Rabon Delmore
Musician · 1916–1952 · Elkmont, Alabama
Best known for
Mandolin
Songwriter
Rabon Delmore was an Alabama-born singer and tenor-guitar player who, with brother Alton, made the Delmore Brothers one of the most influential close-harmony duos in early country music — co-author of "Brown's Ferry Blues" and a 2001 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee.
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- Born December 3, 1916 in Elkmont, Alabama; younger brother of Alton Delmore.
- Half of the Delmore Brothers, one of the most influential close-harmony duos in early country music.
- Played the four-string tenor guitar, an unusual instrument in country music, alongside Alton's standard six-string.
- Co-wrote "Brown's Ferry Blues" (recorded for Bluebird, 1934), one of the duo's signature songs.
- Member of the Grand Ole Opry from 1933 until 1938, when the brothers left over management disagreements.
- With Alton, recorded for Columbia, Bluebird, Decca, and King Records and helped popularize the boogie-woogie country sound of the late 1940s.
- Died December 4, 1952 of lung cancer, one day after his 36th birthday.
- Posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001 alongside Alton.
