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Garland Brothers & Grinstead

About the Group

About The Group

The Garland Brothers and Grinstead were a Knox-Whitley County, Kentucky threesome that recorded in Johnson City, Tennessee in 1928. Members were

  • Ashley Sidney Garland (B: July 3, 1903 — D: January 9, 1983)
  • Hanford Garland (B: January 24, 1906 — D: August 30, 1988)
  • Charley Grinstead (B: December 25, 1876 — D: December 28, 1950)
  • Flora Sutton (B: July 15, 1901 — D: January 1, 1972)

They had a brief recording career on Columbia October 18, 1928 when they cut what Tony Russell termed two of the most "hauntingly beautiful hymns" ("Beautiful" b/w "Just Over The River") ever preserved on disc. Unfortunately, they were released in 1931 when the economy was in terrible shape and their effort sold only 737 copies.

At the time of their Johnson City session, the Garlands were young farmers who also did carpenter work and sang sacred numbers. Charley Grinstead was a farmer and truck driver. A fourth member, uncredited on the label, Flora Sutton, sang alto, apparently owned the hymn book from which their songs were taken, and worked at the YMCA in Corbin.

Columbia - 15679-D - Garland Brothers and Grinstead - Beautiful - October 18, 1928 - Johnson City, TN

Credits & Sources

Recordings (78rpm/45rpm)

 
Columbia
Rec. No. Side Song Title
  15679 D A Beautiful
  15679 D B Just Over The River