The Stanley Brothers

The Stanley Brothers were an American bluegrass duo made up of brothers Carter and Ralph Stanley.

Biography

Carter and Ralph Stanley were born in the Clinch Mountains of Dickenson County, Virginia. They were raised on a small farm near McClure, Virginia in that same county. Music was a part of their lives from early on, as they were able to listen to the likes of the Monroe Brothers, J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers and the Grand Ole Opry on local radio. The brothers soon formed a band, the Lazy Ramblers, and performed as a duo on WJHL radio in Johnson City, Tennessee. World War II interrupted any thoughts of a musical career, and it was not until both brothers returned from the service that they were able to make their own mark in music.

They formed their band, the Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys, in 1946 as the first band to copy the Monroe sound. Carter played guitar and sang lead while Ralph played banjo and sang with a strong, high tenor voice. Additional members of this early band were Darrell "Pee Wee" Lambert on mandolin and Bobby Sumner on fiddle. Sumner was soon to be replaced by Leslie Keith. On December 26, 1946, the band began performing at radio station WCYB in Bristol, Tennessee as stalwarts of the famed Farm and Fun Time radio show. They made their recording debut in September 1947 for Rich-R-Tone Records which had been founded the year before. Their records sold well "outselling even Eddy Arnold" regionally. Up to now, Ralph had been playing the banjo with two fingers only on recordings and in concerts but switched in 1948 to the three-finger style popularised by Earl Scruggs. In March 1949, the Stanley Brothers began recording for Columbia Records.

During this time, Bill Monroe was not particularly fond of groups like the Stanley Brothers and Flatt & Scruggs whom he believed "stole" his music by copying it and they were therefore seen as "economic threats." Financially hard times in the early 1950s forced the brothers to take a short break in their musical career and they began working for the Ford Motor Company in Detroit. Eventually, Monroe and the Stanley Brothers became friends and Carter performed for several months with Bill Monroe in the summer of 1951. In August 1951, Ralph was involved in a serious automobile accident that almost ended his career. Following his recovery, Carter & Ralph reunited to front their Clinch Mountain Boys.

As bluegrass music grew less popular in the late 1950s, the Stanley Brothers moved to Live Oak, Florida to headline the weekly Suwannee River Jamboree radio show on WNER from 1958 to 1962. The three-hour show was also syndicated across the Southeast. In 1966, the brothers toured Europe and upon returning home they continued to perform together until Carter's death in December 1966.

The brothers wrote many of their own songs and Carter had a particular knack for writing deceptively simple lyrics that portrayed strong emotion. The Stanley's style can best be described as a traditional "mountain soul" sound that remained close to the Primitive Baptist vocal stylings they learned from their parents and others near their southwestern Virginia home. Ralph has often used the expression "...old-time, mountain style, what they call 'bluegrass' music", to differentiate the Stanleys' sound from mainstream bluegrass. They later added an innovative touch to their traditional sound with the guitar solos of George Shuffler, an early proponent of the crosspicking guitar style.

Later, Ralph revived the Clinch Mountain Boys and is still performing as of 2010. Among the musicians who have played in the revived Clinch Mountain Boys are Ricky Skaggs, Keith Whitley, Larry Sparks, Curly Ray Cline, Jack Cooke, Roy Lee Centers, Charlie Sizemore, Ray Goins, and Ralph Stanley II. Ralph's career received a big boost with his prominent role on the phenomenally successful soundtrack recording of the 2000 film, O Brother, Where Art Thou?. The Stanley Brothers were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 1992. In 2005, The Barter State Theatre of Virginia premiered an original stage production entitled, "Man of Constant Sorrow: The Story of the Stanley Brothers," written by Dr. Douglas Pote. The University Press of Mississippi published the first full-length biography of the Stanley Brothers, Lonesome Melodies: The Lives and Music of the Stanley Brothers by David W. Johnson, on February 1, 2013. The paperback edition was published March 1, 2014.

Selected recordings

Among the Stanley Brothers' best known recordings are:

I'm A Man of Constant Sorrow (Columbia 20816, Rec: Nov. 3, 1950, Released: May, 1951)

Rank Stranger

Angel Band (1955)

How Mountain Girls Can Love

How Far to Little Rock? (novelty)

Still trying to get to Little Rock (novelty)

Ridin' That Midnite Train

Clinch Mountain Backstep

She's More To Be Pitied

The Memory of Your Smile

Love Me Darlin' Just Tonight

Clinch Mountain Boys Members

1946 to 1966:

Carter Stanley (Lead vocalist, guitar)

Ralph Stanley (banjo)

George Shuffler (guitar, bass)

Darrell "Pee Wee" Lambert (mandolin)

Jim Williams (mandolin)

