Clinch Mountain Echo

CMB Birthdays this month:

04 Feb 1972 - Steve Sparkman. Harlan, Kentucky.

04 Feb 1906 - Art Wooten. Born 'Arthur James Wooten' in Alleghany, North Carolina.

11 Feb 1960 - Junior Blankenship. Born at the old Grundy Hospital, Grundy, Va.

25 Feb 1927 - Ralph Stanley. Born 'Ralph Edmund Stanley' in Big Spraddle Creek, near Stratton, McClure, Virginia.

29 Feb 1932 - Jim Williams. Born 'James Lee Williams' in Wythe County, Virginia.


In Memoriam:

05 Feb 1980 - Chubby Anthony. Gainesville, Alachua, Florida.

08 Feb 2003 - Ralph 'Joe' Meadows. Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland.

08 Feb 1987 - Harold 'Red' Stanley. Fentress, Tennessee.


For the Official Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain Boys site, visit:

Ralph II ralph2.com

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The Little Glass Of Wine / Little Maggie
(Rich-R-Tone RRT-423)


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Clinch Mountain Echo

The Stanley Brothers - On The Air

(Wango LP-115) 1976


On The Air

Average Album Rating: 2.91
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This collection is drawn from the recordings The Stanley Brothers made for Ray Davis' radio show in December 1963. Davis had hired the Brothers for a week and during that time recorded about 25 shows, each lasting about 15 minutes. At the end of the week they then also recorded the first John's Gospel Quartet album.

Carter had laryngitis at the time, so his contribution is quite limited, with Ralph and George Shuffler doing most of the heavy lifting.

Each show started and ended with a quick burst of Cripple Creek, and featured a similiar pattern with solo vocals by Ralph, short instrumentals, a gospel tune, comedy from Henry Dockery and a couple of group numbers with George and Ralph handling most of the vocals. Carter, sounds a bit hoarse does a little of the introduction/comedy and sings occasionally.

On this album, it looks like two shows have mostly been included with exception of two of the Cripple Creek themes that presumably would have been at the end of Side One / beginning of Side Two. It's also possible / more likely, that the material has been drawn from a variety of shows & edited together... The version of Little Birdie for example, also appears on the Radio Series Vol. 3 CD, but with minor alteration to the spoken intro/outro.

Other portions from these sessions have appeared on Vol's 1-7 of the various artists' 'Radio Series' and other Wango compilations and 7" releases... I've yet to verify where duplications occur. In Gary B. Reid's book The Music Of The Stanley Brothers, it also appears that some of the radio material was also featured on some of the 'John's Gospel Quartet' albums.

The cover to the album is a bit weird - the photo is of an old Western Electric microphone used by Carter on the Wango recordings.

 

For a detailed breakdown and background to these sessions, check Gary B. Reid's The Music Of The Stanley Brothers book, pages 173-174 and 204-209.

 

Track:
Title:
Time:
Date:
Original Release:
A-1
Theme: Cripple Creek & introduction
00:45
Dec 1963
On The Air

P.D.
  Gtr Vcl - Bjo Vcl - Ld Gtr Bs      
  Carter Stanley
Ralph Stanley
George Shuffler
Henry Dockery
 
 
 
A-2
God Gave You To Me
01:50
Dec 1963
On The Air

R. Stanley
  Gtr Vcl - Bjo Vcl - Ld Gtr Bs      
  Carter Stanley
Ralph Stanley
George Shuffler
Henry Dockery
 
 
 
A-3
Little Birdie
02:41
Dec 1963
On The Air

P.D.
  Gtr Vcl - Bjo Vcl - Ld Gtr Bs      
  Carter Stanley
Ralph Stanley
George Shuffler
Henry Dockery
 
 
 
A-4
Introduction/commercial & Gathering Flowers From The Hillside
00:48
Dec 1963
On The Air

A.P. Carter
  Gtr Vcl - Bjo Vcl - Ld Gtr Bs      
  Carter Stanley
Ralph Stanley
George Shuffler
Henry Dockery
 
 
 
A-5
In The Pines
03:08
Dec 1963
Wango EP-110

P.D.
  Gtr Vcl - Bjo Vcl - Ld Gtr Bs      
  Carter Stanley
Ralph Stanley
George Shuffler
Henry Dockery
 
 
 
A-6
Banjo Boogie
00:39
Dec 1963
On The Air

R. Stanley
  Gtr Vcl - Bjo Vcl - Ld Gtr Bs      
  Carter Stanley
Ralph Stanley
George Shuffler
Henry Dockery
 
 
 
A-7
Comedy Routine
01:05
Dec 1963
On The Air

N.A.
  Gtr Vcl - Bjo Vcl - Ld Gtr Bs      
  Carter Stanley
Ralph Stanley
George Shuffler
Henry Dockery
 
 
 
A-8
Man Of Constant Sorrow
03:14
Dec 1963
On The Air

R.D. Burnett
  Gtr Vcl - Bjo Vcl - Ld Gtr Bs      
  Carter Stanley
Ralph Stanley
George Shuffler
Henry Dockery
 
 
 
B-1
Wildwood Flower
01:33
Dec 1963
On The Air

A.P. Carter
  Gtr Vcl - Bjo Vcl - Ld Gtr Bs      
  Carter Stanley
Ralph Stanley
George Shuffler
Henry Dockery
 
 
 
B-2
Six Months Ain't Long
02:57
Dec 1963
On The Air

Dick Burnett / Leonard Rutherford ?
  Gtr Vcl - Bjo Vcl - Ld Gtr Bs      
  Carter Stanley
Ralph Stanley
George Shuffler
Henry Dockery
 
 
 
B-3
Sunny Side Of The Mountain
00:52
Dec 1963
On The Air

Harry C. McAuliffe / Bobby Gregory
  Gtr Vcl - Bjo Vcl - Ld Gtr Bs      
  Carter Stanley
Ralph Stanley
George Shuffler
Henry Dockery
 
 
 
B-4
Jordan
02:05
Dec 1963
On The Air

P.D.
  Gtr Vcl - Bjo Vcl - Ld Gtr Bs      
  Carter Stanley
Ralph Stanley
George Shuffler
Henry Dockery
 
 
 
B-5
Shout Little Luly
01:19
Dec 1963
On The Air

P.D.
  Gtr Vcl - Bjo Vcl - Ld Gtr Bs      
  Carter Stanley
Ralph Stanley
George Shuffler
Henry Dockery
 
 
 
B-6
Happy Sunny Side Of Life
02:19
Dec 1963
Wango 1783

J. Wesley Watts / Tillit S. Teddlie ?
  Gtr Vcl - Bjo Vcl - Ld Gtr Bs      
  Carter Stanley
Ralph Stanley
George Shuffler
Henry Dockery
 
 
 
B-7
Commercial / Comedy Routine
01:06
Dec 1963
On The Air

N.A.
  Gtr Vcl - Bjo Vcl - Ld Gtr Bs      
  Carter Stanley
Ralph Stanley
George Shuffler
Henry Dockery
 
 
 
B-8
Theme: Cripple Creek and sign off
00:46
Dec 1963
On The Air

P.D.
  Gtr Vcl - Bjo Vcl - Ld Gtr Bs      
  Carter Stanley
Ralph Stanley
George Shuffler
Henry Dockery
 
 
 
Other artwork / related images:
Rear Cover Side 1 Side 1

For the Official Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain Boys site, visit:

Ralph II ralph2.com

Spotlight on:-

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(Rebel REB 1677)


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