Ralph Stanley & Raymond Fairchild - S/T

(Rebel REB 1677) 1989

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This album was recorded at Maggard Studios in Big Stone Gap, Va. on 26th September 1989. It may not have been released until 1991 however, as it was not mentioned in 'Bluegrass Unlimited' until June '91 and was reviewed in August. In both cases they only listed the release as a cassette, so I don't think this album has appeared on CD or vinyl.

It got a lukewarm review in 'Bluegrass Unlimited'... which is understandable, but if you think of it as something along the lines of Curly Ray's albums it holds it's ground.

The album opens with a 'talking banjo' piece by Raymond, before a decent version of I'll Remember Your Love In My Prayers which Ralph first cut on Play Requests.

Mother No Longer Awaits Me At Home, She's More To Be Pitied and Let Me Walk, Lord, By Your Side are old Stanley Brothes numbers, whilst the Stanley's had also recorded Molly And Tenbrooks and Jacob's Vision. Live recordings also exist of them playing White House Blues and Pike County Breakdown.

Ralph And Raymond is a clawhammer instrumental, which sounds more than a little like Black-Eyed Suzie.

The remaining numbers are versions of Flatt & Scruggs' Cabin On The Hill and Bill Monroe's Summertime Is Past And Gone.

• Ralph Stanley: banjo, vocals
• Raymond Fairchild: guitar, banjo, vocals
• Sammy Adkins: guitar
• Curly Ray Cline: fiddle
• Wallace Crowe: guitar
• Wayne Crowe: bass

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