Curly Lambert (mandolin, guitar)

Leslie Keith (fiddle)

Robert "Bobby" Sumner (fiddle)

Lester Woodie (fiddle)

Ralph Mayo (fiddle, guitar)

Chubby Anthony (fiddle)

Art Stamper (fiddle)

Joe Meadows (fiddle)

Paul Moon Mullins (fiddle)

Red Stanley (fiddle)

Don Miller (fiddle)

Vernon Derrick (fiddle, guitar)

Curly Ray Cline (fiddle)

James "Jay" Hughes (bass)

Ernie Newton (bass)

James "Chick" Stripling (bass)

Mike Seeger (bass)

Charlie Cline (guitar)

Bill Napier (guitar, mandolin)

Albert Elliott [ Mandolin, Upright Bass, and Baritone ]better known as [Touser Murphy] stage name.

Larry Sparks (guitar)

Jack Cooke (bass)

John Shuffler (bass)

Melvin Goins (bass, guitar)

Discography

78 RPM

Year	Title	Label	Number

1947	"Mother No Longer Awaits Me at Home" / "The Girl Behind the Bar"	Rich-R-Tone	420

1948	"Little Maggie" / "The Little Glass of Wine"	Rich-R-Tone	423

1948	"The Rambler's Blues" / "Molly and Tenbrooks"	Rich-R-Tone	418

1949	"The Jealous Lover" / "Our Darling's Gone"	Rich-R-Tone	435

1949	"The White Dove" / "Gathering Flowers for the Master's Bouquet"	Columbia	20577

1949	"Little Glass of Wine" / "Let Me Be Your Friend"	Columbia	20590

1949	"The Angels Are Singing (In Heaven Tonight)" / "It's Never Too Late"	Columbia	20617 1949	"A Vision of Mother" / "Have You Someone (In Heaven Awaiting)"	Columbia	20647

1950	"The Old Home" / "The Fields Have Turned Brown"	Columbia	20667

1950	"Death is Only a Dream" / "I Can Tell You the Time"	Rich-R-Tone	466

1950	"I Love No One But You" / "Too Late to Cry"	Columbia	20697

1950	"We'll Be Sweethearts in Heaven" / "The Drunkard's Hell"	Columbia	20735

1950	"Hey! Hey! Hey!" / "Pretty Polly"	Columbia	20770

1951	"The Lonesome River" / "I'm a Man of Constant Sorrow"	Columbia	20816

1952	"Sweetest Love" / "The Wandering Boy"	Columbia	20953

1952	"Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake" / "Are You Waiting Just for Me?" Rich-R-Tone	1055

1952	"Little Glass of Wine" / "Little Birdie"	Rich-R-Tone	1056

1953	"This Weary Heart You Stole Away" / "I'm Lonesome Without You"	Mercury	70217

1953	"Say Won't You Be Mine" / "Our Last Goodbye"	Mercury	70270

1954	"I Long To See The Old Folks" / "A Voice From On High"	Mercury	70340

1954	"Memories Of Mother" / "Could You Love Me One More Time"	Mercury	70400

1954	"Poison Lies" / "Dickson County Breakdown"	Mercury	70437-X45

1954	"Blue Moon of Kentucky" / "I Just Got Wise"	Mercury	70453-X45

1954	"Calling From Heaven" / "Harbor Of Love"	Mercury	70483-X45

1955	"Hard Times" / "I Worship You"	Mercury	70546-X45

1955	"So Blue" / "You'd Better Get Right"	Mercury	70612-X45

1955	"Lonesome And Blue" / "Orange Blossom Special"	Mercury	70663-X45

1955	"I Hear My Savior Calling" / "Just A Little Talk With Jesus"	Mercury	70718-X45

1956	"Nobody's Love Is Like Mine"/ "Big Tilda"	Mercury	70789-X45

1956	"Baby Girl" / "Say You'll Take Me Back"	Mercury	70886-X45

1957	"I'm Lost, I'll Never Find The Way" / "The Flood"	Mercury	71064-X45

1957	"Fling Ding" / "Loving You Too Well"	Mercury	71207-X45

1958	"She's More To Be Pitied" / "Train 45"	King	5155

1958	"Midnight Ramble" / "Love Me Darling Just Tonight"	King	5165

1959	"Keep a Memory" / "Mastertone March"	King	5180

1959	"How Can We Thank Him" / "That Home Far Away"	King	5197

1959	"The Memory of Your Smile" / "Suwanee River Hoedown"	King	5210

1959	"The White Dove" / "Mother's Footsteps Guide Me On"	King	5233

Albums (US)

