The War interrupted any thoughts of a musical career, and it was not until both brothers returned from the service that they were able to make their own mark in music -- ultimately ending up on WCYB Bristol, Tennessee, where they would remain for over ten years as stalwarts of the famed "Farm and Fun Time" radio show. Their music initially followed a more old time style favored by Mainer's Mountaineers, with Ralph playing the banjo in the old two-finger style, interspersed with old time clawhammer playing, before taking a stab at the new three-finger style popularised by Earl Scruggs.
They formed The Clinch Mountain Boys in 1946. They were perhaps the first band to adopt the new music style created by Bill Monroe in the mid-1940s that later became known as bluegrass. Carter played guitar and sang lead while Ralph played banjo and sang with a strong, high tenor voice. Their harmonies are much admired, and many consider Carter Stanley to be one of the greatest singers in the history of country music. The brothers also wrote many of their own songs and Carter had a particular knack for writing deceptively simple lyrics that portrayed strong emotion. The Stanley's style can best be described as a traditional "mountain soul" sound that remained close to the Primitive Baptist vocal stylings they learned from their parents and others near their southwestern Virginia home.
The early Stanley Brothers recordings on Rich-R-Tone (of Johnson City, Tennessee) included Pee Wee Lambert on mandolin. They later added an innovative touch to their traditional sound with the guitar solos of George Shuffler who often used a crosspicking style.
Carter performed briefly with Bill Monroe while Ralph was recovering from injuries received in an automobile accident in 1951. As bluegrass music grew less popular in the late 1950s, the Stanley Brothers moved to Live Oak, Florida to headline the weekly Suwannee River Jamboree radio show on WNER. The three-hour show was also syndicated across the Southeast. Otherwise the brothers performed together until 1966 (from 1961 on as a duo). After Carter's death Ralph revived the Clinch Mountain Boys and is still performing in 2006. Among the musicians who have played in the revived Clinch Mountain Boys are Ricky Skaggs, Keith Whitley, Larry Sparks, Curly Ray Cline, Jack Cooke, and Ralph Stanley II. Ralph's career received a big boost with his prominent role on the phenomenally successful soundtrack recording of the 2000 film, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?." The Stanley Brothers were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 1992.
Among the Stanley Brothers' best known recordings are:
* I'm A Man of Constant Sorrow (1950, Columbia)
* Rank Stranger
* Angel Band
* How Mountain Girls Can Love
* How Far to Little Rock? (novelty)
* Still trying to get to Little Rock (novelty)
* Ridin' That Midnite Train
* Clinch Mountain Backstep
* She's More To Be Pitied
* The Memory of Your Smile
* Love Me Darlin' Just Tonight
Clinch Mountain Boys Members
* Carter Stanley (guitar)
* Ralph Stanley (banjo)
* Darrell "Pee Wee" Lambert (mandolin)
* Jim Williams (mandolin)
* Curly Lambert (mandolin)
* Leslie Keith (fiddle)
* Robert "Bobby" Sumner (fiddle)
* Les Woodie (fiddle)
* Ralph Mayo (fiddle, guitar)
* Chubby Anthony (fiddle)
* Art Stamper (fiddle)
* Joe Meadows (fiddle)
* Red Stanley (fiddle)
* Don Miller (fiddle)
* Vernon Derrick (fiddle)
* James "Jay" Hughes (bass)
* Ernie Newton (bass)
* Chick Stripling (bass)
* Mike Seeger (bass)
* Bill Napier (guitar, mandolin)
* George Shuffler (guitar, bass)
* Larry Sparks (guitar)
External links
* Ralph Stanley Discography
* Recording of "We Are Going to Paint the Town" from a 1958 Florida radio show (made available for public use by the State Archives of Florida)
* Podcast (mp3) of one of the Stanley Brothers' Suwannee River Jamboree raido show from 1958 (made available for public use by the State Archives of Florida)
A Voice From On High
The Stanley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It must be our Lord
It's comin' from Heaven on high
I hear a voice callin'
I've gained a reward
For the land where we never shall die
He gave His life on Calvary
So I'll follow His footsteps up the narrow way
And be ready to meet Him when He calls on that day
I hear a voice callin'
It must be our Lord
It's comin' from Heaven on high
I hear a voice callin'
I've gained a reward
For the land where we never shall die
He died on the cross, the old rugged cross
That we would be saved from sin and not lost
So I'll follow His footsteps up the narrow way
And we'll pay our debts on that great judgment day
I hear a voice callin'
It must be our Lord
It's comin' from Heaven on high
I hear a voice callin'
I've gained a reward
For the land where we never shall die
The Stanley Brothers’ song "A Voice From On High" is a gospel tune which refers to a voice that the singer can hear calling from high above, which they believe is the voice of God. They speak about the reward that they believe they’ve gained for the afterlife and how they’ve followed the footsteps of Jesus on the narrow path. The singer acknowledges that Jesus had paid a great price on the cross so that they could be saved from sin and that they would be ready to meet him when he calls on the day of judgment. The song reflects deep religious beliefs and faith in the existence of God and the power of His voice.
The lyrics of the song were written by American bluegrass musician Bill Monroe and were first recorded and released by the Stanley Brothers in 1952. The song has since been covered by numerous other artists and is considered to be a classic in gospel music.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear a voice callin'
I am being summoned by a voice I hear
It must be our Lord
It is a divine voice, possibly that of Jesus
It's comin' from Heaven on high
The source of the voice is from above, from the heavens
I've gained a reward
I have received a prize or a blessing
For the land where we never shall die
It is a place where we will not experience death
The Savior has paid a great price for me
Jesus has sacrificed a great deal for my sake
He gave His life on Calvary
He died on a hill called Calvary
So I'll follow His footsteps up the narrow way
I will emulate His example and live my life like He did
And be ready to meet Him when He calls on that day
And be prepared to meet Jesus when the time comes
He died on the cross, the old rugged cross
Jesus died on a rough, crude wooden cross
That we would be saved from sin and not lost
This was done to ensure that we are saved from our sins and not rendered lost
And we'll pay our debts on that great judgment day
We will be judged on our actions on a future day and the consequences will be dealt with accordingly
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bessie Maudlin, Bill Monroe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind