Delmore Brothers honoured on 15-track tribute album
A 15-song tribute to The Delmore Brothers was released Oct. 1 on Billy Blue Records.
A Century of Strings, Stories & Songs: A Tribute to The Delmore Brothers gathers country and bluegrass singers to record songs first cut by the brother duo, according to Billboard. The set contains 15 Delmore Brothers songs, according to Athens State University.
The Delmores were Alton Delmore and his younger brother Rabon Delmore from Elkmont, Alabama. They formed The Delmore Brothers and joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1933. In 1950 they reached No. 1 on a now-defunct Billboard country chart with “Blues, Stay Away From Me.”
The new album was spearheaded by songwriter and producer Jerry Salley with Dr. Keith Ferguson. Ferguson is vice president of university advancement at Athens State University. Salley, a Grammy-nominated producer, songwriter and artist, produced the collection.
The pairings cut across generations of country and bluegrass. Bradley Walker and Ricky Skaggs perform “Blue Railroad Train.” Trey Hensley and Del McCoury perform “Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar.”
Marty Raybon and Jimmy Fortune team up for “I’ve Got The Big River Blues.” The Malpass Brothers perform “Put Me on the Trail to Carolina.” The SteelDrivers perform “Brown’s Ferry Blues.”
Jerry Salley and Doyle Lawson perform “When It’s Time For The Whippoorwill to Sing.” Riders In The Sky recorded “The Fugitive’s Lament” for the project.
For listeners new to the catalogue, this means one place to hear the range. Close-harmony duets. Train songs. Blues. Gospel-tinged numbers. Short songs built for radio, now sung by artists who grew up with them on the air.
