Ralph Stanley - Songs My Mother Taught Me & More: Clawhammer Style Banjo CD

Songs My Mother Taught Me & More: Clawhammer Style Banjo album for sale CLINCH MOUNTAIN COUNTRY was nominated for a 1999 Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album. Ralph Stanley and producer Bil VornDick assembled a small galaxy of musical stars to make CLINCH MOUNTAIN COUNTRY one of the biggest all-star bluegrass recording sessions ever. The list of performers reads as a Who's Who that stretches the gamut of American pop music, including George Jones, Bob Dylan, Marty Stuart, Vince Gill, Dwight Yoakam, BR5-49, Gillian Welch and others. This two-disc collection of bluegrass standards is lovingly performed by artists who have clearly been influenced--even defined--by Ralph Stanley's legacy. (Many consider Stanley to be the heart of soul of bluegrass music.) There are plenty of stellar performances on CLINCH MOUNTAIN COUNTRY. Patty Loveless turns in an excellent version of the chilling, traditional murder ballad, "Pretty Polly," while Porter Wagoner offers a splendid rendition of "The White Dove," a Carter Stanley song that Wagoner first sang as a child. But perhaps the most memorable tracks on this excellent document of a bluegrass legend are "Thy Burdens Are Greater Than Mine" and "My Deceitful Heart," where Stanley and his son, Ralph Stanley II, share vocals. Principally recorded at Masterlink Studios, Nashville, Tennessee from May-December, 1997. Includes liner notes by Chris Skinker. Audio Mixer: Bil VornDick. Liner Note Author: Chris Skinker. Recording information: Maggard Sound Studio (05/1997-12/1997); Masterlink Studios, Nashville, TN (05/1997-12/1997); Quad Studios, Nashville, TN (05/1997-12/1997). Photographers: Chris Skinker; McGuire; Mary E. Yeomans. Unknown Contributor Role: Marty Stuart. Personnel includes: Ralph Stanley; Shelton Feazell, Jack Cooke, John Rigsby (vocals); Bob Dylan, Marty Stuart (guitar); Ricky Skaggs (mandolin); Laurie Lewis (fiddle); Mike Bub (bass); Hal Ketchum, Patty Loveless, George Jones, Dwight Yoakam, Vince Gill, Claire Lynch, Judy Marshall, David Marshall, Joe Diffie, Gillian Welch, Ralph Stanely II, Rhonda Vincent, Diamond Rio, Jeff Raybon, Marty Raybon, Doug Phelps, John Anderson, Alison Krauss, Junior Brown, Connie Smith, Tim O'Brien, Porter Wagoner, Joe Isaacs, Sonya Isaacs, Becky Isaacs, Vern Gosdin, Jim Lauderdale, The Whites, BR5-49, Kathey Mattea. 2 Cds

Songs My Mother Taught Me & More: Clawhammer Style Banjo CD music After the explosion of interest in Appalachian music in the 1990s and early 2000s--and particularly after his stirring version of "O Death" for the O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU soundtrack--Ralph Stanley cemented his status as one of the greatest Appalachian singers of the 20th century. True as that may be, this uptick in popularity overshadowed his mastery of the clawhammer banjo. While Earl Scruggs took the bluegrass world by storm in the '50s with his three-fingered arpeggios, Stanley stayed true to the old-time style and dug his heels even deeper when he went solo after his brother's 1966 death. OLD-TIME PICKIN' collects three decades (1971-2000) of performances that foreground Stanley's banjo ferocity and the delights of old-time bluegrass played decidedly non-progressively. The highlights are many--"Shout Little Lulie," and the title track, to name two--but hearing clichéd numbers such as "Little Birdie" come alive in his hands is alone worth the sticker price. Various line-ups of the Clinch Mountain Boys--featuring such legends as Curly Ray Cline, John Rigsby, and Ricky Lee--accompany him throughout the 18 tracks. Personnel: Ralph Stanley (vocals, banjo); Roy Lee Centers, Ricky Lee (guitar); John Rigsby (mandolin); Curley Ray Cline, James Price (fiddle); Jack Cooke (bass instrument).

Songs My Mother Taught Me & More: Clawhammer Style Banjo buy CD music Track Listing of songs: Orange Blossom Special; Lonesome Old Song; Bill Cheatham; Nobody's Love Like Mine; Katy Daley; Maple on the Hill; Tennessee Stud; White Dove; Rank Strangers to Me; If I Lose / Kitten And The Cat; Dark Hollow; Hemlock and Primroses; Ridin' That Midnight Train;