This is an area of confusion for me; she demonstrates the scratch of hers on recordings before she ever met Essley. It is known for a fact, however, that she learned the country blues picking style from Essley and adapted it to suit her own playing style. So far as Essley goes, I've read that he and A.P. caused more than a few heads to turn in Bristol because of their closeness. A.P. was so focused on preserving music that he seems to have forgotten what the norms of a city like Bristol were. Contrary to popular belief, more rural areas in the South, particularly mountain communities, we're significantly less segregationists and prejudicial than towns and cities, where economic competition lead to a scarcity mindset. Anyway, his comroderie with Essley allowed A.P. access to black singers, and there's a definite influence on a few of the early Carter Family recordings. I'd be really interested to know if Essley met up with Maybelle or Sara in later years, and if he kept up contact with A.P.