The Stanley Brothers & The Clinch Mountain Boys 1949-1952

by The Stanley Brothers

Overview

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. As usual with Bear Family reissues, this set contains every note from the brothers' Columbia sessions, including previously unreleased alternate takes of "The Fields Have Turned Brown" and "Little Glass of Wine," along with full session notes and illuminating liner notes courtesy of historian Gary B. Reid. Yes, it has the original "I'm a Man of Constant Sorrow" for all of you O Brother Where Art Thou fans, but the 23 other tracks are every bit as vital, imaginative, and pure. This, in its purest and most graceful form, is what bluegrass is all about. ~ Stewart Mason

Product Details

Release Date:	05/02/1994
Label:	Bear Family Records
UPC:	4000127155641
Rank:	88728

Tracks

1. A Vision of Mother
2. The White Dove
3. Gathering Flowers For the Master's Bouquet
4. The Angels Are Singing
5. It's Never Too Late
6. Have You Someone (In Heaven Awaiting)
7. Little Glass of Wine
8. Let Me Be Your Friend
9. We'll Be Sweethearts in Heaven
10. I Love No One But You
11. Too Late to Cry
12. The Old Home
13. The Drunkard's Hell
14. The Fields Have Turned Brown
15. Hey! Hey! Hey!
16. The Lonesome River
17. I'm a Man of Constant Sorrow
18. Pretty Polly
19. A Life of Sorrow
20. Sweetest Love
21. The Wandering Boy
22. Let's Part the Best of Friends
23. The Fields Have Turned Brown
24. Little Glass of Wine

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Stanley Brothers   Primary Artist
Robert "Bobby" Sumner   Fiddle
Carter Stanley   Guitar,Vocals
Ralph Stanley   Banjo,Tenor (Vocal)
George Shuffler   Bass,Baritone (Vocal)
Art Wooten   Fiddle
Ernest Ernie Newton   Bass
Lester Woodie   Fiddle
Darrell "Pee Wee" Lambert   Mandolin,Tenor (Vocal),Baritone (Vocal)
James Hughes   Bass

Technical Credits

Carter Stanley   Composer
Mark Wilder   Disc Dub
Ralph Stanley   Composer
A.P. Carter   Composer
Gary B. Reid   Discography,Liner Notes
B.F. Shelton   Composer
Colin Escott   Photography,Illustrations
Richard Weize   Discography,Liner Notes,Reissue Producer
Art Satherley   Producer
David Freeman   Photography,Illustrations
Traditional   Composer
Don Law   Producer