Year	Title	Label	Number	Notes

1958	Country Pickin' and Singin'	Mercury	MG-20349

1959	Stanley Brothers & The Clinch Mountain Boys	King	615

1959	Hymns and Sacred Songs	King	645

1959	Mountain Song Favorites Featuring 5 String Banjo	Starday	SLP 106	reissued 1964 as Nashville NLP-2014

1960	Sacred Songs From the Hills	Starday	SLP-122

1960	The Stanley Brothers Sing Everybody's Country Favorites	King	690

1960	For the Good People - Sacred Songs	King	698

1961	The Stanley's In Person	King	719	Stereo

1961	Stanley Brothers Live At Antioch College - 1960	Vintage	ZK 002	limited edition of 500

1961	Sing The Songs They Like Best	King	772

1961	The Stanley Brothers	Harmony	HL-7291	recorded in 1949

1961	Old Country Church	Gusto	0084

1962	Award Winners at the Folk Song Festival	King	791	live

1962	Good Old Camp Meeting Songs	King	805

1962	The Mountain Music Sound of the Stanley Brothers	Starday	SLP-201

1962	Old Time Camp Meeting	King	750

1963	Folk Concert from the Heart of America	King	834	reissued as Hollywood HT-248, Just Because

1963	The Country Folk Music Spotlight	King	864

1963	The World's Finest Five String Banjo	King	872	alternate title: Banjo in the Hills

1963	Hard Times	Mercury	MG 20884	SR 60884 stereo

1964	Hymns of the Cross	King	918	with George Shuffler

1965	The Remarkable Stanley Brothers Play and Sing Bluegrass Songs for You	King	924

1965	Songs of Mother and Home	Wango	LP 106	reissued 1973 as County 738

1966	The Stanley Brothers: Their Original Recordings	Melodeon	MLP 7322	1947 Rich-R-Tone sessions, recorded in Bristol, Tennessee

1966	A Collection of Original Gospel & Sacred Songs	King	963	original title: The Greatest Country and Western Show On Earth

1966	Jacob's Vision	Starday	SLP-384

1966	The Stanley Brothers Goes to Europe	Rimrock	RLP 200

1966	The Angels Are Singing	Harmony	HL 7377	HS 11177 stereo

1966	Carter & Ralph	Nashville	NLP-2037

1966	John's Gospel Quartet	Wango	LP 103	reissued 1977 as County 753

1966	John's Country Quartet	Wango	LP 104	reissued 1973 as County 739

1966	John's Gospel Quartet	Wango	LP 105	reissued 1976 as County 754

1966	Bluegrass Gospel Favorites	Cabin Creek	203

1967	Stanley Brothers Sing the Best-Loved Sacred Songs of Carter Stanley	King	1013

1967	An Empty Mansion: In Memory of Carter Stanley	Rimrock	RLP 153	reissued 1978 as Old Homestead 118

1967	A Beautiful Life	Rimrock	RLP 200	reissued 1978 as Old Homestead 119

1967	Gospel Singing As Pure As the Mountain Stream	Rimrock	RLP 200

1969	How Far To Little Rock	King	KLP-1046

1970	Sweeter Than the Flowers	Nashville	NLP-2078	also NA7-2046-2

1970	The Legendary Stanley Brothers, Recorded Live	Rebel	SLP 1487

1970	The Legendary Stanley Brothers, Recorded Live, Vol 2	Rebel	SLP 1495

1971	Together For the Last Time	Lisa Joy	10329	recorded live in 1956 and 1966, reissued 1972 as Rebel SLP 1512

1972	On Radio - Great 1960 Radio Shows	Rebel	1115	recorded in Live Oak, Florida

1976	Stanley Brothers on the Air	Wango	115

1980	Columbia Sessions Vol 1	Rounder	SS-09

1980	Columbia Sessions Vol 2	Rounder	SS-10

1984	On Radio Vol 1	County	780

1984	On Radio Vol 2	County	781

1984	Starday Sessions	County	106/107

1988	The Stanley Brothers on WCYB Bristol Farm & Fun Time	Rebel	855	recorded 1947

1994	Clinch Mountain Bluegrass	Vanguard	77018-2	live, Newport Folk Festival, 1959 and 1964

1997	Earliest Recordings	Rich-R-Tone	6004	recorded 1947-1952

2004	An Evening Long Ago	Columbia Legacy	CK-86747	recorded in Bristol, VA, March 1956

2004	The Last Show of the Stanley Brothers - Brown County Jamboree	Stanleytone		recorded in Bean Blossom, IN, October 16, 1966

Video

Year	Title	Label	Number	Notes

2005	Rainbow Quest: The Stanley Brothers and Doc Watson	Shanachie	605	DVD, season 1, episode 18, 1965

Charted singles

Year	Single	US Country

1960	"How Far to Little Rock"	17