The Lilly Brothers, (Bea Lilly, born Michael Burt Lilly, December 15, 1921 – September 18, 2005 and brother Everett Lilly, born July 1, 1924 – May 8, 2012) were bluegrass musicians born in Clear Creek, West Virginia. They have been credited with bringing bluegrass to New England and with influencing such future bluegrass artists as Peter Rowan, Joe Val and Bill Keith, among others.Carr, Munde 1996, p. 108.
Biography Influenced by the traditional music they heard in their youth, Bea began playing the guitar and Everett the mandolin. In 1938, they made their radio debut on the Old Farm Hour show at WCHS in Charleston, West Virginia. Other radio works followed at WJLS in Beckley, West Virginia and on several other Southern radio stations during the 1940s.Carlin 2003, p. 233.Jones 2008, p. 244. In 1945, they appeared on the Molly O'Day radio show at WNOX in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 1948, the brothers signed with the WWVA Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia as members of "Red Belcher's Kentucky Ridge Runners",Erbsen 2003, p. 49. but they quit two years later because of a financial dispute and the brothers retired temporarily. In 1951, Everett joined Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs as a mandolin player. The next year, in 1952, 'Tex' Logan, whom they had met at the WWVA Jamboree, persuaded the brothers to reunite.
The Lilly Brothers moved to Boston and formed a group called the "Confederate Mountaineers" who consisted of the brothers on guitar and mandolin, Logan on fiddle, and Don Stover on banjo. They performed on WCOP's Hayloft Jamboree and as a house band at local clubs such as the Plaza Bar, the Mohawk Ranch, and the Hillbilly Ranch. Soon, they were making records for the Folkways, Prestige and Event labels.Wolff, Duane 2000, p. 231. Somewhere along the line they changed the group's name to the Lilly Brothers.
In the 1960s they appeared in concerts at several major colleges and at folk festivals. The personnel of the Lilly Brothers didn't change between 1952 and 1970 and is considered one of bluegrass music's most stable lineups. The death of Everett Lilly's son, Giles, in a car crash in 1970 brought to an end the brothers' career in Boston and Everett left the town. For the remainder of the 1970s, the brothers would reunite on several occasions. In 1973, the Lilly Brothers made a tremendously successful tour of Japan, including the release of three live albums.Black 2005, p. 50. The Lilly Brothers' career was later chronicled in a 1979 documentary "True Facts in a Country Song". In the 1980s, as Bea retired, Everett and his son Mark played together in the group "Clear Creek Crossin'".
Everett Lilly continued to play and perform with his sons in a band called Everett Lilly and the Lilly Mountaineers until his death in 2012.
Afterwards Joe Val once said of the Confederate Mountaineers' influence on urban Massachusetts, Those guys hit on like a bombshell. Nobody'd ever heard anything like that before.
Inductions In 1986. the Lilly Brothers were inducted into the Massachusetts Country Music Hall of Fame and Don Stover was inducted the following year. On October 17, 2002, the Lilly Brothers and Don Stover were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. In November 2008, the Lilly Brothers were inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.
Discography 78 RPM Year Song titles Label Number1948"What Are They Doing in Heaven" / "They Sleep Together Now at Rest"Page5051957"Tragic Romance" / "Are You Tired of Me, My Darling"EventE-42611959"John Henry" / "Bring Back My Blue-Eyed Boy to Me"EventE-4272
Albums Year Title Label Number Notes1962Folk Songs From the Southern MountainsFolkwaysFA 2433one side with Don Stover1963Bluegrass BreakdownPrestige FolkloreFL14010with Don Stover1964The Country Songs of the Lilly BrothersPrestige FolkloreFL14035with Everett Alan Lilly1970Early RecordingsCounty729with Don Stover, recorded 1956–57 1973What Will I Leave BehindCounty742with Don Stover1974Holiday in Japan, Part 1TowaTWA 101Swith Don Stover & Everett Alan Lilly live in Japan1974Holiday in Japan, Part 2TowaTWA 102Swith Don Stover & Everett Alan Lilly live in Japan1974Holiday in Japan, Part 3TowaTWA 103Swith Don Stover & Everett Alan Lilly live in Japan1996Live at Hillbilly RanchHay HollerHHCD1333recorded in Boston, July 1967 2001Live at Tamarack 2001Lilly Bros5704with the Lilly Mountaineers2002On the Radio 1952–1953Rounder1109with Don Stover2003West Virginia, Oh How I Miss YouLilly Broswith the Lilly Mountaineers
Compilations and reissues Year Title Label Number Notes1977Bluegrass BreakdownRounderSS01reissue of Prestige FL140101977The Lilly Brothers – Country SongsRounderSS02reissue of Prestige FL140351991Early RecordingsRebel1688reissue of County 7291999The Prestige/Folklore Years, Vol 5: Have a Feast Here TonightPrestige9919CD reissue of Prestige FL14010 and FL140352001Newport Folk Festival – Best of Bluegrass 1959–66VanguardVCD-187-89-22-CD set, includes 5 live tracks by the Lilly Brothers 2003What Will I Leave BehindRebel1788reissue of County 7422005Bluegrass at the RootsFolkwaysSWF40158reissue of Folkways FA2433 plus 2 unreleased tracks
Video appearances Year Title Label Formats Notes1979"True Facts in a Country Song"Burt/Chadwick16mm/DVD29-minute documentary by Susan Burt & Doug Chadwick2005Festival!Eagle VisionDVD Newport Folk Festival 1963–66, with Don Stover, Tex Logan, and Everett Alan Lilly2006Bluegrass Country SoulTime LifeDVDCamp Springs, NC Bluegrass Festival 1971, various artists
Footnotes
References Black, Bob (2005) Come Hither To Go Yonder, University of Illinois Press Carlin, Richard (2003) Country Music: A Biographical Dictionary, Taylor & Francis Carr, Joe – Munde, Alan (1996) Prairie Nights To Neon Lights: The Story of Country Music In West Texas, Texas Tech University Press Erbsen, Wayne (2003) Rural Roots of Bluegrass: Songs, Stories and History, Mel Bay Publications Jones, Loyal (2008) Country Music Humorists and Comedians, University of Illinois Press Wolff, Kurt – Duane, Orla (2000) Country Music: The Rough Guide, Rough Guides
External links
Don Stover biography at Oldies.com