Earliest Recordings:
Complete Rich-R-Tone 78s
The Stanley Brothers

The first classic bluegrass recording I ever purchased was the Stanley Brothers complete Rich-R-Tone 78s, which includes their earliest sides, cut during three sessions spanning 1947 and 1948, plus four additional sides from 1952, when the Stanley Brothers briefly returned to Rich-R-Tone after their years with Columbia records. Their version of "Molly and Tenbrook" is exhilirating, and it is the same recording that pissed-off Bill Monroe because it was a direct copy of his Opry performances, and was faster than the version which he had already recorded, but which remained unreleased.

So many of the classics are here: "Little Glass of Wine," "The Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake," "Death is Only a Dream," "Little Maggie," and "Little Birdie." This recording is a must.

GB

To find out more about Ralph Stanley , or to hear samples of his music, please visit ralphstanley.net

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