The Stonemans

The legacy family group started by Appalachia, VA bluegrass legend Ernest "Pops" Stoneman. Ernest V. Stoneman's earliest Edison recordings happened in 1924, and predate those by both The Carter Family or the singing brakeman, Jimmie Rodgers. In the book, "The Stonemans", author Ivan M. Tribe, tells of the family, their hardships, and how Ernest V. "Pop" Stoneman recorded the reputed first million selling country music song "The Sinking of the Titanic" for Okeh. After recording over 200 songs, like many frustrated, and financially unrewarded "old timey" depression-era musicians, Ernest retired from performing to find work in a factory to support his growing family. After World War II, during a mid century folk revival, his children's band, the Blue Grass Champs, became the Stonemans, and Ernest rejoined in the late '50s after retiring from a munitions plant. By 1965, the Stonemans had signed with MGM in Nashville and he he continued recording and performing through the spring of 1968, until his death. His banjo playing daughter Roni Stoneman later joined the cast of TV's popular syndicated country variety show Hee-Haw in 1973. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.