Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys September 25, 2009

Ralph Stanley is one of the patriarchs of bluegrass, a banjo player, singer, and songwriter whose work harks back to the very genesis of the bluegrass style. Stanley made his name singing with his brother Carter and their group, the Clinch Mountain Boys, in the late 1940s. Ever since that time--and despite Carter's sudden death in 1966-- Ralph Stanley has been a headliner on the country-folk circuit. As Douglas Gordon put it in The Big Book of Bluegrass, Stanley's "sky-reaching tenor voice and the simple, bright clarity of his banjo are sounds dear to the ears of thousands of loyal fans." Different from all the rest, Ralph's ability to hit the right notes and chords made him a singer of trailblazing proportions.

Official Website: http://www.johnstoncc.edu/performingarts/default.aspx