The+stanley+brothers

The Stanley Brothers - The Complete Columbia Stanley Brothers (1996) {Columbia CK 53798 rec 1949-1952}
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© 1949-52, 1996 Columbia / Legacy / Sony Music | CK 53798
Bluegrass / Country / Traditional Bluegrass

While both Carter and Ralph Stanley are musical treasures of the first rank, I have to confess that Ralph Stanley is my favorite bluegrass performer, and one of my favorite singers of any musical genre. Both brothers possessed prodigious musical gifts (anyone doubting Ralph's genius need only listen to his stunning a capella rendition of "O Death" on the O BROTHER WHERE ARE THOU? soundtrack to bring about a revision of their opinion), so it is almost impossible to imagine a greater bluegrass singing voice than these brothers.

The Stanley Brothers - The King Years 1961-1965 (2003) {4CD Collector's Box Set, King Records KG-0950-2}
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© 1961-65, 2003 King Records | KG-0950-2
Bluegrass / Country / Traditional Bluegrass

Virginians Ralph and Carter Stanley, the Stanley Brothers, took the traditional Appalachian string band songs of their home and updated them into a traditionally rooted modern bluegrass sound that was singular for its authentic tone, no-frills simplicity, and at times haunting and astonishing beauty, the very model of the high lonesome sound. This expansive four-disc, 111-track box covers the later part of the middle period of their recording career, collecting virtually every side the brothers recorded for the King record label between 1961 and 1965. That's a whole lot of Stanley Brothers, but the musical quality, integrity, and execution of this storied duo never waver here, and indeed, they never really did waver one bit any time the two of them stepped in front of the microphones.

The Stanley Brothers - The Early Starday-King Years 1958-1961 (2003) {4CD Collector's Box Set Gusto Records KBSCD-7000}
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© 1958-61, 2003 Gusto Records | KBSCD-7000
Bluegrass / Country / Traditional Bluegrass

The Early Starday-King Years: 1958-1961 is a 109-track, four-disc box set that compiles every track the Stanley Brothers cut for Starday and King during that era. At the time, the group were releasing albums both on Starday and King, so there was an immense amount of confusion between the releases; the box set helps clarify the matters, by gathering all of the music together and presenting it in chronological order. This way, it's possible to hear their progression, as well as the differences between the recordings for the two labels; on the King recordings, the Stanley Brothers tended to be more experimental, working in electric instrumentation. Though there is plenty of fine music on the set, The Early Starday-King Years is, overall, too thorough and extensive for anyone but bluegrass historians.

The Stanley Brothers - Ralph & Carter: The Later King Years (1958-1965) {Ace Records CDCHD 1167 rel 2007}
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© 1958-65, 2007 King Records / Ace Records | CDCHD 1167
Bluegrass / Country / Traditional Bluegrass / Bluegrass Gospel

During the final part of their career, the Stanley Brothers did most of their recording for the King label, laying down almost 200 sides for the company between 1958 and 1965. All of those tracks are available in box set form should you want them, but the ordinary fan will be satisfied with more selective samplers such as this one, which has a couple dozen cuts originally released in 1961-1966. The Stanley Brothers were a consistent enough act that the songs picked for best-of comps are pretty much up to the taste of the compiler, but this does a fine job both in the quality and the variety of the material presented. In addition to plenty of originals, there are also interpretations of songs by A.P. Carter, Alton Delmore, and traditional items.

The Stanley Brothers - Riding That Midnight Train: The Starday & King Years 1958-1961 (1999) {WestSide WESA 820}
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© 1958-61, 1999 Gusto Records / WestSide | WESA 820
Bluegrass / Country / Traditional Bluegrass

West Side's Ridin' That Midnight Train: Starday King Recordings 1958-1961 whittles down these legendary Stanley Brothers recordings into a manageable portion of bluegrass home fries (King's 109-track Early Starday-King Years 1958-1961 is not for the Stanley novice). Though the scene had changed much since the Stanley Brothers' '40s and early-'50s heydays, they managed to lay down some of the best work of their careers during this period, making this an excellent choice for longtime fans or those looking to build a respectable bluegrass collection.

