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June 7, 2004
10:30 am
Dear Jeff:
You just never know who you'll run into on that internet highway! I
hope I gave you part of the information you wanted.
Yes, they let my sister out sometimes, but she does pick her nose, so we
don't take her in public too much!!! Humor, laugh, humor! I'll make
sure she gets your e-mail-she'd probably pay big money to hear those things said
about her age. Yes, I believe she is working on a tribute CD to
Daddy. Poor baby, she's been trying to pole vault, sackrace, backwards
run, & sneak her way into the music business for nearly 20 years now.
Off and on she's performed, run out of money to go forward with her music,
worked to save up again, performed until she ran out of money again, then worked
some more until I think now she's got enough scraped together to finally put out
a record-the tribute CD. Whatever money she got from "O'Brother" she's
used to get her career off the ground.
When she first started, I bought satin, sequins, etc., & had her 3
stage dress costumes made (I mostly raised her you know). Then after I
heard her sing, I asked her for my money back! HOWEVER-I heard a recording
of "Little Bessie" she'd given my daughter--a demo tape, I think----at
Christmastime and I said, oh, heck, she could keep the dresses now. She
said "thanks, now that I'm too fat to wear the things, you say I can finally
keep them!" It's amazing how much a person can improve in 11 years
with the right instruments, tutors & money to pay voice coaches---it was
there all the time, she just had a heck of a hard time finding the right singing
voice. I told her she was "looking for her voice in all the wrong
places!". She has a good husband now, is remarried and his encouragement
and support have put her on the right course. She had it really tough for
a while & lived with my hubby & I in Gainesville, Florida during her
nasty divorce from husband #1. She's gonna make us all proud one day, I
think.
As I said, Jeff, Jeannie Beannie would LOVE to get your e-mail-I'll have to
forward it to her. She AIN'T UNDER 40, but sisters is blood, & besides
she's bigger than I am, so you'll have to find out how old she is on your
own. I'd love to help you--but as I said, she's bigger & prettier than
me & I do love life. She was 4 years old when Daddy died. She
remembers only a few scattered memories--like running away from home when we
tried to wean her from the bottle at age 3 during Daddy's next-to-last summer of
life. Daddy & I were sort of "raising her together when he was
home". Daddy said, "Come on Sis, this is the little sister you begged for
so hard, and you & Daddy, we'll raise her up to be a lady & when you
have a baby of your own, you'll be glad you learned all this now, just help
Daddy teach your little sister". Mama had her hands full with 5 kids &
when Daddy was home, he was an attentive, nurturing, wonderful father & took
responsibility for most of the parenting since Mama was a single parent while he
was away which was a lot of the time. He figured Mama did her share while
he was gone doing it on her own & he should take over most of the parenting
when he could. Jeannie wouldn't give up her bottle-fought us like a tiger
& still had it when she was 3 years old. So, that summer, Daddy
& I were afraid it'd make her teeth protrude in front & we took it away
from her. We told her we'd given ALL HER BOTTLES to a new little baby
who lived up the street who'd been recently born to a family friend of ours
because the new baby didn't have ANY bottles & she needed Jeannie Beannie's
bottles so she could grow & eat. My sister gets her way & she
wasn't ABOUT to GIVE UP HER BOTTLE. The first 3 or 4 times we turned
our backs, Jeannie streaked out the door & took off up the street to
the Johnson's home which was 3-4 blocks away. When the Johnsons phoned to
tell us that she'd run away to their house, we were all frantic & searching
the world for her & she got into BIG trouble. Always able to talk her
way out of a jam, even then, she refused to get punished because "well, Daddy,
you gave all my bottles to Bonnie Lynn & I needed to go get my
bottles, now. I need my bottles but I don't need a spanking."
Jeannie remembers taking naps with Daddy----who by the time she
was 3 & 4 years old was pretty sick & slept every moment he could, God
rest him---and she remembers laying there waiting craftily to "get
Daddy sleepy night night", sneaking off the bed after he'd fallen asleep
& hauling buggy out the door to play with something she wasn't supposed to
be playing with! But she has so very previous few memories of him.
