The Stanley Brothers - Keep A Memory / Mastertone March

(King 5180) Feb 1959

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This 7" was released about a month before their seminal debut King LP, The Stanley Brothers And The Clinch Mountain Boys (aka King 615).

'Billboard' magazine reviewed the single in their 16th Feb 1959 edition, giving both sides 3 stars. Keep A Memory was described as:- "Sawed fiddles support the Stanley Brothers in their hill rendition of this moderate-pace weeper. It can move." Mastertone March was described as:- "Bright, instrumental side is done in lively hoe-down fashion, featuring banjos, guitars and fiddles. Good side for c&w jocks."^[1]

Ralph later re-recorded Keep A Memory with Sammy Adkins on the Sammy Adkins & Ralph Stanley - You're Still To Blame album.

Mastertone March is one of Ralph's excellent banjo instrumentals, which is sadly often overlooked these days.

Both sides of the single can be found on The Early Starday/King Years, 1958-1961 4xCD box set.

PS: There's a really good banjo tab for Mastertone March in Gary Bates's (aka Stanleytone) page on the banjohangout.

For a detailed breakdown and background to the Stanley's sessions, check Gary B. Reid's The Music Of The Stanley Brothers book, pages 92-93 and 139.

Other artwork / related images:

[1] https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=KCAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA57&lpg=PA57&dq=king+5180+billboard+stanley&source=bl&ots=7bTgwgeMq6&sig=hexq-MzpkpXzBX57wms-70N5_w0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi08Y_1n8fUAhUsDcAKHYrBChcQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=king%205180%20billboard%20stanley&f=false