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V/A - American Folk & Country Music

(Bear Family BVD-20101-AT) 2003

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There seems to be very little surviving footage of Carter Stanley, so any performance by The Stanley Brothers is quite precious, even if they weren't on top form - as was the case here.

This TV show was recorded at the start of the 'American Folk & Country Music' package tour, over three days from 1st - 3rd March 1966 in Baden-Baden, Germany. The tour which went to Germany, Switzerland, England, Denmark and Sweden included The Stanley Brothers, The New Lost City Ramblers, Roscoe Holcomb, Cousin Emmy and the cajun band Cyp Landreneau's Mamou Playboys.

The 43 min show was called 'Volksmusik der Welt' and includes a couple of tracks by The Stanley Brothers, with the Clinch Mountain Boys also accompanying Cousin Emmy and everyone taking part in backing the square dance and 'buck & wing' dance by Chick Stripling which concludes proceedings. The remainder features splendid old time music and should please most fans of the old time mountain style.

On occasions Carter rather thrashes his guitar, particularly in the background during Tracy Schwarz's introduction to the square dance segment and it's notable that on How Mountain Boys Can Love the key is lowered from 'A' to 'G'. According to Tracy Schwarz the musicians only had an hour's rest after arriving in Baden-Baden before they had to go to the SWF TV studios to start filming, and both Chick and Carter had taken advantage of the duty free on the flight over.

Both the Stanley Brothers tracks have inevitably found their way onto youtube, but I don't think the other footage with the CMB's, or the Square Dance / the 'buck & wing' dance finale have resurfaced elsewhere.

This one is not easy to find, and it's a shame that it wasn't also included in the 2007 lavish live album box, American Folk & Country Music Festival that the Bear Family later released. See that entry for more info on the European tour.

• Carter Stanley: guitar, vocals
• Ralph Stanley: banjo, vocals
• Don Miller: fiddle
• George Shuffler: lead guitar
• Chick Stripling: bass

PS: In an Oral history interview with George Shuffler about 13 months before his death in 2014, he mentions this TV show and his desire to see it. I hope he got his wish...