Alton & Rabon Delmore Birth Name:  Will Alton Delmore (Alton) Birth Name:  Rabon A. Delmore (Rabon) Induction Year:  1971 Date of Birth:  12/25/1908 (Alton) Date of Birth:  12/3/1916 (Rabon) Place of Birth:  Elkmont, AL (Alton and Rabon) Date of Death:  6/9/1964 (Alton) Date of Death:  12/4/1952 (Rabon) Place of Death:  Huntsville, AL (Alton) Place of Death:  Athens, AL (Rabon)     Former Occupations: printer (Alton) Education: Grade School--Reed (Rabon) High School--Decatur (Alton) High School--Tanner (Rabon) Career Milestones: c. 1925--Alton's first song written at age 13, "Bound For the Shore" (co-written with his mother) published by Athens Music Co. c. 1929--Delmore Brothers first public appearance at Clements High School in West Limestone County, Alabama 1930--the brothers won a fiddling contest at Athens Agricultural High School; introduced "Brown's Ferry Blues"; performance led to a recording contract with Columbia Records 1931--first recording session for Columbia; cut "I've Got the Kansas City Blues" and "Alabama Lullaby" which became their theme song 1931--joined the Grand Ole Opry 1933--first releases on Bluebird label 1934--moved to Nashville; landed a morning radio show on WSM 1938--left the Grand Ole Opry 1938-1940--traveled with a string band up the East Coast 1940--accepted a job with WAPI in Birmingham where they were given their own program and musical autonomy 1940--first Decca releases 1942--moved to Cincinnati to join the Boone County Jamboree at station WLW; it was there that they formed the gospel quartet Brown's Ferry Four (Alton, Rabon, Merle Travis and Grandpa Jones) 1944--Alton helped to start King Records 1945--first Brown's Ferry Four releases 1946--landed a morning show at WMC in West Memphis, AK; met harmonica player Wayne Raney who inspired the brothers to start experimenting with "boogie" style of blues playing in their songs 1949--went to KWHN (Ft. Smith, Arkansas) where they began All-Night Singings; also recorded "Blues Stay Away From Me", one of the first and earliest collaborations between white country and black music (with the Delmores, Wayne Raney, and Henry Glover) 1951--temporary breakup of the brothers 1951--first television appearance on KPRC in Houston, Texas 1951--reunited in March; last personal appearance at the Roosevelt Lounge in Detroit 1952--last Delmore Brothers recordings (on King), "The Trail of Time" and "I Needed You" 1956--Acme Releases of Alton and Brown's Ferry Four Awards: 1951--BMI\Citation of Achievement\Beautiful Brown Eyes 1987--Alabama Country Music Association Hall of Fame induction 1989--Alabama Music Hall of Fame induction 2001--Country Music Hall of Fame induction Catalog Highlights Bound For the Shore Writer: Alton Delmore, Molly Delmore Artists: Delmore Brothers Brown's Ferry Blues Writer: Alton Delmore Artists: Delmore Brothers, Tennessee Ernie Ford Blues Stay Away From Me Co-writer: Wayne Raney, Henry Glover Artists: Delmore Brothers, Asleep at the Wheel, Eddie Crosby, Owen Bradley Quintet, Bob Dylan, Mark Knopfler, Jeff Beck Beautiful Brown Eyes Writer: Alton Delmore, A. Smith Artists: Rosemary Clooney, Jimmy Wakely, Bing Crosby, Chet Atkins Alabama Lullaby Writer: Alton Delmore Artists: Delmore Brothers Trail of Time Writer: Alton Delmore Artists: John Anderson Tennessee Choo Choo Pan American Boogie Artists: Delmore Brothers Gonna Lay Down My Ole Guitar Writer: Alton Delmore Artists: Delmore Brothers Big River Blues Writer: Alton Delmore Artists: Delmore Brothers, Sweethearts of the Rodeo Midnight Special Writer: Alton Delmore Artists: Delmore Brothers Ole Mountain Dew Writer: Alton Delmore Artists: Delmore Brothers Going Back to the Blue Ridge Mountains Writer: Alton Delmore Artists: Delmore Brothers Freight Train Boogie Artists: Delmore Brothers, Whitstein Brothers Hillbilly Boogie Artists: Delmore Brothers Mobile Boogie Artists: Delmore Brothers There's a Page in the Bible Writer: Alton Delmore Artists: Brown's Ferry Four There's More Pretty Girls Than One Writers: Alton Delmore, W. Smith Artists: Delmore Brothers, Hylo Brown Born to Be Blue Writer: Rabon Delmore Artists: Delmore Brothers Field Hand Man Co-writer: Wayne Raney Artists: Delmore Brothers Born to Be Blue Writer: Rabon Delmore Artists: Delmore Brothers Field Hand Man Co-writer: Wayne Raney Artists: Delmore Brothers Trouble Ain't Nothing But the Blues Co-writer: Wayne Raney Artists: Delmore Brothers Life's Too Short Artists: Delmore Brothers Blues You Never Lose Co-writer: Henry Glover Artists: Delmore Brothers Please Be My Sunshine Artists: Delmore Brothers The Girl By The River Artists: Delmore Brothers Comments: Alton moved to Huntsville, Alabama in 1953, where he taught music until his death in 1964. In 1963, Alton began his autobiography, "Truth Is Stranger Than Publicity", which was published in 1971 by the Country Music Foundation. The Delmores gave Roy Acuff his first big break--they discovered him at an amateur audition and hired his band for their road show. Considered country music's first duet