Ralph Stanley
While he preferred the term "mountain music" to "bluegrass," Ralph Stanley ranked second only to Bill Monroe in his importance to the genre. A pioneering clawhammer banjoist and riveting singer, Stanley shot to prominence with his brother Carter and the Clinch Mountain Boys in the '40s and '50s. After Carter's death in 1966, Ralph soldiered on, riding waves of popularity in the '60s folk revival and the '70s bluegrass festival scene. In 2000, his a cappella rendering of "O Death" became the musical centerpiece of the Coen brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou? film and earned Stanley his biggest sales.
Born in Stratton, Virginia in 1927, Ralph Stanley and his older brother Carter formed the Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys. In 1946 Ralph and Carter were being broadcast from radio station WCYB in Bristol, Virginia. The music, which was inspired by their Virginia mountain home, was encouraged by their mother, who taught Ralph the clawhammer style of banjo picking. They recorded for such companies as the small Rich-R-Tone label and later Columbia, a relationship that lasted from 1949 until 1952. These classic sessions defined the Stanleys' own approach to bluegrass and made them as important as Bill Monroe. After leaving Columbia, the Stanleys were with Mercury, Starday, and King. Leaning more toward gospel at times, Carter and Ralph made a place for themselves in the music industry. In December 1966, Carter Stanley died in a Virginia hospital after a steady decline in health. He was just 41 years old. After much consideration and grief, Ralph carried on without Carter. Already their haunting mountain melodies made them stand apart from other bluegrass bands, but Ralph expanded upon this foundation and took his own "high lonesome" vocals to a new plane.
Popular at bluegrass festivals, Ralph and each edition of the Clinch Mountain Boys grew to be one of the most respected outfits in bluegrass. As far west as California and even up in the hollers of Kentucky, people were drawn to the poignant, mournful sound of Ralph Stanley's style. Different from all the rest, Ralph's ability to hit the right notes and chords made him a singer of trailblazing proportions. Ralph continued to record for a wide variety of labels, including Jalyn, Rebel, King Bluegrass, Blue Jay, Jessup, Stanleytone, his own label, and Freeland. He was a devoted family man, but Ralph's constant touring took its toll on his first marriage, a union that produced daughters Lisa Joy and Tonya and oldest son Timothy. His second wife, Jimmie, also a singer, gave him another son late in life; Ralph II followed in both his father's and uncle's footsteps and played in the Clinch Mountain Boys with his dad.
A Bluegrass Hall of Fame member along with Carter, Ralph Stanley was an inspiration to Dwight Yoakam, Emmylou Harris, Keith Whitley, and even Monroe acolyte Ricky Skaggs. With his raw emotions and three-fingered banjo technique, he helped bring a mountain style of bluegrass music to mainstream audiences. A full survey of the Stanley Brothers' career, including sides they recorded for several different labels, finally appeared in 2007 with Time Life's three-disc Definitive Collection box set. Stanley's brand of bluegrass was always only a half step away from the Appalachian string band and church music of his youth, and in his autumn years he continued to do what he'd always done -- sing and play in a style that could really be called "Mountain Gospel Soul." He marked his 40th year of recording for Rebel Records with the release of A Mother's Prayer in 2011. Ralph Stanley died at his home in Sandy Ridge, Virginia in June 2016 at the age of 89.
© Jana Pendragon & Steve Leggett /TiVo
Ähnliche Künstler
-
The Very Best Of Ralph Stanley
Folk - Erschienen bei Audium Entertainment LLC am 12.11.2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Bound To Ride
Folk - Erschienen bei Rebel Records Llc am 01.01.1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Down Where The River Bends
Folk - Erschienen bei Rebel Records Llc am 01.01.1978
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Clinch Mountain Gospel
Folk - Erschienen bei Rebel Records Llc am 01.01.1977
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cry From The Cross
Folk - Erschienen bei Rebel Records Llc am 01.01.1971
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Man of Constant Sorrow
Country - Erschienen bei BFD am 24.04.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ralph Stanley
Jazz - Erschienen bei DMZ - Columbia am 11.06.2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
While The Ages Roll On
Folk - Erschienen bei Rebel Records Llc am 15.08.2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Definitive Collection
Country - Erschienen bei Nathan Stanley am 26.04.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Man Of Constant Sorrow
Folk - Erschienen bei Rebel Records Llc am 23.01.2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Mother's Prayer
Folk - Erschienen bei Rebel Records Llc am 19.04.2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Let Me Rest On A Peaceful Mountain
Country - Erschienen bei Rebel Records Llc am 01.01.1975
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classic Bluegrass
Folk - Erschienen bei Rebel Records Llc am 01.01.1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Can't You Hear The Mountains Calling
Ralph Stanley, The Clinch Mountain Boys
Country - Erschienen bei Rounder Records am 01.01.2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Old Songs & Ballads
Folk - Erschienen bei Rebel Records Llc am 14.08.2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Old-Time Pickin': A Clawhammer Banjo Collection
Folk - Erschienen bei Rebel Records Llc am 10.07.2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Life & Legacy: The Very Best of Ralph Stanley
Folk - Erschienen bei Rebel Records Llc am 06.09.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sing Michigan Bluegrass
Ralph Stanley, The Clinch Mountain Boys
Country - Erschienen bei Sun Records am 01.01.1971
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Old Songs & Ballads - Vol. 2
Folk - Erschienen bei Rebel Records Llc am 14.08.2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Bottom Line Archive (Live)
Country - Erschienen bei The Bottom Line Record Company am 24.02.2017
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo