The Delmore Brothers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alton (1908-1964) and Rabon Delmore (1916-1952), billed as The Delmore Brothers, were country music pioneers and stars of the Grand Ole Opry in the 1930s.
The brothers grew up in Elkmont, Alabama amid a rich tradition of gospel music. Their mother, Mollie Delmore, wrote and sang gospel songs for their church. The Delmores blended gospel-style harmonies with the quicker guitar-work of traditional folk music and the blues to help create the still-emerging genre of country. In addition to the regular six-string acoustic guitar, the duo was one of the few to use the rare tenor guitar, a four-string instrument that had primarily been used previously in vaudeville shows.
In 1933 they signed a contract with Victor Record’s budget label Bluebird and became regulars on the Grand Ole Opry variety program. Within three years, they had become the most popular act on the show.
Disagreements with Opry management led to the brothers leaving the show in 1939. While they continued to play and record music throughout the 1940s, they never achieved the same level of success they had with the Grand Ole Opry.
Rabon died of lung cancer in 1952. Alton continued recording with independent labels and made a living writing songs for Rosemary Clooney, Bob Dylan and others. He also wrote his autobiography, Truth is Stranger than Publicity, published posthumously.
Over the course of their careers, the Delmores wrote more than one thousand songs. Some of the most popular were Brown’s Ferry Blues, Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar and Fifteen Miles from Birmingham.
The Delmore Brothers were inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. Their pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
