Gene Wooten was a true musician's musician. I first met Gene in the dorm at Appalachian State University when we were students there back in 1971. He lived in the large dorm building next door to mine. His room was packed with any and every kind of bluegrass instrument you could imagine and looked like a workshop rather than a dorm room. Gene and I became friends and formed a duo together, performing for weekend off-campus square dances, clogging events, and at Beech Mountain. For years my right arm was stronger than my left, from all that rhythm guitar I played backing Gene as he would pick the fire out of any instrument he laid his hands on. Gene recognized my love for the old Carter Family style of picking and literally took me to school on the more challenging types of bluegrass music. Now and then we would pick-up an extra player. There were many locals in the hollers around Boone who could play most anything. I remember when Gene installed his first "Scruggs Key Tuner" on his banjo. We must have played "Earl's Breakdown" a hundred times that day! We used to do these gigs for the Carolina-Caribbean Corporation at Beech Mountain, and I remember one night at a private party in a Chalet about 1972, the only song they wanted to hear was "Dueling Banjos". That was fine with us....better than the usual request which was for "rollin' on the river" (Proud Mary), a great song, but kind of hard for a flat-top and a banjo to pull off! Gene also introduced me to Doc Watson. On Saturday mornings Doc and his wife would go shopping in town, and Rosalie would drop Doc off at the music store. One Saturday, Gene and I were there. Doc came in, sat down on a stool and asked us to grab a guitar off the wall and pick with him. Gene was the first person I knew who headed for Nashville. A year or two later in 1978 I followed, and Gene was already in the Opry spotlight doing what he loved. Gene always did exactly what he loved. It was always about the music to him. Gene passed away in November of 2001.-BH November 2001.