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)
I'll Never Grow Tired Of You
The Stanley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now there's nothin' to live for it seems
But darlin' no matter where you are tonight
You'll be here with me inmy dreams
I 'll never grow tired of you sweetheart
No matter what you may do
They tell me lately you're livin' so wrong
But I'll never grow tired of you
But when I awake you're not thee
Come back to me and let's start life anew
Losin' you's so hard to bare
I still wonder why you've drifted away
From the happiness that may have been
I can vision the time you'd someday be mine
Cherish the love I can't win
In the song "I'll Never Grow Tired Of You" by The Stanley Brothers & The Clinch Mountain Boys, the singer talks about how his lover drifted away from him and how he's struggling to live without her. He says that no matter where she is, she'll always be with him in his dreams and that he never tires of her, no matter what she may do. He reminisces about seeing her two blue eyes each night in his dreams and the pain of waking up to find she's not there. The singer begs for her to come back to him and start their life anew, as losing her has been too hard to bear.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been a long time since you drifted away
It has been a considerable amount of time since you departed
Now there's nothin' to live for it seems
The singer feels like they have lost all purpose in life
But darlin' no matter where you are tonight
Even though the person is not here physically, they are still loved deeply
You'll be here with me inmy dreams
The person's presence is felt through recurring dreams
I 'll never grow tired of you sweetheart
The artist will never get tired of loving the person
No matter what you may do
Regardless of the actions taken by the person
They tell me lately you're livin' so wrong
Others have informed the singer that the person is not living right
But I'll never grow tired of you
The artist's love for the person remains steadfast
I see your two blue eyes each night in my dreams
The person's eyes are a recurring feature in the artist's dreams
But when I awake you're not thee
Unfortunately, the person is not there upon waking
Come back to me and let's start life anew
Return to the singer so that they can begin anew
Losin' you's so hard to bare
The artist finds it extremely difficult to bear the loss of the person
I still wonder why you've drifted away
The singer continues to question why the person has left
From the happiness that may have been
There was potential for happiness together
I can vision the time you'd someday be mine
The singer can imagine a future where the person is with them
Cherish the love I can't win
The artist holds onto the love they have for the person, even if they cannot be together.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: CARTER STANLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind