Search - Daryl Mosley & Tim Graves :: Remembering the Beacon Brothers

Crisp, clean country sound on distinctive material

J. Ross | Roseburg, OR USA | 08/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the fifties, The Beacon Brothers (dobro player Rufus Beacon and his harmony singing brother Felix) nearly made it to the big time, but luck didn't run their way. They mainly played honky tonks, theaters, fairs and country music shows within the state of Texas. The advent of rock `n roll led to their ultimate demise. Their album, finished in 1956, remains unreleased, and the original Beacons were never heard from again after 1960. Today, bassist Daryl Mosley and dobro-player Tim Graves, along with producer Sonny Osborne's assistance, decided to recreate the original brothers' sound. They do it with the exceptional fiddling of Glen Duncan, the solid mandolin rhythm chop of Bobby Osborne, and the guitar of Charlie Cushman.



Graves and Mosley have many years of professional experience in bluegrass music. Daryl Mosley is a former member of The New Tradition, a Nashville band known for its contemporary bluegrass gospel music. Graves spent about a decade (1984-1995) with Wilma Lee Cooper's Clinch Mountain Clan, and he has fronted his own band, Cherokee, since 1993. His uncle is "Uncle Josh" Graves. Both musicians are currently members of the Osborne Brothers band.



Many of us nostalgically remember the days when true country music was acoustic and was largely built around brothers singing beautiful duets. With current recording technology, new "Brother Acts" have never sounded better. Mosley and Graves, these New Beacon Brothers, are excellent vocal compatriots who sing with little restraint, revealing their passion for emotion-filled delivery on splendid moderate-tempo selections.



Besides the traditional "Knoxville Girl," these smooth-voiced country singers cover songs from a variety of well-known and lesser-known country songwriters. I especially enjoyed "Blue Side of Lonesome" from Leon Payne, the blind multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter who worked with various Texas bands including Jack Rhodes Rhythm Boys, Bob Wills, and his own Lone Star Buddies. Another favorite hit is Mel Tillis' and Webb Pierce's 1958 charting "Tupelo County Jail." An excellent choice is "Somebody's Back in Town," originally sung by the Wilburn Brothers (Doyle and Teddy) who joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1941. An interesting song is "She's Not You," attributed in part to Doc Pomus, the blues singer who co-wrote this piece (with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller) for Elvis Presley.



The rest of the repertoire is drawn from songwriters such as Tim Mensey, Cliff Waldron, Mickey Newbury, James Coats, Redd Stewart, and Bob Hicks. The album's closer is a Daryl Mosley original, the swingy "Friend Like Me," about a couple country boys having fun together and burning up a Saturday with their "self-indulgent bliss." Graves and Mosley mainly chose poignant heart-tuggers for their set. While the vocals are always prominently featured, the other "star" on this project is Glen Duncan's immaculately performed fiddling.



Definitely an album with a concept, Tim and Daryl show their inherent love for classic country while paying tribute to a great brother duet of the fifties. Recorded at Hilltop Studios in Nashville, these boys give us a crisp, clean country sound on distinctive material reminiscent of the good ol' days. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

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