The performances were unrehearsed, and it was said that Travis could start and stop anywhere he chose in order to meet the time constraints.

[2][citation needed] Keeping his eye on the clock as he played, Travis drew on his rich repertoire of Muhlenberg County guitar licks, blues, old standards and gospel songs.

These songs were still lying in the vaults when Travis' fame as a guitarist began to reach a wider public in the 1950s.

Rich Kienzle recounts the following anecdote: "Shortly after the album's original release, a fan asked Merle who was performing at a small club to play "Pigmeat Stomp".

In his liner notes to the 1996 reissue on CD, Chet Atkins states: "This collection is just the very best you will ever hear of Merle Travis.