Carter Stanley, d. Dec. 1, 1966

[Peter K. Siegel]

On December 1 1966, thirty years ago, Carter Stanley slipped away from
us. I was thinking the other day about what he might have done if he
had lived. For a few seconds, I apparently let myself believe he was
still here.

I envisioned him standing on stage at age 71 with Ralph and maybe
George Shuffler, half-cradling, half-leaning on his guitar, laughing
quietly, knowing that he -- and they -- were among the best that ever
had been. For that brief moment I felt serenely happy, felt like I
had just awakened from an awful dream, and realized what a great
sadness the passing of Carter Stanley has been for me.

The Stanley Brothers are my favorite bluegrass band, and their records
are probably my number one desert island choice in any genre of music.
I was lucky enough to see them a number of times and even to record
them on one occasion. Together, they distilled the aching sorrow of
the twilight of an era, and offered an emotional homeplace to carry
into the future.

Alcoholism is a cruel and insidious disease that has probably been
responsible for more loss in most of our lives than we even realize.
For me, one of its cruelest acts was to deprive Carter and his
audience of a period when his music might have come into its own in a
new way.

At the time of his death, Carter had been recognized by contemporary
folk audiences, had played at Oberlin and Antioch, NYU and Chicago,
Newport and the Ash Grove. But there was still a long way to go.
Much of his mature recorded output was marred by the commercial
whims of King Records, by Syd Nathan's feeling that the banjo
wouldn't sell, or because Syd had a new copyright or an idea for a
novel arrangement.

King Records was where it was, and thank God for it. The Stanley
Brothers' King sessions produced some of the very best bluegrass ever
recorded. What, after all, could be better than "The Memory of Your
Smile" or "How Mountain Girls Can Love"? But despite what Syd knew
about bluegrass, bluegrass was heading in a direction that he could
never understand or even imagine. It would have been great to have
the Stanley Brothers on Rounder or Rebel or Sugar Hill, performing
whole new generations of Carter's songs without weird stereo or finger
poppin'. It would have been great for Carter to find new fans at the
Smithsonian's Festival of American Folklife (initiated in 1967), to
win a National Heritage Fellowship as Ralph did in 1984, to become a
beloved elder statesman like Bill Monroe or Ralph.

Maybe it was the time and place. Maybe the cheapo plastic and
buzzy-distorted cutting heads contributed to it. But the Stanley
Brothers produced at once the most unearthly and the friendliest music
I have ever heard. Thanks are due Gary Reid for keeping the best
versions of the Stanleys' work current and available. I get something
new from each new box (as well as something old from their Mercury 78s
and old buzzy Starday albums). What I get most of all is the
humanity, honesty, and acceptance of a music that speaks directly to
my hopes and my fears. Carter and Ralph gave me that by putting one
weary foot in front of another, walking another mile, and singing the
songs of strangers in a strange new world.

Peter K. Siegel, Henry Street Folklore, Brooklyn, NY

For information about Henry Street Records:
http://harp.rounder.com/rounder/profiles/hstr.html

[Bo McCarty, "THE BO-MAN"]

Peter K. Siegel wrote:

> On December 1 1966, thirty years ago, Carter Stanley slipped away from
> us. I was thinking the other day about what he might have done if he
> had lived. For a few seconds, I apparently let myself believe he was
> still here.>

In my neck of the woods many don't know Carter has passed away. They
think Ralph Stanley and TCMB are the Stanley Brothers. They call me at
the station requesting the new Stanley Brothers album, or ask when the
Stanley Brothers coming to the area. It breaks my heart to tell them he
passed away about 30 years ago. Carter was larger than life, and still
is!

Don Rigsby said something like that Carter Stanley was the foundation
that BG lead singing was built upon (Bluegrass Unlimited, February 1996
by fellow lister Janice Brown McDonald). I agree 100%. Nice job Janice!

C/YA BYE
Bo McCarty
"THE BO-MAN"
Bo & Bubba in 2000

[Janice Brown McDonald]

>Don Rigsby said something like that Carter Stanley was the foundation
>that BG lead singing was built upon (Bluegrass Unlimited, February 1996
>by fellow lister Janice Brown McDonald). I agree 100%. Nice job Janice!

>C/YA BYE
>Bo McCarty
>"THE BO-MAN"
>Bo & Bubba in 2000

Thanks you Bo, your compliment makes me ashamed I was so mean to you about
Alison :) I will make amends by voting for you and whoever Bubba happens to
be in 2000...

[Janice Brown McDonald]

>Date: Sat, 30 Nov 1996 01:07:37 +0000
>From: "Peter K. Siegel" <psi...@PIPELINE.COM>
>Subject: Carter Stanley, d. Dec. 1, 1966

>On December 1 1966, thirty years ago, Carter Stanley slipped away from
>us. I was thinking the other day about what he might have done if he
>had lived. For a few seconds, I apparently let myself believe he was
>still here.

<snip a lot of really wonderful stuff>

Thank you for saying how I feel about this day, and for saying it so well. I
am printing out this and all Carter comments and mailing them along with a
card to his family, so they might know how we all care. Again, it was a
beautiful post, and I don't believe anyone could have said it better.