Ralph Stanley - Hymn Time

(Blue Jay LPA 201) 1980

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Recorded on 10th July 1980 at Maggard Studio in Big Stone Gap, Va. This was the third of three successive Gospel LPs and hasn't been reissued on CD...

All of the material on this album was written by four songwriters: E.P. Williams, Lydia Moore, Morris Herbert and Joey McCormick.

E.P. Williams had been a long-time friend of The Stanley Brothers from their time in Bristol, and they'd recorded his I'd Rather Be Forgotten for Mercury back in 1957.^[1] He also had at least one 45 as E.P. Williams and The Tucker Junction Boys on Blue Jay.^[2]

Morris Herbert, had played guitar with J.E. Mainer in the 1960s (who also recorded for Blue Jay).^[3]

Joey McCormick later sang White Dove on the 1996 Clinch Mountain Boys Reunion 2xCD set, but isn't featured on the associated '50 Year Reunion' DVD. I don't think he was a regular CMB, but is introduced by Ralph as "A fellow that has sung with me a whole lot and has worked with me, from down in the state of Tennessee, around Chattanooga."

The front cover, was a 'stock' photo. Back when colour reproduction was expensive, independant custom labels often picked generic colour images from a catalogue and had custom titles printed over the top. So you'll also find this photo on other albums, including 'The Voices Of Jerusalem - His Blood Has Set Me Free!' LP.

The band photo on the rear sleeve looks like it was from the same photo session as that used on the rear of the original Snow Covered Mound.

Keep It White with it's repetitive "Keep it right, keep it white" refrain is pretty dire...

Blue Jay were based in Salisbury, Nc.

In the early nineties, the album was available as a cassette from Ralph's fan-club as 'Hymns From The Heart' (C-5644). This had a different track order to the Blue Jay LP.

• Ralph Stanley: banjo, vocals
• Junior Blankenship: lead guitar
• Curly Ray Cline: fiddle
• Jack Cooke: bass
• Charlie Sizemore: guitar, vocals

NB: Liner notes don't specify instruments/vocal parts for individual tracks.

Other artwork / related images:

[1] Gary B. Reid's book "The Music Of The Stanley Brothers" (p. 68)
[2] http://son-pressings.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/blue-jay-102.html
[3] John Wright's book "Traveling The High Way Home" (p. 23).