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The Stanley Brothers - Just A Little Talk With Jesus / I Hear My Savior Calling

(Mercury 70718) Oct 1955

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This single was recorded at the Stanley's fifth session for Mercury and both sides are linked in some way to Bill Monroe.

'Billboard' magazine reviewed the release in the 22nd Oct 1955 edition, giving Just A Little Talk... a score of 77 and describing it as:- "The sacred opus is sung with strong impact in this effective waxing. Good sales in the market." while I Hear My Savior is given a score of 75 and the rather terse description:- "Same comment."^[1]

Just A Little Talk With Jesus was written by Cleavant Derricks who was about the only African American to write songs for the Stamps-Baxter tradition. When it appeared in a 1937 Stamps Baxter book, it immediately became a favourite of gospel quartets, both black and white.^[2] Bill Monroe added the song to his repertoire and can be heard performing it on live recordings from the Opry circa 1948^[3] and Bean Blossom 1954.^[4] Bill didn't get to record the song however, until his Cryin' Holy Unto The Lord album in 1991.

I Hear My Savior Calling is credited to Bill Monroe, but wasn't recorded by him as far as I can tell. This suggests that it may have been one of the "two or three" numbers which Carter learnt during his spell as a Blue Grass Boy in 1951, and subsequently finished off and recorded. Another one of these was You'd Better Get Right which was recorded in the same session and released on Mercury 70612 (See that entry for further details). I Hear My Savior was copyrighted under Bill Monroe's name on 15th Dec 1955, a couple of months after the Stanley's version was released.^[5]

Both sides can be found on The Complete Mercury Recordings 2xCD set.

For a detailed breakdown and background to the Stanley's sessions, check Gary B. Reid's The Music Of The Stanley Brothers book, pages 50-51, 56 and 72-73.

^{[1] https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2SMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA46&lpg=PA46&dq=Mercury+70718+billboard+stanley&source=bl&ots=5zNsJFyRtb&sig=h3BJTY1wqZaNvFDEpFgWigk6lSo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiTmsX5perVAhUpD8AKHbgVDzoQ6AEISDAI#v=onepage&q=Mercury%2070718%20billboard%20stanley&f=false
[2] Liner notes to the 'Bill Monroe - My Last Days On Earth: Bluegrass 1981-1994' 4xCD box set (Bear Family BCD 16637 DK) 2007 by Neil V. Rosenberg and Charles Wolfe (p.34)
[3] See: http://frobbi.org/audio/ivor/3DVDs_1/Monroe-46-48/index.html
[4] See: http://frobbi.org/audio/ivor/Bill_Monroe_Brown_Cty_Jamb_1954/index.html
[5] See: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=PjkhAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA674&lpg=PA674&dq=bill+monroe+I+Hear+My+Savior+Calling+copyright&source=bl&ots=3DI0iAPzNy&sig=TjO-irWWxkwJ01d7g9AyUpIEA6s&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwigup3qvOrVAhUkJsAKHX9-DYQQ6AEILTAB#v=onepage&q=bill%20monroe%20I%20Hear%20My%20Savior%20Calling%20copyright&f=false}