 Mainer 's first recordings came in 1934 and are compiled on Ragged But Right : 30 's Country Bands . Mainer performed with The Mountaineers on tracks such as Maple on the Hill , Seven and a Half and Johnson 's Old Grey Mule . Also included on the compilation are Mainer 's later collaboration Short Life and It 's Trouble with Zeke Morris , his solo effort Riding on That Train 45 and a sample song Mitchell Blues from his band the Sons of the Mountaineers . Throughout his career , he was noted for his unique and innovative two @-@ finger banjo fingerpicking style , which some view as a precursor to three finger bluegrass banjo styles . Mainer took jobs at local radio stations to increase the visibility of his relative 's ensemble , recording classics such as Take Me in the Lifeboat . During this time , he appeared on many regional stations including WBT in Charlotte , WPTF in Raleigh , WNOX in Knoxville and WPAQ in Mount Airy . 
