Ralph II Stanley - Pretty Girls, City Lights

(Rebel REB-CD-1760) 2000

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Ralph II's second 'solo' CD is arguably one of his finest so far. Certainly his vocals had matured nicely in the couple of years since Listen To My Hammer Ring and like that earlier album it mostly features songs from the Stanley catalogue.

Russell Moore makes a guest appearance on the Sloas Brothers' Sea Of Regret singing high baritone, and a few of the songs are new to the Stanley repertoire:- It Sure Gets Cold This Time Of Year, written by CMB fiddler James Price; Ralph II's I'll Remember You In My Dreams; and Ronnie Bowman's Pathway Of Danger.

The CMB's regular banjo player, Steve Sparkman is abscent, so banjo duties are handled by Dr. Ralph who also sings tenor on half of the songs. I think Steve took about 18 months off from his time with the band, and as this album was recorded in April / May 1999 (at Maggard Studio in Big Stone Gap), and as Ralph handled banjo on the Australian gigs in 2000,^[1] this could well have been the spell when he took time out.

The title cut Pretty Girls, City Lights is shown as credited to Ralph Stanley, but Dr. Ralph's version on The Memory Of Your Smile is shown as City Lights and credited to Walden Dahl. Walden's version can be found here and on an eponymous CD.

• Ralph II Stanley: rhythm guitar, vocals
• Junior Blackenship: lead guitar (a)
• Jack Cooke: bass
• James Price: fiddle
• James Alan Shelton: lead guitar
• John Rigsby: mandolin
• Ralph Stanley: banjo

NB: (a) Junior plays lead guitar on tracks (2) and (6).

Other artwork / related images:

[1] eg. https://youtu.be/_gO3Q2sCBeE