Remembering the Beacon Brothers

As "Texas" Jack Johnson points out in the liner notes, second-place finishers seldom receive recognition, much less tribute albums. Tim Graves and Daryl Mosley nonetheless thought the Beacon Brothers deserved a second chance. Legend has it that the brother team was on the verge of success when Elvis Presley hit big in 1956, leading their record company to pull the plug on their finished album. Remembering the Beacon Brothers, then, recalls the brothers for posterity by collecting an even dozen songs, many of which were associated with the honky tonk team in the 1950s. Graves and Mosley are both fine singers, but the real highlight of the recording is their harmony on classics like "Tupelo County Jail" and "Satan's Jeweled Crown." The songs range from memorable murder ballads like "Knoxville Girl" to honky tonk gems like "Why You Been Gone So Long." Graves and Mosley supplement their lineup with Bobby Osborne, Glen Duncan, and Charlie Cushman, a perfect combination of guitar, mandolin, fiddle, bass, and Dobro that remains faithful to the Beacon Brothers' original sound. Mosley's Dobro work, in fact, provides the underlying musical key here, adding a little something to these straightforward arrangements. Remembering the Beacon Brothers is an enjoyable recording and will strongly appeal to fans of '40s- and '50s-style duets. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford Jr., Rovi