Darrell "Pee Wee" Lambert
Musician · Thacker, West Virginia
Best known for
Mandolin
Darrell "Pee Wee" Lambert was a West Virginia-born mandolinist and high-baritone singer whose four years with the Stanley Brothers (1946–1950) brought a direct Bill Monroe influence into the Stanleys' early sound — the trio voice that floated above Carter's lead and Ralph's tenor on the band's seminal Rich-R-Tone and Columbia sessions.
- Born Darrell Lambert on August 5, 1924 in Thacker, West Virginia.
- Mandolinist with the Stanley Brothers from the band's late-1946 formation through 1950.
- Sang high baritone in the signature Stanley trio: Carter on lead, Ralph on tenor, Pee Wee on high baritone.
- Played on the Stanley Brothers' Rich-R-Tone sessions (1947–1949) and Columbia sessions (1949–1950).
- An openly avowed Bill Monroe devotee — imitated Monroe's posture, dress, vocal style, and mandolin approach, bringing that direct Monroe influence into the Stanleys' sound.
- After leaving the Stanleys in 1950, co-led the Bluegrass Pardners / Pine Ridge Boys with Curly Parker through the 1950s.
- Played a 1922 Lloyd Loar F-5 mandolin now owned by Ricky Skaggs.
- Died June 15, 1965.
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Blue Moon of KentuckyThe Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys · The Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys (1954)
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Molly and TenbrooksThe Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys · The Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys (1948)
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The Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain BoysPlayed on recordings with The Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys