Lonesome Melodies

This is the first biography of two integral bluegrass innovators and touchstones of country music authenticity. Carter and Ralph Stanley - the Stanley Brothers - are comparable to Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs as important members of the earliest generation of bluegrass musicians. This first biography of the brothers documents that Carter (1925-1966) and Ralph (b 1927) were equally important contributors to the tradition of old-time country music. Together from 1946 to 1966, the Stanley Brothers began their careers performing in the schoolhouses of southwestern Virginia and expanded their popularity to the concert halls of Europe. In order to re-create this post-WWII journey through the changing landscape of American music, the author interviewed Ralph Stanley, the family of Carter Stanley, former members of the Clinch Mountain Boys, and dozens of musicians and friends who knew the Stanley Brothers as musicians and men. Throughout their careers, the brothers performed thousands of shows, recorded hundreds of songs, and tried to keep pace with changing times while remaining true to the spirit of old-time country music. As a result of their accomplishments, they have become a standard of musical authenticity.