The Delmore Brothers were one of the first great hillbilly acts, recording dozens of sides with thrilling Appalachian harmonies and subtle but impressive instrumental work that were to be a clear, crucial influence on such performers as
the Stanley Brothers,
the Maddox Brothers & Rose, and
the Louvin Brothers (in fact, one of
the Louvins' finest albums was a 1960 tribute to
The Delmore Brothers). At the same time, in the later years of their career,
Alton Delmore and
Rabon Delmore became among the first and strongest practitioners of hillbilly boogie, making some potent up-tempo
swing and
country-flavored
blues on their recordings for King Records in the late '40s and early '50s. Both sides of
The Delmore Brothers' sound are captured on this four-disc set from the British JSP Records label, which cherry picks from two decades' worth of material but puts its strongest focus on the King Records era, which often found the brothers joined by harmonica man
Wayne Raney and a variety of guest pickers (including
Homer & Jethro on some 1946 sides, and
Merle Travis on other sessions cut the same year). While the jump from pure
country sides to
blues-influenced material may have been a bit dramatic in the eyes of many listeners,
Alton and
Rabon's harmonies are strong and honest from the first cut to the last, and their tight guitar picking actually improved with the passage of time: "Mobile Boogie" features killer solos from both brothers along with a duet break that's mighty fine, and demonstrates that they needed no prompting from others to make with the boogie. The best moments on this set make clear that the dividing line between
country music and the
blues was never as wide as most folks like to believe, and whether they were dreaming of the hills or whooping it up at the roadhouse,
The Delmore Brothers delivered passionate, essential music that's stood the test of time. Many of these selections were sourced from well-worn shellac discs, but the remastering makes the most of the material's fidelity, and the liner notes by
Pat Harrison offer a solid biography of the duo as well as details on when and where the material was recorded, and who accompanied
the Delmores. With a list price of less than thirty dollars, Delmore Brothers, Vol. 2: Later Years 1933-1952 is a fine value as well as great music. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
