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)
Blue Moon of Kentucky
The Stanley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blue moon of Kentucky keep on shining
Shine on the one that's gone and proved untrue
Blue moon of Kentucky keep on shining
Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue.
It was on the moonlight night the stars were shining bright
Blue moon of Kentucky keep on shining
Shine on the one that's gone and said goodbye.
--- Instrumental ---
Blue moon of Kentucky keep on shining
Shine on the one that's gone and proved untrue
Blue moon of Kentucky keep on shining
Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue.
It was on the moonlight night the stars were shining bright
It whispered from on high your lover said goodbye
Blue moon of Kentucky keep on shining
Shine on the one that's gone and said goodbye...
The Stanley Brothers' classic bluegrass track, "Blue Moon of Kentucky," is a song about lost love and heartbreak. The song is a plea to the Blue Moon of Kentucky to keep shining on the one who has left the singer feeling blue. The song is filled with imagery of the night sky, with references to moonlight, shining stars, and whispers from high above.
The song's lyrics suggest that the singer's lover left him or her unexpectedly on a moonlight night, leaving them feeling completely heartbroken. The Blue Moon is asked to shine on the person who has gone and proven untrue, serving as a reminder that despite the pain they've caused, the sun will still rise and the world will still go on. The repetition of the line "shine on the one that's gone and said goodbye" emphasizes the singer's desire for the Blue Moon to shed light on the person who has left them behind.
The song's mournful melody, along with its sorrowful lyrics, express the depth of the singer's heartbreak. The track has become a classic bluegrass standard and is a testament to the power of music to convey raw and honest emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Blue moon of Kentucky keep on shining
The song addresses the blue moon of Kentucky, asking it to continue shining as it has been doing.
Shine on the one that's gone and proved untrue
The blue moon should continue shining on someone who has left the singer, someone who was unfaithful to them in their relationship.
Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue.
The singer is feeling upset and sad after being left by their partner, and asks the blue moon to continue shining on them.
It was on the moonlight night the stars were shining bright
The scene sets up the moon and stars shining brightly in the night sky as a backdrop for the events of the song.
It whispered from on high your lover said goodbye
The artist implies that a higher power or the universe itself is responsible for their lover leaving them, as if they can hear whispers from above.
Blue moon of Kentucky keep on shining
Reiteration of the chorus, asking the blue moon to continue shining.
Shine on the one that's gone and said goodbye.
The final line of the song repeats the request for the blue moon to shine on the person who has left the singer, just as it did at the beginning of the song.
Writer(s): Bill Monroe
Contributed by Penelope B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.