This artist's name is bound to come up in a variety of contexts, from western swing to the history of the electric guitar. Paul Howard, a vintage country performer associated with the glory days of the Grand Ole Opry, has claimed to be the first picker to aim an amplified guitar at the Opry audience, an event that apparently went down quite smoothly compared to similar electric transformations such as Bob Dylan's infamous Newport Folk Festival concert. Yet the early use of the electric guitar in country was hardly as radical as the introduction of folk rock. Howard additionally was among the first to present two and three-part fiddle harmonies, a vital part of the western swing aesthetic, on the Opry stage.