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)
Won't You Be Mine
The Stanley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't you hear the lonesome dove
Saying,"Won't you come back, darling
To the only one you love?"
Meet me out on the mountain
Underneath the lonesome pine
There we vowed we'd love each other
Darling, say won't you be mine
Pretty wild wood flowers grow
There we vowed we'd love each other
In our childhood long ago
Meet me out on the mountain
Underneath the lonesome pine
There we vowed we'd love each other
Darling, say won't you be mine
There I left my little darling
Lord, I've rammbled for so long
Many nights I prayed to see her
Now I'm on my way back home
Meet me out on the mountain
Underneath the lonesome pine
There we vowed we'd love each other
Darling, say won't you be mine
The Stanley Brothers' song "Won't You Be Mine" is a classic bluegrass tune that talks about a yearning for love and a desire to be reunited with a loved one. The opening lines of the song set the tone for the rest of the lyrics by painting a picture of the night's stillness and the sound of the cries of the night bird and lonesome dove. The singer then asks his significant other to come back to him, acknowledging that they are the only one he loves.
The chorus of the song highlights the vow that the couple made to love each other underneath the lonesome pine on the mountain. The mountain setting and the mention of blooming mountain laurels and wild wood flowers lend a sense of nostalgia to the song, as the love had been promised in their childhood long ago. The singer hopes that his love will come back to him and be his forever.
The final verse of the song reveals that the singer had left his little darling for an extended period of time and had been praying to see her again. He is now on his way back home, hoping that his love will still be waiting for him underneath the lonesome pine on the mountain.
Line by Line Meaning
Can't you hear the night bird's crying
The night is filled with sorrow and the bird's cries echo the feelings of my broken heart
Can't you hear the lonesome dove
Like the dove, my heart is lonely and aching for your return
Saying,"Won't you come back, darling
To the only one you love?"
The dove is calling out to you, begging you to come back to the one who loves you most
Meet me out on the mountain
Underneath the lonesome pine
Let's return to the place where our love began - the mountain beneath the lonely tree
There we vowed we'd love each other
Darling, say won't you be mine
We promised to love each other forever at that spot, so please come back to me and make that vow a reality once again
Pretty mountain laurels blooming
Pretty wild wood flowers grow
The natural beauty of the place where we fell in love is still there, waiting for our return
There we vowed we'd love each other
In our childhood long ago
Our love was innocent and pure, formed during our youthful days
There I left my little darling
Lord, I've rambled for so long
I had to leave you behind, but I've been wandering aimlessly without you ever since
Many nights I prayed to see her
Now I'm on my way back home
I've spent countless nights wishing to see you again, and now I'm finally coming back to you
There we vowed we'd love each other
Darling, say won't you be mine
Let's once again make that promise to love each other forever, and let our love be rekindled on the same mountain where it began
Contributed by Reagan K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.