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 Don
The Stanley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't want your picture in a frame
All I want is you in person
Won't you let me change your name
Mama said you'd come home soon
Sister thinks that you still love me
Hurry home right away
* Refrain
I'm so tired of long distance kisses
Love by mail is all so cold
I just want you in my arms dear
Then our love just can't grow cold
* Refrain
The Stanley Brothers' "I Don't Want Your Rambling Letters" is a poignant country ballad that alludes to the enduring pain of long-distance love. The song suggests that the singer is exhausted with receiving constant letters from a lover that is far away. The singer desperately wants the actual physical presence of their beloved, rather than just their letters and pictures. The line "All I want is you in person, won't you let me change your name" is a clever play on words, suggesting that the lover wants their partner to marry them and change their last name.
The verse that hints at the uncertainty of the lover's return is also poignant. Mama is hopeful that her child will return soon, while Papa warns her against waiting around for someone who may never come back. The singer's sister adds to the mix and thinks her sibling's lover still loves her. The line "Hurry home right away" reveals the eager anticipation of the singer to be reunited with her lover.
Overall, "I Don't Want Your Rambling Letters" is a touching and emotional song about the struggles of love in the midst of physical distance. It communicates the universal desire of lovers to be physically with each other and highlights the loneliness that arises when that connection is absent.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want your rambling letters
I don't want to read your long, pointless letters without any meaning
Don't want your picture in a frame
I don't want to keep looking at your photo in a frame, I want you to be with me
All I want is you in person
All I want is to see you in person, spend time with you and feel your presence
Won't you let me change your name
Let me make you mine forever by changing your last name to mine
Mama said you'd come home soon
My mother assured me that you will come back home soon
Papa warned me not to wait
My father cautioned me not to waste my time waiting for you
Sister thinks that you still love me
My sister believes that you still have feelings for me
Hurry home right away
Please come back home as soon as possible
I'm so tired of long distance kisses
I'm tired of virtual kisses and the emptiness they bring
Love by mail is all so cold
Love expressed through letters is cold, it lacks the warmth and affection of in-person communication
I just want you in my arms dear
I want to hold you close, feel your warmth and never let you go
Then our love just can't grow cold
If we are together, our love will never die or become cold
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: C. REDD, N. NATH, RAY STARR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind