Died On This Date (May 8, 2012) Everett Lilly / Bluegrass’ The Lilly Brothers
themusicsover Everett Lilly
July 1, 1924 – May 8, 2012
Everett Lilly was a respected mandolin picker who, along with his brother, Bea Lilly, were known to the bluegrass world as the Lilly Brothers. The Lilly Brothers got started singing on their local Appalachia radio stations during the 1940s, and folks took to their sound which has been likened to that of the Blue Sky Boys and the Monroe Brothers. In 1952, they moved to Boston and are largely credited to bringing bluegrass to New England. They quickly became a popular draw at area folk clubs, coffee houses, and festivals. The Lilly Brothers went on to record several albums for such labels as Folkways and Prestige. Prior to going off with his brother, Lilly played and sang for Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, and performed on the Grand Ole Opry as part of their Foggy Mountain Boys. He also played on several of their early records. In recent years, Lilly performed alongside his sons in the Lilly Mountaineers. Everett Lilly was 87 when he passed away on May 8, 2012.
Thanks to Amy Cool Dorsey for the assist.
What You Should Own
Jody Rainwater was a bluegrass pioneer who found his calling as a teenager, at first playing the mandolin. Before long, he and is brother were performing as Chuck and Slim, the Johnson Brothers. The boys built a local following thanks in part to their comical on stage banter. In 1937, they were hired by High Point, North Carolina radio station, WMFR to perform live every Thursday evening. By 1945, the duo were no longer together, so Rainwater enlisted in the Marines and served during WWII. Upon his discharge, he formed the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys with Woody Hauser and developed an onstage persona known as Little Jody. By the late ’40s, they disbanded, and Rainwater was soon playing bass alongside