On this day (December 25) in 1908, Alton Delmore was born in Elkmont, Alabama. Delmore became part of the iconic early country outfit, The Delmore Brothers. Alongside his brother, Rabon, the duo helped pioneer country music as a marketable genre rather than a folk tradition. Learn more about the Delmore Brothers’ indelible touch on country music below.
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Origins
As with many country singers in the ’30s, the Delmore Brothers’ early musical ambitions revolved around gospel music. Growing up in Alabama, the duo learned how to perform from songbooks. Moreover, their mother, Mollie, composed songs for them to sing. This early musical education would inform their work as country stars, putting them in a league above many of their peers in technical proficiency…