We all have only a few, but she has less than any of the 5 of us.
People help out with cemetery maintenance, I've had 2-3 flags made &
put up there, others have given flags, and we pay for the rest. Ralph has
it done sometimes & Daddy's estate helps out as far as I know. All the
exhumation work to put Mama & Daddy together just my brothers & sister
& I paid for. I wish I could answer your question, but I don't know if
the cemetery is used during the rest of the year for anything. People
visit all through the year, though, so we have to make it nice for people who
loved Daddy & Ralph & want to pay their respects. Mama &
Daddy are buried right where Daddy chose his spot, we just carried out his
wishes and put him exactly where he wanted to be & wanted all of us to be
later on. He was buried underground for 24 years, but when Mama died we
had him lifted up & both of them put together into the above-ground
mausoleum where they are now. I'd been the one who came home to take care
of Mama those last 4 horrible months while cancer destroyed her body, mind,
& made us all want her to go home to Daddy where they'd be together after so
long apart and neither one would suffer or hurt anymore. So I picked out
the little house they live in & chose the guitar & little white dove
carved into the stones. I remember when Ralph & Jimmie & I went to
see it, Ralph said to me "Better get yours now, Sis, you can stack these boxes
one on top of the other one, & Maw goes on Carter's right side, then me,
& then Jimmie goes on my other side. We all love to be surrounded by
our women, you know. You'll have to put yours on top of your Daddy &
Mother's so you're right here with them. They cost, but me & Jimmy are
getting ours & Maw's coming in with us, too. We'll all just have to
stack 'em so we can be here together."
I don't know whether we suggested the "White Dove" speaker sound system
playing their music or not. I can't recall to tell you truthfully. I
don't THINK it plays all year, but can't answer that either. I know it
does play during the Memorial Festival & I think we paid for it but can't be
certain on that. Daddy's estate maintains things there & then each of
us do the flowers, etc. I want to go a few things there to add to what's
there, and will when the money's available. We should have more places for
people to sit down and think there-it's the best place in the world to think,
you know. The flag should always have Daddy's favorite symbol---The White
Dove. The wind wears flags out pretty quick so I can't keep them up there,
but hope to do better on that in the future. James Shelton who plays in
The Clinch Mountain Boys knows details on things like that, or Ralph, & if I
find out I'll make it a point to answer your query the second I know.
Thank you Jeff, for your kind words. Thank you for caring about
mountain music, thank you for the information you provide to people on this
site, thank you for supporting Stanley music and your loyalty to the music
that's the best in the world. People just like you made the Stanley
Brothers what they are & were & you continue to be largely responsible
for their success. If I can tell you anything else, I'd love to share
memories of Daddy with you. They are one of the only things we have
left of him now. Except my grandson, Samuel who started singing "Jesus
Loves Me" at age 14 months and hasn't stopped singing since & my 6-year
old granddaughter who is a natural stage performer & grabs a microphone
& gets in front of a camera everywhere she goes & every chance she
gets. I don't think we'll be able to keep Shayla off the stage in the
future, she takes dancing, ballet, tap, acrobats, etc & I think she wants to
start music soon. Baby Sammy is happiest when he's singing-he never
stops.
They are Mother & Daddy's only 2 great-grandchildren so far &
their immortality. Mother never saw a great grandchild. Daddy never
even saw one of his grandchildren. They would cherish these 2 little imps
my daughter has given us all.
I hope one day to meet you & thank you in person for being such a loyal
fan. Keep loving mountain music-it's just the best.
Cordially,
Doris Stanley Bradley.
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- Re: BG: Re: Ralph's Father's Grave Zigreek
- Re: BG: Re: Ralph's Father's Grave Doris Bradley
- Re: BG: Re: Ralph's Father's Grave JNRoot
- Doris Bradley
