The Stanley Brothers were an American
bluegrass duo of singer-songwriters and musicians, made up of brothers
Carter Stanley (August 27, 1925 – December 1, 1966) and
Ralph Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016).
Ralph and Carter performed as The Stanley Brothers with their band, The Clinch Mountain Boys, from 1946 to 1966. Ralph kept the band name when he continued as a solo artist after Carter's death, from 1967 until his own death in 2016.
Early lives
Carter and Ralph Stanley were born on a small farm in
Dickenson County
Dickenson County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,124. Its county seat is Clintwood.
History
Dickenson County, formed in 1880 from parts of Buchanan County, Russell County, ...
,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...
, near
McClure. Music was a part of their lives even in their early years, and they listened to the likes of the
Monroe Brothers,
J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers and the
Grand Ole Opry
The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divi ...
on local radio.
Careers
The brothers formed a band, the Lazy Ramblers, and performed as a duo on
WJHL
WJHL-TV (channel 11) is a television station licensed to Johnson City, Tennessee, United States, serving the Tri-Cities area as an affiliate of CBS and ABC. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group, and maintains studios on East Main Street ...
radio in
Johnson City,
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...
.
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
interrupted their musical career, but once both brothers returned from the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
, they resumed their musical pursuits. They formed their band, the Stanley Brothers and the
Clinch Mountain Boys, in the month of November 1946 as the first band to copy the
Monroe sound.
[Malone, McCulloh 1975, p. 426.] Carter played guitar and sang lead, while Ralph played
banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
and sang with a strong, high
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors i ...
voice. Additional members of this early band were
Darrell "Pee Wee" Lambert on
mandolin
A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...
and Bobby Sumner on
fiddle. Sumner was soon to be replaced by
Leslie Keith
Leslie Keith (March 30, 1906 – December 28, 1977) was an American bluegrass musician. Born in Pulaski County in Virginia, he was known as a formidable fiddler who won many contests, Keith once played with Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountai ...
.
[Rosenberg 2005, p. 80.]
On December 26, 1946, the band began performing at radio station
WCYB
WCYB-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Bristol, Virginia, United States, serving the Tri-Cities area as an affiliate of NBC and The CW. It is one of two commercial television stations in the market that are licensed in Virgin ...
in
Bristol, Tennessee as stalwarts of the famed ''Farm and Fun Time'' radio show.
[Wright 1995, p. 3.] 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.
[Rosenberg 2005, p. 82.] Up to now, Ralph had been playing his banjo with two fingers on recordings and in concerts, but in 1948, he switched to the three-finger style (popularised by
Earl Scruggs).
[Rosenberg 2005, p. 84.] In March 1949, the Stanley Brothers began recording for
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
.
[Rosenberg 2005, p. 87.] During this time,
Bill Monroe
William Smith "Bill" Monroe (; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass".
The genre take ...
was not particularly fond of groups like the Stanley Brothers and
Flatt & Scruggs who he believed "stole" his music by copying it; they were seen as "economic threats."
[Rosenberg 2005, p. 88.][Rosenberg 2005, p. 85.]
Financially hard times in the early 1950s forced the brothers to take a short break in their musical career. They began working for the
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobiles ...
in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
. 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.
[Wright 1995, p. 4.] Following his recovery, Carter and 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
Live oak or evergreen oak is any of a number of oaks in several different sections of the genus ''Quercus'' that share the characteristic of evergreen foliage. These oaks are not more closely related to each other than they are to other oaks. ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...
, and headlined the weekly ''Suwannee River Jamboree'' radio show on
WNER
WNER (1410 AM broadcasting, AM) is a sports radio station in Watertown (city), New York, Watertown, New York, United States. The station is owned by Stephens Media Group (broadcasting), Stephens Media Group. It broadcasts the national programming ...
from 1958 to 1962. The three-hour show was also syndicated across the Southeast. In 1966, the brothers toured
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
, and upon returning home they continued to perform together until Carter's death in December 1966.
[Wright 1995, p. 5.]
