It is interesting to note that, despite the mature and sober themes, the Stanley Brothers were relatively young men at the time of these 22 triumphs. When they signed with Columbia in the fall of 1947, lead vocalist Carter was 23 and tenor vocalist and banjo player Ralph was 21. Though Monroe, Flatt, and Scruggs were spearheading the bluegrass movement with fiery licks, the Stanleys looked to older mountain music for their inspiration. Using traditional Appalachian folk forms, the Stanleys created an original and memorable songbook filled with poignant songs of mother, God, murder, and death. With piercing, mournful harmonies (sung by Ralph and mandolinist Pee Wee Lambert), songs such as "A Vision of Mother," "The White Dove," "The Drunkard's Hell," "The Fields Have Turned Brown," "The Lonesome River," and "A Life of Sorrow" remain potent, genre-defining statements. Even when the tempos are jaunty--as on classics such as "Little Glass of Wine," "Man of Constant Sorrow," and the banjo-fueled "Pretty Polly"--the subjects are deep and dark. --Marc Greilsamer