Dr. Ralph Stanley - 65 Years

Celebrating 65 Years As An American Music Icon

(No Label) 2012

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This CD-R contains 12 recordings made by Ralph at Maggard Sound Studio, probably around 2011-2012 judging by the musicians and Nathan Stanley's liner notes. It was sold at shows around 2012, and is labelled as "Produced by Nathan Stanley for Nathan Stanley Entertainment and in association with Stanley Tone Records".

Ralph, who would have been about 85 when the album was recorded, provides all the vocals, i.e. without any harmony from other band members.

It's also worth mentioning that many of the songs had not been re-recorded in the studio by Ralph for some time, for instance: Lover's Quarrel - 1961; Poor Ellen Smith - 1967; Medicine Springs - 1969; Brand New Tennessee Waltz, A Few More Seasons, Little Maggie, Six More Miles, Little Boy Called Joe - 1971; and Dream Of A Miner's Child - 1978.

The album will be largely of interest to fans who'll want to hear one of the last CMB line-ups run through a dozen Stanley classics. In particular it's good to hear more from Mitchell Van Dyke on banjo, whose solo CD My Turn is also highly recommended.

The CD-R is seems to be very hard to find, but fortunately all the material was reissued on the 2016 CD American Icon - The Definitive Collection. As far as I can tell the cuts on both releases are identical.

• Ralph Stanley: vocals
• Dewey Brown: fiddle
• Jimmy Cameron: bass
• Don Rigsby: mandolin
• James Alan Shelton: lead guitar
• Nathan Stanley: guitar
• Ralph Stanley II: guitar
• Mitchell Van Dyke: banjo

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