Celebrate the Heart of Country, Americana, and Roots Music!

Drop Us A Line, Y'all

Y'all interested in advertising, partnering up, contributing stories, joining our team, or just got a question? Well, don't be shy, drop us a line!

Follow Us

Remembering The Death Of Carter Stanley, The Forgotten Stanley Brother

Carter Stanley Death
by
  • Arden is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, specializing in classic hits and contemporary chart-toppers.
  • Prior to joining Country Thang Daily, Arden wrote for Billboard and People magazine, covering country music legends and emerging artists.
  • Arden holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Tennessee, with a minor in Music Studies.

It was unfortunate that Carter Stanley died young, just when he was beginning to see success in the music business.

On October 21, 1996, Stanley started hemorrhaging in the middle of a performance at a school auditorium in Hazel Green, Kentucky, that he had to depart immediately. Stanley had many years of alcohol abuse behind him – and he knew his downfall was coming. His health failed him quite many times, and he was even often bothered by how he could no longer sing like he used to.

While everyone expected Stanley to bounce back from his sick bed, things got worse instead. On December 1, 1966, Stanley died from cirrhosis of the liver. He was only 41 years old. 

In accordance with his request, Stanley was then buried in a tiny graveyard at the pencil point of a high hill on Smith Ridge, Virginia.

He Might Have Gone Too Soon, But His Star Has Never Dimmed

Carter Stanley is one of the most renowned and respected lead singers, songwriters, and rhythm guitar players in the bluegrass circles. While he formed the Stanley Brothers band alongside his brother Ralph Stanley, he was the driving force. Ralph, who was only a young boy at the time, mostly tagged along for the ride.

The Stanley Brothers kicked off their recording career in 1947. Since then, they’ve been considered the most revered sibling duo in country music history. Their recording of “Molly and Tenbrooks” is even considered the birth of bluegrass as a genre. Other notable Stanley Brothers songs are “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” “A Lonesome Night,” “Bury Me Beneath the Weeping Willow,” and “A Man Of Constant Sorrow.”

In 1992, Stanley was inducted posthumously into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor.

Latest Stories

Jamey Johnson and his wife Brittney Eakins smile at each other in wedding attire by a scenic river, celebrating their unique love story that began with a proposal the day after they met.

Jamey Johnson Proposed to His Wife Brittney the Day After They Met and She Said Yes

Jamey Johnson doesn’t date. He decides. And apparently, he decided the moment he met Brittney Eakins because this outlaw son of Alabama met a woman, looked her dead in the ...

Beyoncé performs in a white rhinestone western outfit and cowboy hat during her Cowboy Carter era, drawing controversy after receiving country award nominations at the 2025 AMAs.

Beyoncé Got Two Country Nods at the 2025 AMAs While Real Country Artists Got Nothing

Let’s not sugarcoat this. Beyoncé just scored two country nominations at the 2025 American Music Awards, and half the artists actually living, breathing, and bleeding this genre didn’t get a ...

Breanna Nix hugs her young son backstage as she prepares for her Grand Ole Opry debut, radiating joy ahead of her biggest country music milestone yet.

Breanna Nix Will Make Her Grand Ole Opry Debut and She’s Bringing the Fire With Her

Third place? Nah. Breanna Nix didn’t come off American Idol with a consolation prize. She walked out with a calling. Just days after closing out Season 23 as the sleeper ...

John Foster performs onstage in a tan jacket and cowboy hat, holding a guitar and singing into a microphone under purple lighting.

John Foster Believes There Was a Bigger Reason He Came Second on American Idol

John Foster didn’t come in first on American Idol but let’s be real. The trophy ain’t what gets you to Nashville. It’s what you do after the cameras shut off ...

Dolly Parton stands on stage holding a microphone, wearing a white blazer and black gloves, speaking passionately with two pastel armchairs behind her under soft lighting.

Dolly Parton Reveals the Cost Behind the Career Everyone Thinks Is Perfect

Everyone wants the rhinestones. Nobody signs up for the grindstone. At 79 years old, Dolly Parton stood at the opening of her own Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit and ...

Tim McGraw and George Strait stand side by side onstage, smiling with arms raised and guitars in hand, sharing a moment of camaraderie and mutual respect during a live performance.

Tim McGraw Says He Passed on “Carrying Your Love With Me” Out of Respect for George Strait

Tim McGraw has never been short on hits. The guy basically owned the ’90s. But even legends have moments they look back on and think, “Damn, that one got away.” ...

Riley Green and Randy Houser perform with acoustic guitars onstage at Sand In My Boots Fest, honoring Toby Keith with fiery renditions of his classic songs.

Riley Green and Randy Houser Honor Toby Keith With His Classics at Sand In My Boots Fest

If you were down in Gulf Shores this weekend and didn’t feel the ground shake when Riley Green and Randy Houser tore into “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” check your pulse. ...

Tim McGraw speaks into a podcast microphone, reflecting on aging in country music and saying he's done singing about bikinis and tailgate parties at 58.

Tim McGraw Says He’s 58 Now and Done Singing About Bikinis and Tailgate Parties

Tim McGraw just reminded everyone in Nashville that growing older doesn’t mean growing irrelevant. It means growing up. On a recent episode of TL’s Road House with Tracy Lawrence, McGraw ...

Morgan Wallen sits beside his son in a utility vehicle, smiling as he embraces fatherhood—a turning point that made him more selective about the people in his life.

Becoming a Dad Made Morgan Wallen Rethink Who He Lets Near His Circle

Morgan Wallen didn’t wake up one day and decide to grow up. He got shoved into it. Hard. Fame, scandals, arrest headlines, and enough “my bads” to fill an entire ...

Blake Shelton and Michael Bublé smile onstage while holding microphones during their performance, blending country and pop charm under bright stage lights.

Blake Shelton Took Michael Bublé’s Song “Home” and Made It His Own Country Classic

Blake Shelton didn’t just cover “Home.” He stole it, wrapped it in twang, threw a Miranda Lambert harmony on it, and turned a pop ballad into the most important song ...