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

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(Copper Creek CCCD-0154)


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Clinch Mountain Echo

Ralph Stanley & Friends - Clinch Mountain Country

(Rebel REB-5001) 1998


Clinch Mountain Country

Average Album Rating: 3
(Total votes 3)

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This 2xCD set was recorded mainly in Nashville's Masterlink Studios, between May to December 1997, with some addtional recording at Quad Studios in Nashville, Tn. and Maggard Studios in Big Stone Gap, Va.

It is another collection featuring other artists on vocals, similar to the Saturday Night/Sunday Morning album. According to the liner notes: "A similar project, recorded in 1992, had been a very successful album for Ralph and he wanted to record a sequel. On that last project there were some artists who were unable to participate, and Stanley was hoping to catch some of those musicians this time around."

Of the featured artists, Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless, Judy Marshall, Ricky Skaggs and Dwight Yoakam had also appeared on Saturday Night/Sunday Morning. New collaborators were:- John Anderson, BR5-49, Junior Brown, Diamond Rio, Joe Diffie, Bob Dylan, Vern Gosdin, Joe & Becky & Sonya Isaacs, George Jones, Hal Ketchum, Jim Lauderdale, Laurie Lewis, Claire Lynch, Kathy Mattea, Tim O'Brien, Doug Phelps, Jeff & Marty Rabon, Connie Smith, Marty Stuart, Rhonda Vincent, Porter Wagoner, Gillian Welch and The Whites.

Ralph II, also gets credited as a featured artist on three tracks Thy Burdens Are Greater Than Mine, My Deceitful Heart and Lonesome Banjo Man. According to Ralph: Lonesome Banjo Man "... is one of the last songs written by Carter. There were some tapes of he and I working on it. Carter's daughter, Doris finished writing it."

Bob Dylan, a long-standing Stanley Brothers fan, was the first to sign up to the project, and it's a shame their version of Lonesome River isn't better. Dylan sounds particularly hoarse and craggy... I guess it ain't the age, it's the mileage...

It's interesting that the liner notes draw comparison between the album and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's 'Will The Crcle Be Unbroken' debut, which 25 years ago had introduced a generation of rock fans to some of yesterdays country/bluegrass stars. 'Clinch Mountain Country', and the other collaborative albums with guest vocalists, seem to have that principal in reverse. i.e. here an older artist (Ralph had turned 70), getting mostly younger country/bluegrass stars to help out. Some of the older generation are present too though, with George Jones and Porter Wagoner going way back, so the idea isn't completely watertight.

A couple of video snippets during the recording of the album, can be found on The Ralph Stanley Story Video/DVD, with footage of a rehearsal of Pretty Polly with Patty Loveless and the vocal recording of Stone Walls And Steel Bars with Junior Brown.

The CD comes with a hefty 36-page booklet, with plenty of quotes and snippets of info... for example the track cut by Marty Stuart, She's More To Be Pitied was first cut by The Stanley Brothers, on the day Marty was born.

One of the photos in the booklet was used for the cover of Old-Time Pickin' - A Clawhammer Banjo Collection and the Old Songs & Ballads Vol. 1 compilations.

Judging by number of second hand copies that show up and their relatively low price, the album must have sold pretty well at the time. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of these collaborations, as they tend to be a bit 'hit & miss'. It sounds a bit like eavesdropping on a Nashville karaoke session.

  • Ralph Stanley: vocals
  • Jack Cooke: bass
  • James Price: fiddle
  • John Rigsby: mandolin
  • James Alan Shelton: lead guitar
  • Steve Sparkman: banjo
  • Ralph II Stanley: guitar, vocals

 

Track:
Vocals:
Title:
Time:
Date:
A-1
Ralph Stanley w/ Hal Ketchum
How Mountain Girls Can Love
02:15
May-Dec 1997

Ruby Rakes
A-2
Ralph Stanley w/ Ricky Skaggs
Shouting On The Hills Of Glory
03:09
May-Dec 1997

E.M. Bartlett
A-3
Ralph Stanley w/ Patty Loveless
Pretty Polly
04:04
May-Dec 1997

P.D.
A-4
Ralph Stanley w/ George Jones
The Window Up Above
02:37
May-Dec 1997

George Jones
A-5
Ralph Stanley w/ Dwight Yoakam
I Just Got Wise
02:24
May-Dec 1997

C. Stanley
A-6
Ralph Stanley w/ Vince Gill & Patty Loveless
If That's The Way You Feel
02:28
May-Dec 1997

Peggy Stanley / R. Stanley
A-7
Ralph Stanley w/ Ricky Skaggs
Nobody's Love Is Like Mine
02:32
May-Dec 1997

C. Stanley
A-8
Ralph Stanley w/ Claire Lynch
Memories Of Mother
03:09
May-Dec 1997

C. Stanley
A-9
Ralph Stanley w/ Bob Dylan
The Lonesome River
03:03
30 Nov 1997

C. Stanley
A-10
Ralph Stanley w/ Laurie Lewis
Old Love Letters
03:09
May-Dec 1997

Johnny Bond
A-11
Ralph Stanley w/ Marty Stuart
She's More To Be Pitied Than Scolded
02:50
May-Dec 1997

Ruby Rakes
A-12
Ralph Stanley w/ Judy & David Marshall
When I Wake Up To Sleep No More
02:26
May-Dec 1997

Marion Easterling
A-13
Ralph Stanley w/ Joe Diffie
Another Night
03:38
May-Dec 1997

Jack Adkins
A-14
Ralph Stanley w/ Gillian Welch
Gold Watch And Chain
02:23
May-Dec 1997

A.P. Carter
A-15
Ralph Stanley w/ Ralph II
Thy Burdens Are Greater Than Mine
02:43
May-Dec 1997

Darrell 'Pee Wee' King / Redd Stewart
A-16
Ralph Stanley w/ Rhonda Vincent
I'll Take The Blame
02:13
May-Dec 1997

C. Stanley
A-17
Ralph Stanley w/ Diamond Rio
How Can We Thank Him For What He Has Done
02:41
May-Dec 1997

Ruby Rakes
A-18
Ralph Stanley w/ Jeff & Marty Rabon
I've Just Seen The Rock Of Ages
03:04
May-Dec 1997

John B. Preston



B-1
Ralph Stanley w/ Doug Phelps
Pig In A Pen
02:15
May-Dec 1997

P.D. or Arthur Smith?
B-2
Ralph Stanley w/ John Anderson
I Only Exist
03:29
May-Dec 1997

Jimmie Stanley / Joyce Morris
B-3
Ralph Stanley w/ Vince Gill & Patty Loveless
A Lonesome Night
03:20
May-Dec 1997

C. Stanley
B-4
Ralph Stanley w/ Alison Krauss
Pretty Little Miss In The Garden
02:52
May-Dec 1997

P.D.
B-5
Ralph Stanley w/ Dwight Yoakam
The Darkest Hour Is Just Before Dawn
02:30
May-Dec 1997

R. Stanley
B-6
Ralph Stanley w/ Junior Brown
Stone Walls And Steel Bars
01:58
May-Dec 1997

Ray Pennington / Roy E. Marcum
B-7
Ralph Stanley w/ Connie Smith
Beautiful Star Of Bethlehem
03:59
May-Dec 1997

Robert F. Boyce
B-8
Ralph Stanley w/ Tim O'Brien
Let Me Love You One More Time
02:14
May-Dec 1997

R. Stanley
B-9
Ralph Stanley w/ Porter Wagoner
The White Dove
03:46
May-Dec 1997

C. Stanley
B-10
Ralph Stanley w/ Joe & Sonya Isaacs
Will You Ever Miss Me At All
03:27
May-Dec 1997

Joe Isaacs
B-11
Ralph Stanley w/ Ralph II
Lonesome Banjo Man
03:55
May-Dec 1997

Doris Stanley
B-12
Ralph Stanley w/ Sonya & Becky Isaacs
Are You Afraid To Die
03:55
May-Dec 1997

Eddie Hill / Charlie Louvin / Ira Louvin
B-13
Ralph Stanley w/ Vern Gosdin
Way Down Deep
02:12
May-Dec 1997

Max Duane Barnes / Max Troy Barnes
B-14
Ralph Stanley w/ Jim Lauderdale
If I Lose
02:06
May-Dec 1997

R. Stanley
B-15
Ralph Stanley w/ The Whites
I'm Going That Way
03:37
May-Dec 1997

R. Stanley
B-16
Ralph Stanley w/ BR5-49
Gathering Flowers For The Master's Bouquet
02:34
May-Dec 1997

Marvin E. Baumgardner
B-17
Ralph Stanley w/ Ralph II
My Deceitful Heart
02:14
May-Dec 1997

Shorty Long / John A. Speca
B-18
Ralph Stanley w/ Kathy Mattea
Bright Morning Star
02:55
May-Dec 1997

P.D.

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

Other artwork / related images:
Rear Cover CD Tray Booklet page 2 Booklet page 9

L-R: (Front) John Rigsby, Steve Sparkman, Ralph, Bob Dylan, Jack Cooke. (Back) Producer Bil VornDick, Asst. Engineer Chad Hailey (hidden), James Alan Shelton, James Price.

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

Ralph II ralph2.com

Spotlight on:-

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(unknown RSS-4563)


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