Prison-Themed Top Ten: Stone Walls and Steel Bars (#8)

Tweet

As I said when I posted the Jimmie Rodgers song in part one of this dual prison theme countdown, I didn’t intentionally put two oldies from my world on the same day. It just happened that way. It would’ve been like the Johnny Cash songs showing up on the same day: purely coinky-dink. Anyway, if you enjoy bluegrass, here’s today’s song set in prison but without the mention of “jail” or “prison” in the title. #8: Stone Walls and Steel Bars - Stanley Brothers If you saw O Brother, Where Art Thou then you’ve heard these guys. Their recording of “Angel Band” closes out the movie while the credits roll. Ralph Stanley’s recording of “O Death” is in the soundtrack as well. (Come to think of it, today’s jail/prison song, “In the Jailhouse Now,” was performed by the Soggy Bottom Boys in the movie.) I have to say that I’m surprised the Stanley Brothers weren’t inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. There’s a much better and bigger argument for their induction than Mac Wiseman’s (and, again, I love Mac, so it’s not a personal knock....strictly business). But it is what it is. The Stanley Brothers (Carter on guitar and lead vocals, Ralph on banjo and tenor) were the first bluegrass act not named Bill Monroe. Monroe didn’t like that (he was a fussy guy...there’s a joke Emmylou Harris tells on her live album about Monroe offering mandolin maestro Sam Bush a pair of scissors to cut his not-all-that-long hair), but the rest of the world did. In the end, the world of bluegrass was big enough for Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers. And better off for it, too. Stone Walls and Steel Bars Written by Ray Pennington and Roy Marcum Recorded by the Stanley Brothers Released as a single, 1963 Gray-haired warden: