William “Curley” Lambert
Musician · 1930–1982 · Brodnax, Virginia
Best known for
Mandolin
Lead Vocals
Harmony Vocals
Curley Lambert (born Richard Edward Lambert) was a longtime Stanley Brothers mandolinist, baritone singer, and session player — a Mecklenburg County, Virginia native with four separate stints in the Stanley Brothers across the 1950s and 1960s, plus extensive work with Bill Clifton, Bill and Mary Reid, Flatt and Scruggs, and his own regional bands.
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- Born Richard Edward Lambert in Brodnax, Virginia, in rural Mecklenburg County.
- Served in the U.S. Army; listed as PFC on his military headstone.
- First joined the Stanley Brothers in 1953, succeeding Pee Wee Lambert (no relation) and Jim Williams on mandolin. Appeared on Mercury Records sides with Carter and Ralph Stanley.
- Had four separate stints with the Stanley Brothers over the band's lifetime, and rejoined Ralph Stanley's reformed Clinch Mountain Boys twice after Carter's 1966 death.
- Featured on the 1959 Stanley Brothers album Mountain Song Favorites (King) and numerous other Stanley recordings from the Mercury, Starday, and King years.
- Recorded extensively with Bill Clifton, Bill & Mary Reid, and Flatt and Scruggs as a session mandolinist outside his Stanley Brothers commitments.
- His playing is captured on the Stanley Brothers' Mercury sessions — particularly “Ralph's Banjo Special” (aka “Daybreak in Dixie”) and Angel Band.
- Traditional mandolin style influenced by Pee Wee Lambert and Bill Monroe — characterized by clean, traditional ornamentation and steady rhythmic chop.
- Died in his native Brodnax, Virginia on October 22, 1982 at age 52. Buried in Canaan Cemetery.
- Considered a direct link between Pee Wee Lambert's early Stanley Brothers mandolin tradition and the later classic Stanley sound.
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The Stanley BrothersPlayed on recordings with The Stanley Brothers
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Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain BoysPlayed on recordings with Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys
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Charlie Moore and His Dixie PartnersPlayed on recordings with Charlie Moore and His Dixie Partners
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Flatt & ScruggsPlayed on recordings with Flatt & Scruggs
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Bill Clifton and the Dixie Mountain BoysPlayed on recording with Bill Clifton and the Dixie Mountain Boys
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Cliff WaldronPlayed on recording with Cliff Waldron
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Curley LambertPlayed on recording with Curley Lambert