Many years later, Ralph revived the Clinch Mountain Boys. He performed with them through 2013. He recorded one last album in 2014, ''Side By Side'', with his son, Ralph II. Among the musicians who have played in the revived Clinch Mountain Boys were
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 very successful soundtrack recording of the 2000 feature film, ''
O Brother, Where Art Thou?'', which featured the song "
Man of Constant Sorrow" among others.
Legacy
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, ''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
*
Carter Stanley (
lead vocalist,
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...
)
*
Ralph Stanley (
banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
)
*
George Shuffler (
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...
,
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
)
*Darrell "Pee Wee" Lambert (
mandolin
A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...
)
*Jim Williams (
mandolin
A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...
)
*Curly Lambert (
mandolin
A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...
,
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...
)
*
James Price (
fiddle)
*Robert "Bobby" Sumner (
fiddle)
*Lester Woodie (
fiddle) (died 2018)
*Ralph Mayo (
fiddle,
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...
)
*Chubby Anthony (
fiddle)
*Art Stamper (
fiddle)
*Joe Meadows (
fiddle)
*Paul Moon Mullins (
fiddle)
*Red Stanley (
fiddle)
*Don Miller (
fiddle)
*Vernon Derrick (
fiddle,
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...
)
*
Curly Ray Cline (
fiddle)
*James "Jay" Hughes (
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
)
*Ernie Newton (
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
)
*
James "Chick" Stripling (
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
)
*
Mike Seeger (
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
)
*
Charlie Cline Charles Cline (born June 6, 1931 Baisden, the Gilbert Creek region of West Virginia - died November 19, 2004), was an American bluegrass fiddler and multi-instrumentalist, known for being the sideman of several legendary bluegrass groups from the 1 ...
(
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...
)
*Bill Napier (
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...
,
mandolin
A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...
)
*Albert Elliott
Mandolin, Upright Bass, and Baritone etter known as
ouser Murphystage name.
*
Larry Sparks (
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...
)
*James Alan Shelton (guitar)
*Jack Cooke (
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
)
*John Shuffler (
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
)
*
Melvin Goins
Melvin is a masculine given name and surname, likely a variant of Melville and a descendant of the French surname de Maleuin and the later Melwin. It may alternatively be spelled as Melvyn or, in Welsh, Melfyn and the name Melivinia or Melva may ...
(
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
,
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...
)
*Johnny Bonds (
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
)
*Bill Slaughter (
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
)
Discography
78 RPM
Albums (US)
Video
Charted singles
Footnotes
References
* Johnson, David W. (2013) ''Lonesome Melodies: The Lives and Music of the Stanley Brothers'', University Press of Mississippi
* Malone, Bill C. (1975)
Judith McCulloh, ''Stars of Country Music'', University of Illinois Press
* Rosenberg, Neil V. (2005) ''Bluegrass: A History'', University of Illinois Press
* Wright, John (1995) ''Traveling the High Way Home'', University of Illinois Press
* Reid, Gary B. (2015) "The Music of the Stanley Brothers'', University of Illinois Press
External links
Stanley Brothers' biographyRecording of "We Are Going to Paint the Town" from a 1958 Florida radio show
(made available for public use by the State Archives of Florida
The State Library and Archives of Florida is the central repository for the archives of state government for the state of Florida. It is located at the R.A. Gray Building on 500 South Bronough Street in Tallahassee, Florida, Florida's capital.
...
)
Podcast (mp3) of one of the Stanley Brothers' ''Suwannee River Jamboree'' radio show
from 1958 (made available for public use by the State Archives of Florida)
Ralph Stanley Museum & Traditional Mountain Music Center
official website of the Ralph Stanley Museum
The Ralph Stanley Museum is a monument to Ralph Edmond Stanley, an American bluegrass musician known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing.
History and description
The museum opened in October 2004, in Clintwood, Virginia (close to McC ...
''Man of Constant Sorrow''
at Barter Theatre
Production photos from ''Man of Constant Sorrow''
at buddywoodward.net
at hankwilliamslistings.com
*
*
Lonesome Melodies: The Lives and Music of the Stanley Brothers (2013)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanley Brothers
American bluegrass music groups
King Records artists
Starday Records artists
Virginia culture
Mercury Records artists
Columbia Records artists
Country musicians from Virginia
Musical groups from Appalachia
People from Dickenson County, Virginia
Musical groups from Virginia