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

Spotlight on:-

The Very Best Of
(Not Now Music NOT2CD733)


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ralphstanleymuseum.com

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Clinch Mountain Echo

The Stanley Brothers - Stone Walls And Steel Bars / Lonesome Night

(King 5809) Sep 1963


Stone Walls And Steel Bars

This 7" was recorded at the sessions for the Country Folk Music Spotlight LP, which was released a couple of months later.

Stone Walls And Steel Bars was given 4 stars out of 5 by Billboard magazine (9th Nov 1963)[1] and is one of the Stanley's absolute classics. The flip side, Carter's mournful Lonesome Night also garnered 3 out of 5, and is another excellent cut. Oddly, the Stanley's had recorded Lonesome Night previously for Mercury in 1956, but it wasn't released until the 1993 2xCD set, The Stanley Brothers & The Clinch Mountain Boys 1953 - 1958 & 1959.

I love Ralph's banjo work on Stone Walls... which often jumps to the next chord one beat ahead of the songs chord changes.[2]

Both sides of the single can be found on The King Years, 1961-1965 4xCD box 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 171-172 and 203.

 

Track:
Title:
Time:
Date:
Original Release:
A-1
Stone Walls And Steel Bars
02:07
14 Aug 1963
King 5809

Ray Pennington / Roy E. Marcum
  Ld Vcl - Gtr Tn Vcl - Bjo Bt Vcl - Fid Bs Bs Vcl - Ld Gtr    
  Carter Stanley
Ralph Stanley
Ralph Mayo
Henry Dockery
George Shuffler
 
 
B-1
Lonesome Night
02:19
14 Aug 1963
King 5809

C. Stanley
  Ld Vcl - Gtr Hi Bt Vcl - Bjo Fid Bs Tn Vcl - Ld Gtr    
  Carter Stanley
Ralph Stanley
Ralph Mayo
Henry Dockery
George Shuffler
 
 
Other artwork / related images:
Lonesome Night

[1] https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=TwsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA45&lpg=PA45&dq=king+5809+stanley+brothers+billboard&source=bl&ots=fPD1bg-XRm&sig=uQvFAc7z4JPb0zEeXM70Nb7W6jM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj_xr-09pTUAhWKDsAKHZUnBJwQ6AEINTAC#v=onepage&q&f=false
[2] See Gary Bates (aka 'Stanleytone') meticulous tab on the banjo hangout:- http://www.banjohangout.org/myhangout/photos.asp?id=13373

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

Ralph II ralph2.com

Spotlight on:-

Precious Memories
(Gusto/King KSCD-1504)


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A Life Of Constant Sorrow
alifeofsorrow.com

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Ralph Stanley Museum
ralphstanleymuseum.com

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Hills Of Home Festival
drralphstanleyfestival.com

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Rebel Records
rebelrecords.com

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