Experience their early enthusiasm and delight in their sound
J. Ross | Roseburg, OR USA | 04/26/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Playing Time - 35:02 -- The Stanley Brothers started recording just after going to Bristol, Va. in early 1947. Hobart [Jim] Stanton had a company in Johnson City, Tn., had heard them on the radio and contacted them about recording. Initially, the Stanleys recorded at WOPI radio station in Bristol, Va. The first session was Pee Wee Lambert (mandolin), Leslie Keith (fiddle), Carter (guitar) and Ralph (banjo). "Mother No Longer Awaits Me at Home," "The Girl Behind the Bar," "Death is Only a Dream," and "I Can Tell You the Time" were cut. Ray Lambert added bass vocal on the latter two songs. No bass players recorded with the band at the Rich-R-Tone sessions.
And the band wasn't even paid...only promised royalties. The band was happy just to get records out. An early 1948 session with the same personnel captured Little Maggie, The Jealous Lover, The Little Glass of Wine, and Our Darling's Gone. "Little Glass of Wine" quickly became their most popular song and sold 100,000 copies. Around this time, the band was sponsored by a store in Honaker, Va. called Honaker Harness and Saddlery.
A mid-1948 session saw Art Wooten on fiddle instead of Leslie Keith, and the band recorded The Rambler's Blues and Molly and Tenbrook. The band moved to the Columbia label for a few years but returned to Rich-R-Tone for a mid-1952 session recorded at WLSI at Pikeville, KY. Besides Carter and Ralph, this session included Jim Williams (mandolin) and Art Stamper (fiddle). Leslie Keith had left to form his own band, The Lonesome Valley Boys. The Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake, Little Glass of Wine, Are You Waiting Just For Me, and Little Birdie were the four songs cut.
Considered among their most scarce and exciting songs, this CD was made from the old 78s. Many old photos and extensive liner notes written by Gary Reid are well-researched and much appreciated. It's fun to hear some spontaneous hoots and hollers and pounding beats on songs like "Molly and Tenbrook" and "Little Birdie." Obviously, the Stanley Brothers weren't trying to produce the gentle, smooth sound more typical of brother duets from that period. The Stanleys' "old-time mountain music" is traced more to the influence of groups like Mainer's Mountaineers. While certainly not up to the standards of today's recording quality, these songs have significant historic value. These aren't just for collectors or musicologists. Rather, this CD captures an era in the seminal development of bluegrass music before it was even widely known as bluegrass. The Rich-R-Tone sessions allow us to experience this band's early enthusiasm and to delight in the success of their developing sound. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)
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Where the Stanley Brothers legacy begins...
Wilbur29 | Poughkeepsie,NY | 04/12/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is about the 3rd go round on CD for this re-issue of the Stanley Brothers earliest recordings (I also have them on Bear Family & Revenant discs.) If you are interested in bluegrass & want to hear where the sound came from you need this disc. These recordings bridge the gap between old time string band music & the bluegrass that is to come. Ralph Stanley is still touring & I saw him this past weekend & I'm telling you, you need to buy this disc, go see Ralph, & have him autograph the cover. You won't regret buying this piece of history."
Best Rich-R-Tone collection I've ever heard
Ben Dewberry | PA | 01/18/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Out of the three different issues of the Stanley Brothers Rich R Tone material, this is by far the very best...most of the sides on this CD sound like they came from new copies of these very rare discs. In particular, the bass sounds really come out well."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1