The Alabama brother duo whose gospel-tinged harmonies and boogie rhythms helped lay the groundwork for rockabilly, years before Elvis.
MOODS · nostalgic · rootsy · harmonic · rustic · rhythmic · gospel-tinged · bluesy · vintage · warm · earnest
BIOGRAPHY
Alton and Rabon Delmore, born to tenant farmers in Elkmont, Alabama, rose from poverty to become stars of the Grand Ole Opry in the 1930s. After winning a 1930 talent contest in Athens, Alabama, they signed with Columbia in 1931 and later Bluebird in 1933, blending gospel harmony, folk guitar work, and blues into the emerging country genre.
In the latter half of the 1940s their recordings fused traditional country with boogie beats, including 1946's "Hillbilly Boogie," a style-naming track that anticipated rockabilly. Their biggest hit, "Blues Stay Away from Me," was later covered by artists from Johnny Burnette to The Everly Brothers. Rabon died of lung cancer in 1952; Alton continued recording before leaving music and completing an autobiography published after his death in 1964.
WHY THEY'RE COOL
The Delmore Brothers are foundational figures in country music history, credited as pioneers of the "hillbilly boogie" sound that helped pave the way for rockabilly and early rock and roll. Bob Dylan cited them as an influence on his own vocal harmonies, and their catalog has been reinterpreted by artists ranging from Gene Vincent to The Louvin Brothers. Their induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, and the Country Music Hall of Fame cements their standing as one of the genre's essential early brother duos.
GEORGE'S PLAYS
First time on the station.
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