Biography

EARL TAYLOR & JIM McCALL With The Stoney Mountain Boys – BLUE GRASS FAVORITES

Although he held down long residencies in Baltimore and Cincinnati, Earl Moses Taylor was from the heart of bluegrass country in southwestern Virginia, near Kentucky and Tennessee state lines.

“Hard-driving” and “exciting” are words which can describe the music of Earl Taylor and his Stoney Mountain Boys. It can also be described as “crowd-pleasing” because of the tremendous acceptance of the Stoney Mountain Boys through the years, which happen to begin in 1947 and ended in 1983 when Earl Taylor passed away.

The Stoney Mountain Boys band was well known by aficionados of bluegrass in the eastern United States during the last 50’s. So well, in fact, the band was included on the very first bluegrass LP in 1958 and was the very first bluegrass band to play Carnegie Hall in 1959.

But this notoriety was not easy to achieve for Earl Taylor, Jim McCall, Vernon McIntyre Jr., “Boatwhistle” McIntyre, Walter Hensley, Sam Hutchins, Charlie Waller and others who were with the band through the years. Vernon Junior, who played banjo with the group for many years after Hensley left, remembered playing in rowdy bars behind chicken wire to protect them from thrown bottles which served as missiles hurled during the frequent bar fights.

“Oh my, Earl Taylor & The Stoney Mountain Boys was a great band.” Said Del McCoury. “Earl didn’t want to travel and he didn’t do his own material, but when it came to hard-driving rhythm and high lonesome singing, he was right up there with Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs.”

Another Virginian, Jim McCall replaced Sam Hutchins just days after Earl returned from the Carnegie Hall performance. Soon after Earl Taylor, Jim McCall and the rest of the band relocated to the Cincinnati were they performed for many years in the area.

The Stony Mountain Boys recorded on many labels including Folkways, United Artists, Columbia, Vetco and Rural Rhythm. This 1967 Rural Rhythm recording was produced by Lou Ukleson. The album included Earl Taylor (mandolin, vocals), Jim McCall (guitar, vocals), Vernon McIntyre, Jr. (banjo), Moon Mullins (fiddle) and “Boatwhistle” McIntyre (bass).


1. Little Maggie (1:33)
2. The Suns Gonna Shine (2:01)
3. Pretty Polly (1:59)
4. Wondering Boy (2:25)
5. Home Across The Blueridge Mountains (2:01)
6. False Hearted Love (2:01)
7. Foggy Mountain Top (2:12)
8. John Hardy (1:29)
9. Over The Hill To The Poor House (2:04)
10. Lonesome Road Blues (2:18)
11. Wreck Of The Old ’97 (2:04)
12. Old Joe Clark (1:52)
13. Down In The Willow Garden (2:00)
14. (Lost All My Money But A) Two Dollar Bill (2:00)
15. Gathering Flowers From The Hillside (2:16)
16. Ain’t Nobody Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone (2:46)
17. Cripple Creek (1:22)
18. Darling Corey (1:48)
19. Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms (2:19)
20. Worried Man Blues (1:56)

Musicians:
EARL TAYLOR – Mandolin, Vocal
JIM McCALL – Guitar, Vocal
VERNON McINTYRE, JR. - Banjo
MOON MULLINS – Fiddle
“BOATWHISTLE” McINTYRE - BaSS

Album Produced by Lou Ukleson
Reissue Producer: Sam Passamano, II
Mastered for this CD by Steve Hoffman

For free catalog of Country, Bluegrass Gospel and Folk music call (800) 776-8742 or write to:
Rural Rhythm Records
P.O. Box 750
Mt. Juliet, TN 37121