Clinch Mountain Echo

CMB Birthdays this month:

04 Feb 1972 - Steve Sparkman. Harlan, Kentucky.

04 Feb 1906 - Art Wooten. Born 'Arthur James Wooten' in Alleghany, North Carolina.

11 Feb 1960 - Junior Blankenship. Born at the old Grundy Hospital, Grundy, Va.

25 Feb 1927 - Ralph Stanley. Born 'Ralph Edmund Stanley' in Big Spraddle Creek, near Stratton, McClure, Virginia.

29 Feb 1932 - Jim Williams. Born 'James Lee Williams' in Wythe County, Virginia.


In Memoriam:

05 Feb 1980 - Chubby Anthony. Gainesville, Alachua, Florida.

08 Feb 2003 - Ralph 'Joe' Meadows. Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland.

08 Feb 1987 - Harold 'Red' Stanley. Fentress, Tennessee.


For the Official Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain Boys site, visit:

Ralph II ralph2.com

Spotlight on:-

The Stanley Brothers And The Clinch Mountain Boys
(Mercury FDX9059-60)


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Clinch Mountain Echo

Ralph Stanley - The Stanley Sound Today

(Rebel REB 1601) 1981


The Stanley Sound Today

Average Album Rating: 4.78
(Total votes 9)

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Please rate this album:

Recorded at Riverside Studios in Ashland, Ky on the 4th Feb 1981, this is another fine album that inexplicably hasn't been issued on CD.

Four of the tracks, Your Worries And Troubles Are Mine, Jealousy, How Could I Dream Such A Dream and The Letter I Never Mailed, were written by Candie Randolph. They sound perfect 'Ralph' material and stand up well in the company of Stanley Brothers classics that are also included (Could You Love Me One More Time, No Schoolbus In Heaven and The Darkest Hour). Candie played in a family band, The Lost Kentuckians, who recorded three albums and were regulars at Ralph's Hills Of Home festival between 1979 and 1985. Two of their albums also feature ex-Clinch Mountain Boy Joe Meadows on fiddle.

Candie Randolph also had another of her songs, Who's In Your Heart recorded by Ralph on his Lonesome And Blue LP, and three co-written on Jim Lauderdale & Ralph Stanley - Lost In The Lonesome Pines CD in 2000.

Incidentally, Candie's parents Curt and Hope Randolph also raised the hog that was featured on the cover of Curly Ray Cline's Boar Hog LP.[1]

In live performances, each Clinch Mountain Boy is usually given the spotlight to do a number, but I think this is unusual for studio recordings in this period - Junior Blankenship and Jack Cooke get vocal spots on Jimmie Brown The Newsboy and Sitting On Top Of The World respectively. Listen out for Ralph's instruction to Curly Ray on Sitting On Top Of The World at 1:41:- "Let 'er go Hitler", before the fiddle break.[2]

Thanks to Canton Breeden we also know that the Stanleytone banjo featured on the album cover is #2 of the original 'gold' series.

A splendid album!

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

 

Track:
Title:
Time:
Date:
Original Release:
A-1
Lonesome Here Without You
02:25
04 Feb 1981
Stanley Sound Today

Ray Counts / Terry Rose
  Bjo Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Charlie Sizemore
Curly Ray Cline
Junior Blankenship
Jack Cooke
 
 
A-2
Your Worries And Troubles Are Mine
02:32
04 Feb 1981
Stanley Sound Today

Candace K. Randolph / R. Stanley
  Bjo Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Charlie Sizemore
Curly Ray Cline
Junior Blankenship
Jack Cooke
 
 
A-3
Could You Love Me One More Time
02:36
04 Feb 1981
Stanley Sound Today

C. Stanley
  Bjo Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Charlie Sizemore
Curly Ray Cline
Junior Blankenship
Jack Cooke
 
 
A-4
Jealousy
02:24
04 Feb 1981
Stanley Sound Today

Candace K. Randolph / R. Stanley
  Bjo Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Charlie Sizemore
Curly Ray Cline
Junior Blankenship
Jack Cooke
 
 
A-5
How Could I Dream Such A Dream
02:37
04 Feb 1981
Stanley Sound Today

Candace K. Randolph / R. Stanley
  Bjo Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Charlie Sizemore
Curly Ray Cline
Junior Blankenship
Jack Cooke
 
 
A-6
Tennessee Truck Driving Man
02:02
04 Feb 1981
Stanley Sound Today

Kenneth R. Pickett / R. Stanley
  Bjo Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Charlie Sizemore
Curly Ray Cline
Junior Blankenship
Jack Cooke
 
 
B-1
The Letter I Never Mailed
02:07
04 Feb 1981
Stanley Sound Today

Candace K. Randolph / R. Stanley
  Bjo Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Charlie Sizemore
Curly Ray Cline
Junior Blankenship
Jack Cooke
 
 
B-2
No Schoolbus In Heaven
02:38
04 Feb 1981
Stanley Sound Today

Jack Adkins / Buddy Dee
  Bjo Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Charlie Sizemore
Curly Ray Cline
Junior Blankenship
Jack Cooke
 
 
B-3
Dixieland
02:01
04 Feb 1981
Stanley Sound Today

Kenneth R. Pickett / R. Stanley
  Bjo Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Charlie Sizemore
Curly Ray Cline
Junior Blankenship
Jack Cooke
 
 
B-4
Jimmie Brown The Newsboy
02:25
04 Feb 1981
Stanley Sound Today

A.P. Carter
  Bjo Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Charlie Sizemore
Curly Ray Cline
Ld Vcl - Junior Blankenship
Hrmny Vcl - Jack Cooke
 
 
B-5
Sitting On Top Of The World
02:19
04 Feb 1981
Stanley Sound Today

A.P. Carter
  Bjo Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Ld Vcl - Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Charlie Sizemore
Curly Ray Cline
Junior Blankenship
Jack Cooke
 
 
B-6
The Darkest Hour
02:48
04 Feb 1981
Stanley Sound Today

R. Stanley
  Bjo Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Charlie Sizemore
Curly Ray Cline
Junior Blankenship
Jack Cooke
 
 

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

Other artwork / related images:
Rear Cover Side One Side Two Rear Cover Photo - Len Atkins Studio

[1] John Wright's 'Traveling The High Way Home' book (p.251)
[2] See the Ralph Stanley / Eddie Dean book 'Man Of Constant Sorrow' (p.350-351) for Ralph's explanation.

For the Official Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain Boys site, visit:

Ralph II ralph2.com

Spotlight on:-

Bluegrass My Home In The Mountains
(River Track Studios RTS-1415)


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