2. Stanley Brothers/Ralph Stanley

The Stanley Brothers are seen as a defining act in the bluegrass side of country music, so their still being missing from the Hall Of Fame is a glaring omission that hopefully gets fixed in the future. Ralph and Carter Stanley came from a musical family, and once both brothers came back from serving in World War II they started up their duo together. Making their first song recordings in 1947, they became known for their incredible harmonies together. Carter took lead vocals with his rich voice full of emotion, and Ralph’s tenor was able to match along with his brother’s perfectly. There are not great records to determine today which of the Stanley songs were radio successes, but with their constant touring and their signing with Columbia records in 1948, their names were surely getting out to the audiences. Though the duo had ups and downs throughout their lives, it eventually ended when Carter died of cirrhosis in 1966. Ralph started up a solo career and continued pushing on for the rest of the 20^th century, collecting up some new band members to join him along the way. The Stanley Brothers were around for the first wave when bluegrass was just getting started, and then with the year 2000, there came another wave. Ralph happened to lend his voice to a couple of songs on a soundtrack to a smaller movie called “O Brother, Where Art Thou”. Little did he know that this soundtrack would go on to sell over 9 million copies, win him his first 2 Grammy awards, and kick off a new mainstream love for bluegrass and country music. All of these achievements and a legacy of great music prove that the Stanley Brothers rightfully deserve a spot in the Country Music Hall Of Fame.