[1] Shumate's main influences were Fiddlin' Arthur Smith, Curly Fox, and his uncle who played the fiddle while he was growing up.
At age 20, Shumate became the fiddler for the Blue Grass Boys, and he sang bass on gospel songs.
He came back to play fiddle for the Blue Grass Boys and Jim Shumate left to work in the furniture business in North Carolina.
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs started their own band, The Foggy Mountain Boys, with Cedric Rainwater and Jim Eanes.
[2] He performed as a solo artist, composed sacred songs, and also played with his band, Sons of the Carolinas.