Completely Bluegrass By TAlderson on Jan 30, 2008 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

For many people, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" was their first exposure to bluegrass music. And featured prominently on the soundtrack are the Stanley Brothers. Dr. Ralph Stanley has been known around bluegrass circles for years as a pioneering banjo player, and Carter Stanley as a songwriter and one of the first voices of bluegrass. This album is a compilation of over 20 tracks that the Stanleys made for Columbia records in the late 1950s. While the sound quality is vintage, it does add to the timeless sound of the music they created. Carter and Ralph, though young at the time, sound as old as the mountains they were raised in, and the music is at times plaintive, at times joyous, but always moving. Many will recognize "Man of Constant Sorrow" from "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", but not the unique way that only the Stanley Brothers can play it. A great collection.