The Stanley Brothers are considered to be one of the most highly developed bluegrass bands of their time. Ralph and Carter Stanley perfected the "high lonesome" style of singing associated with Bill Monroe, and served it up with a high-octane accompaniment of banjo and guitar. 20 BLUEGRASS ORIGINALS is a good introduction to this tremendously exciting music.
The Stanley Brothers were a link between the kind of hillbilly singing that might be heard on Harry Smith's ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC and the more sophisticated style of folk music that became popular in the '60s; "Little Maggie" was covered by the Kingston Trio, and "I'm a Man of Constant Sorrow" is more commonly associated with Bob Dylan. The lightning fast banjo on "Holiday Pickin'" is the aural equivalent of buckshot, as aggressive as any rock guitar solo. minimize