The Stanley Brothers - An Evening Long Ago (1956) {Columbia Legacy CK 86747 rel 2004}
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© 1956, 2004 Columbia / Legacy / Sony Music | CK 86747
Bluegrass / Country / Traditional Bluegrass / Bluegrass-Gospel / Traditional Country

Larry Ehrlich was at end of a long day in a studio in Bristol, VA. Carter and Ralph Stanley as well as Ralph Mayo and Curley Lambert entered the studio in front of one microphone, and Ehrlich, after seeing them play hog callings, a couple of radio shows, and a barn dance, asked the band to sing some of the traditional songs they had been recording for the past 16 years. The results, completely unearthed until now, are no less than stunning. This is the Stanleys as listeners have never heard them: laid-back, relaxed, and full of recollection and goodwill, singing and playing songs as familiar to them as their upbringing.

The Stanley Brothers - Earliest Recordings: The Complete Rich-R-Tone 78s (1947-1952) {Revenant 203 rel 1997}
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© 1947-52, 1997 Rich-R-Tone Records / Revenant | 203
Bluegrass / Country / Traditional Bluegrass

For a truly haunted high-lonesome sound, the duo of Ralph and Carter Stanley stands alone in bluegrass. This collection features their earliest recordings, beginning in 1947 for the Rich-R-Tone label, and presents the duo at their rawest and most unbridled. Of all the recordings that bluegrass trailblazers the Stanley Brothers made in their 20 years together, their early Rich-R-Tone cuts are some of the hardest to find-and most exciting. These are essential for any bluegrass collector: Little Maggie; The Jealous Lover; Our Darling's Gone; Death Is Only a Dream; Little Birdie; The Rambler's Blues; The Girl Behind the Bar , and more!

The Stanley Brothers & The Clinch Mountain Boys 1953-1958 & 1959 (1993) {2CD Set, Bear Family BCD 15681}
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© 1953-59, 1993 Bear Family Records | BCD 15681 BH
Bluegrass / Country / Traditional Bluegrass

The Stanley Brothers & the Clinch Mountain Boys, 1953-1958 & 1959 is a double-disc containing everything the group recorded during the latter half of the '50s for Mercury, Starday, and King Records. These recordings are generally considered to be among their best work and this set is the only one to make complete sense of the recordings. All of the group's best moments, plus many forgotten but equally fine gems, are included on the collection, making it a comprehensive retrospective. Nevetheless, it also functions as a good, if rather lengthy, introduction to the Stanley Brothers, since it showcases the richness and depth in their music. In short, it's an essential addition to any serious bluegrass collection.

The Stanley Brothers & The Clinch Mountain Boys 1949-1952 (1991) {Bear Family BCD 15564}
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© 1949-52, 1991 Bear Family Records | BCD 15564
Bluegrass / Country / Traditional Bluegrass

This is it, the absolute perfect starting point for neophyte fans who want to discover the Stanley Brothers. The years between 1949 and 1952, when the Virginia brothers were signed to Columbia Records, are largely considered their most fruitful period. Certainly this lineup of their backing band, the Clinch Mountain Boys, was the strongest; besides Carter Stanley's assured leads and Ralph Stanley's heartbreaking tenor, these recordings introduced mandolin player Darrell "Pee Wee" Lambert and his one-of-a-kind high-baritone harmonies, the secret ingredient that made the Stanley Brothers' recordings from this era sound like nothing that had come before in bluegrass.

Various Artists - Bluegrass Bonanza (2001) {4CD Set, Proper Records PROPERBOX29 rec 1920'-1950'}
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© 1920'-50', 2001 Proper Records | PROPERBOX29
Country / Folk / Bluegrass / Hillbilly / North American Traditions / Old-Timey

The 109 cuts in this box set document the evolution of bluegrass from its roots in early 20th-Century mountain string bands. Before the set ends in 1950, Bill Monroe, followed shortly thereafter by the Stanley Brothers and Flatt & Scruggs, has formalized a genre – it had yet to be called "bluegrass" – from which formula, more than half a century later, performers within the genre depart at their peril. The songs (and occasional instrumentals) are well chosen, and the sound quality is cleaner and sharper than one would expect from vintage recordings, some going back to the late 1920s.