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)
The Story of the Lawson Family
The Stanley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was long last Christmas evening
The snow was on the ground
At his home in North Carolina
The murderer, he was found
His name was Charlie Lawson
But they never knew what caused him
To take his family's life
They say he killed his wife at first
While the little one did cry
Please papa won't you spare us
How it is so hard to die
But the raging man could not be stopped
He would not heed their call
He kept on firing fatal shots
And there he killed them off
They say he killed his wife at first
While the little ones did cry
Please papa won't you spare us
How it is so hard to die
They did not carry him to jail
No lawyers would be paid
They'll have his trial in another land
On the final judgement day
They all were all buried in a crowded grave
While the angels watched from above
Come home, come home my little ones
To the land of peace and God
And... farewell ...
I'll see you there no more
But when we meet in another land
Our trouble will be gone
"The Story of the Lawson Family" is a tragic ballad by The Stanley Brothers that recounts the gruesome events that took place on Christmas Day in 1929 in the rural town of Germanton, North Carolina. The song tells the story of Charlie Lawson, a farmer who murdered his wife and six of his seven children before turning the gun on himself. The events of that day remain a mystery, and the motive behind the killings is unknown.
The lyrics of the song paint a picture of the horrific events that took place that day, with Charlie killing his wife first and then proceeding to kill his children. The song captures the final moments of the children, who plead with their father to spare their lives, but to no avail. The song ends with the family being buried in a crowded grave, and the hope that they have found peace in the land of God.
Overall, the song is a powerful and haunting retelling of a tragedy that shocked a community, and one that remains a part of North Carolina folklore to this day.
Line by Line Meaning
It was long last Christmas evening
The incident happened on Christmas Eve
The snow was on the ground
The ground was covered with snow
At his home in North Carolina
The incident occurred at Charlie Lawson's home in North Carolina
The murderer, he was found
Charlie Lawson was identified as the murderer
His name was Charlie Lawson
The murderer's name was Charlie Lawson
And he had a loving wife
Charlie Lawson was married and had a loving wife
But they never knew what caused him
Nobody knew the reason behind his act of murder
To take his family's life
Charlie Lawson killed his entire family
They say he killed his wife at first
Charlie Lawson allegedly shot his wife first
While the little one did cry
Their child was crying when he shot his wife
Please papa won't you spare us
His children requested him to spare their lives
How it is so hard to die
The children found it hard to understand why they had to die
But the raging man could not be stopped
Charlie Lawson didn't listen to his children's pleas
He would not heed their call
Charlie Lawson didn't care about his family's pleas for mercy
He kept on firing fatal shots
Charlie Lawson continued to shoot and kill his family members
And there he killed them all
Charlie Lawson killed all his family members
They did not carry him to jail
Charlie Lawson was not taken to jail after the incident
No lawyers would be paid
Nobody would pay for his legal representation
They'll have his trial in another land
Charlie Lawson would be tried in the afterlife
On the final judgement day
Charlie Lawson's trial would be held on the day of judgement
They all were buried in a crowded grave
Charlie Lawson and his family members were buried together in a single grave
While the angels watched from above
The angels were watching over them
Come home, come home my little ones
It's an appeal to the spirits of the dead children to go to the land of peace and God
To the land of peace and God
Where there is peace and God
And... farewell ...
A final goodbye
I'll see you there no more
The singer won't see them again
But when we meet in another land
They will meet in the afterlife
Our trouble will be gone
All their sorrows and troubles will be gone
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: CARTER STANLEY, RALPH STANLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind