This is the stuff Bluegrass is built on. This song was on the first Bluegrass album I bought and was one of the first examples of Bluegrass I ever heard. Unbeatable!
This is one of the best versions of this song ever recorded. I love Jesse's mandolin playing -- so sensitive and heartfelt. And the way they switch lead/harmony to get the sound just right. Wonderful. Love to you Jesse, and Jim, you are sorely missed.
Jim and Jesse harmonize beautifully. Southern half of the Appalachian mountains and culture and bluegrass music . I loved it back in the day and I love it now.
I got to spend a few hours with Jesse back stage at the Opry house back in 1987... My God! what a nice guy! He and Brother Oswald treated me like family and we spent the night in the bluegrass dressing room (#2, Mr. Acuff had #1) and had the night of my life! Jim will be sorely missed.
I love Jim and Jesse - they sang so many good songs, and did such a good job of it. I miss seeing all of these people in festivals - all of those within decent distance of us went away. The years we had were really treasures, though.
Had the pleasure of going to one of their concerts. Jim broke a string in the middle of the song but that didn't stop anything. He changed the string while Jessie kept on singing and had it done and playing in no time.
BEAUTIFUL family harmony here... have seen Jim and Jesse a few times MANY years ago at Sunset Park in West Grove, PA... brings back nice memories of good music, family togetherness, simple times... miss that.
One of my all time favorite songs! Thanks to Charlie & Ira Louvin for writing it and these boys for singing it so well. Emmylou Harris does a good job on it too! I love this.
Keith contracted MS quite late in life and had a really tough time with it. When I last saw him in the early 90's he was in a wheelchair. He was a personal friend of mine and it was so sad to see him that way. He's gone on to a much better place now.
Wow...just lost my gal, and it took exactly till the end of the initial verse for the first teardrop to fall. Well performed music can make the hair stand up on one's neck, or bring a person to tears. Amazing.
When I was a kid, they had a TV show that come on around 7 every Saturday night from Dothan, Alabama. I thought the Martha White theme they played was so great.
I have to agree with everyone who says that it's such a shame country n bluegrass doesn't have voices like this anymore. No plain honest folks behind the ones that are out right now either. Not in new country anyway. All the new artists seem fake to me and I'm 29. Makes me sad. Thanks for posting this
Mighty fine from the great Jim and Jesse. Other heartbreakingly beautiful versions are by (1) Glen Campbell & Mel Tillis & Roy Clark, and (2) Don Henley & Dolly Parton. And of course the original, by the Louvin Brothers.
Siblings often have incredible harmony, by virtue of the fact that their voice tones are nearly identical (result of genetics)...so their "blend is tight enough", that individual notes cannot be heard. Only a single "chord" is discernible. Bluegrass, as far as I know, was really the first music that valued tight harmonies and "blend" to the point, that hearing individual singers during certain sustained harmony notes, was considered UNdesirable and distasteful.
