Ralph Stanley - That Beautiful Woman / Row Hoe

(King 45-6113) 1967

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This 7" was recorded on Ralph's first session for his Brand New Country Songs album in May 1967. The single features an undubbed version of That Beautiful Woman, which Ralph later added harmony vocals to for the LP version on both choruses. The undubbed version hasn't been reissued but can be heard on youtube.

In the Dec. 67 Ralph Stanley Fan Club Newsletter, an article notes that: "...the newest King single by Ralph and the boys has and is, doing well, both sides. Most of you know this is Ralph's first record release without Carter, and King is extremely pleased. So much so in fact, that they are going to release it again (the vocal side) with Ralph singing tenor to himself. To explain, this cut has Ralph doing a solo (vocal), the next version released will have Ralph doing both lead and tenor. There will be NO more of this version pressed."

It's unclear at whether this refers to the new version appearing on the Brand New Country Songs LP, or if there is a 2nd version of the single with the overdubbed vocal version.

(Who Was) That Beautiful Woman is a classy ghost tale which was written by Gene Duty, a friend of Ralph and Carter's. He can be heard singing the song with The Stanley Brothers on the Manville NJ Dec 3rd 1965 show.^[1] Ralph's version for King is fairly similar to Gene's except that two verses and a couple of choruses are omitted. In a later version by Gene on youtube he describes how he came to write the song: "I was working in the garage and the words to me so quick, I couldn't find a piece of paper & I had to write it down on a piece of wood panelling..."

Ralph later re-recorded That Beautiful Woman on his Old Home Place album in 1976 and again in 2004 on his Sings His Favorites Now and Then CD.

Row Hoe is another of Ralph's under-appreciated instrumentals. In 1991/2 Ralph described how the instrumental Row Hoe came about:- "Curly Ray Cline and me wrote this on a trip, when we was out in California several years ago... We named this one after Curly Ray's rooster 'Row Hoe'."^[2]

Both sides of the 7" can now be found on the Poor Rambler 3xCD set.

• Ralph Stanley: banjo, vocals
• Curly Ray Cline: fiddle
• Melvin Goins: guitar
• Jim McCall: bass
• Earl Taylor: mandolin, harmonica

Other artwork / related images:

[1] For more details on Gene Duty, see the Sing Michigan Bluegrass entry. The Manville NJ show on 3rd Dec 1965 was at the Starlight Room and was recorded by Mike Seeger. Red Allen also makes an appearance on the second set. Audio tapes exist of this show, but have been removed from youtube.
The two additional verses in Gene's version are:-
He said she's so kind and lovely
Her long hair hung way down behind
Those beautiful songs that she sang to me
I can't get them out of my mind
and:-
He pulled his hand from his pocket
And showed this 'kerchief of braid
The same one I'd placed in her coffin
The day we laid Mary away

[2] Homespun's The Banjo Of Ralph Stanley - From Old-Time To Bluegrass DVD.