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Bluegrass ArtistsRalph Stanley Born February 25, 1927, in Stratton, Virginia, Ralph and his older brother, Carter, formed the seminal bluegrass ensemble the Stanley Brothers, who made a series of watershed recordings for Columbia Records from 1949 until 1952. Now 75 years old, Stanley has been performing professionally since he and Carter, formed their first group in their native southwestern Virginia in 1946. Between that date and 1966, when Carter died, the Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys became the most celebrated bluegrass groups in the world, ultimately rivaling in popularity such titans as Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, Jim & Jesse and the Osborne Brothers. After Carter's death, Ralph shifted the band's musical emphasis from bluegrass to an older, sadder, less adorned mountain style. As a bandleader, he nourished such young and promising talents as Ricky Skaggs, Keith Whitley, Larry Sparks and Charlie Sizemore, all of whom eventually graduated to distinguished solo careers. In January, 2000, Stanley became the first artist to be inducted into the historic Grand Ole Opry in the new millennium. He holds the Living Legend award from the Library of Congress and was the first recipient of the Traditional American Music award from the National Endowment for the Humanities. |
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