Today’s post was written by Paul.
Our church just finished revival on August 15th. Hickory Stand, was blessed to play 7 songs for the closing service.
Matt Cook was our special guest on today’s song, singing lead, while Jamie Shook and I sang harmony. Our bass player, Perry Stalcup, was playing another show, so Tipper was kind enough to sit in on bass. She did a wonderful job.
The Lord really blessed us that night. The entire set went very well. The song “What A Wonderful Savior His He” with Matt was especially fun. Jamie and I had never sung a trio with anyone before. Of all the train songs that I did over a six-year period, the train song I did with Matt Cook got the most views. He has a great voice! If you missed that video you can see it here.
I would love to have a video of the entire set. Caleb Dykes and Wayde Powell, III did some amazing picking, which isn’t represented in this one hymn. Big thanks to my sister-in-law, Kim, for capturing this song with her cell phone. Tipper was busy playing bass, and Katie and Corie had their hands full with Ira and Woodrow. I hope we’re able to sing with Matt again.
Long before I ever heard them, Pap told me about the Webster Brothers and Brewster Brothers, who he used to hear on the “Midday Merry Go ‘Round.” He added that he would sometimes hear the “Wooster Brothers” or “Wewster Brothers” on the same show. I remember thinking, “What are the odds that there would be three sets of brothers whose names sounded so similar, playing on the same station?”
A few years before Pap passed, I finally found some recordings of the Webster Brothers, and just as Pap had claimed, they were extremely good duet singers. Jamie and I did one Webster Brothers song in this set at the revival (“No Water”). Though I don’t yet have a video of our version, here’s a link to the Websters singing it. Pap mentioned that he thought the Websters had the best version of “What a Wonderful Savior is He” that anyone had ever done. I never could find it by the Websters, but about a year ago, I found it on YouTube by the Brewster Brothers, and that discovery shed light on that entire situation.
Rather than being just the Websters or just the Brewsters, I think the version Pap heard was actually all four of the brothers singing together! Some of the records of that song say “Brewster Brothers,” but some also say “Four Brothers Quartet,” which I found through research to be the Websters paired up with the Brewsters. I haven’t found confirmation, but my theory is that the “Woosters” or “Wewsters” was most likely the four of them together, and they were being playful by smooshing their two last names together, almost like a portmanteau word. In other words, I don’t think there really was a “Wooster Brothers.”
Pap and I are not the only ones confused by the names involved. If you follow the link to the Websters singing “No Water,” the picture you will see is actually not the Webster Brothers. It’s the Brewster Brothers! The Websters played guitar and mandolin, very well, but I don’t think either of them played banjo. The lead singer for the Brewsters (Bud) was a phenomenal banjo player, whose playing sounded at times remarkably like Don Reno’s playing.
Recently, Tipper found something in Granny’s house that shed light on another connection or piece in the overall puzzle. She found a recording contract between Pap (as representative for the Wilson Brothers) and Atteriam, which was a publishing company/record label in Marietta, GA. It was signed in 1971. It apparently fell through because the Wilson Brothers never recorded (to my knowledge) for that label.
Upon the discovery of the paper, Wayde Powell, III pointed out to me that “Atteriam” is “Marietta” spelled backwards. I don’t think I would have ever noticed that. Wayde said it was “either genius or lazy, depending on how you looked at it.” 🙂
Anyway, as I researched the company and the recordings they made, I found that they recorded Jim and Jesse and other well known artists, including Zell Miller (former governor and representative for Georgia). They also recorded the Pinnacle Boys.
Bud Brewster and Randal Collins both played for the Pinnacle Boys at the time those recordings were made. Randal Collins sometimes played with the Wilson Brothers in the 60’s and 70’s, so there’s a connection, through which, Pap might have heard some songs from the Brewsters. The Pinnacle Boys also recorded some Webster Brothers songs (which they probably learned through Bud Brewster).
At any rate, we hope you enjoyed this old timey song, which is full of truth. When it comes to music, not everyone who is really good becomes famous. Many great acts, like the Websters and Brewsters, were known only regionally.
Paul
Original singles released on Spotify.
Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016).
The Wilson Brothers Words of Life Album released in the 70s.
