Effective period / Period of releases: 1948 - 2004

Members: Ralph Stanley, Carter Stanley, George Shuffler, Jack Cooke, Albert Elliot

The Stanley Brothers were an American bluegrass duo made up of brothers Carter Stanley and Ralph Stanley . Ralph and Carter performed as The Stanley Brothers with their band, The Clinch Mountain Boys, from 1946 to 1966. Ralph kept the band name when he continued solo after Carter's death in 1966, until his own death in 2016.
The Stanley Brothers began their recording career in 1947. They recorded 10 songs for Rich-R-Tone records in Johnson City, Tennessee.
They moved on to a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1948. From 1949-1952 they recorded 22 songs with Columbia.
In 1953 they switched over to Mercury Records for five years.
In 1958, The Stanley Brothers began recording for Starday/King Records. In the seven years that followed, they produced 15 albums.