-awake, despite his partner's nickname. It even included some of Scott Joplin's difficult ragtime themes blended with more traditional country styles, and is a crystal-ball image of the versatile and eclectic repertoires that the best mandolinists, such as Sam Bush and Barry Mitterhoff, would practically make a religion out of in the '70s onward. And while the mandolin is most o...