Stanley Brothers
Bands / Ensembles
The Stanley Brothers (1946–1966) were a bluegrass band from Dickenson County, Virginia, led by brothers Carter Stanley (guitar, lead vocals) and Ralph Stanley (banjo, tenor vocals), with their band the Clinch Mountain Boys. The brothers formed the band in November 1946 after returning from military service. The early lineup included Darrell "Pee Wee" Lambert on mandolin and Bobby Sumner on fiddle. After a short stint on WNVA in Norton, Virginia, the band began appearing on WCYB's Farm and Fun Time in Bristol, Tennessee, on December 26, 1946, and remained a fixture of the show off and on for about 12 years. The band made its first recordings for Rich-R-Tone in September 1947 and signed with Columbia in March 1949. It later recorded for Mercury, Starday and King, where a lead guitar became part of its sound. A serious car accident sidelined Ralph in August 1951, but the brothers resumed the band after he recovered. In 1958 they moved to Florida to headline the Suwannee River Jamboree. The band toured Europe in 1966 and performed until Carter died on December 1, 1966. It was inducted into the IBMA Hall of Honor in 1992 and announced as a 2026 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
In the newsletter
- No. 17 Fall 1998