The Stanley Brothers - A Few More Seasons / Where We'll Never Die // In Heaven We'll Never Grow Old / Mother No Longer Awaits Me At Home

Sacred Songs From The Hills

(Starday SEP-123) Mar 1960

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This 7" EP was recorded at the first session for the Sacred Songs From The Hills LP, at WNER-Live Oak Florida.

'Billboard' magazine reviewed the disc in their 14th Mar 1960 issue, giving it 4 stars, saying:- "The Stanleys turn in their typical, back hills-type harmonies on this collection of deeply devoted efforts. The Clinch Mountain Boys add some of those fine hill type guitar and fiddle sounds. For devotees of the back woods sound, in a reverent framework, this is really it. Titles include 'A Few More Seasons', 'Where We'll Never Die', 'In Heaven We'll Never Grow Old' and 'Mother No Longer Awaits Me', the latter three all in the familiar three beat tempo."^[1]

Mother No Longer Awaits Me (aka Mother No Longer Awaits Me At Home) was a re-recording of a song from their debut 1947 Rich-R-Tone 78 (RRT-420). Curiously the original release credits the song writing to Carter, and according to Gary B. Reid his name is on the Dec 4th 1946 copyright application,^[2] but on these Starday releases it is credited to Ralph, and the BMI has two songwriting entries - one for each of the Brothers!

According to Bluegrass/Country music historian Ivan M. Tribe, the last verse of A Few More Seasons was written by J.D. Jarvis and given to Carter. Ralph later recorded a few of J.D.'s songs (including Take Your Shoes Off Moses and Come On Little Children) and provided backing on J.D.'s More Bluegrass Gospel Songs LP.

All copies of the EP that I've seen have a rural photo on the front, credited to Carl Story, but in the accompanying booklet to The Early Starday/King Years, 1958-1961, there's a picture of an alternate sleeve with B&W photo with Ralph and Carter.

All four tracks can be found on The Early Starday/King Years, 1958-1961 4xCD box set.

For a detailed breakdown and background to the Stanley's session, check Gary B. Reid's The Music Of The Stanley Brothers book, pages 105-106 and 144. (Including corrections to this entry!)

Other artwork / related images:

[1] https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qB8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32&lpg=PA32&dq=starday+sep+123+billboard+1960&source=bl&ots=9HzdTl7G00&sig=cv5mB2YAJHXqW8ybVTx4xk5ga1s&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj_lNe4tNzUAhVD2xoKHQ5_A8kQ6AEIPTAD#v=onepage&q=starday%20sep%20123%20billboard%201960&f=false
[2] Gary B. Reid's book 'The Music Of The Stanley Brothers' (p. 9)