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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(No Label SL-1003)


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Clinch Mountain Echo

Ralph Stanley - I Want To Preach The Gospel

(Rebel SLP 1522) 1973


I Want To Preach The Gospel

Average Album Rating: 3.78
(Total votes 9)

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This Gospel album, along with Ralph's A Man And His Music album, was recorded on the 22-23th March 1973 at Roy Homer's basement studio in Clinton, Md.

I Want To Preach The Gospel is part recitation, part song.

Going Up Home To Live In Green Pastures had previosuly been cut by Ralph on his Over The Sunset Hill LP and is pretty similar to the version on King. Ralph later re-cut it again on Saturday Night / Sunday Morning in 1992.

Originally cut by The Stanley Brothers for Columbia in 1949, The Fields Have Turned Brown features John Duffey emulating Darrell 'Pee Wee' Lambert on mandolin and singing high baritone. Also recycled from the Stanley Brothers back-catalogue are Rank Stranger and Angel Band. Although decent, they don't quite create the same excitement as the originals.

The Stanley's version of Angel Band was of course later featured in the multi-million 'Oh Brother' film soundtrack. Carter and Ralph discovered the song from The Webster Brothers whilst listening to the radio on the way to a show.[1]

I'm Going That Way had been cut by several acts, including Bill and Charlie Monroe in 1937.[2]

As was becoming standard for Ralphs' Gospel albums, there are two a cappella numbers: Dark And Stormy Is The Desert and Great High Mountain.

Brighter Mansion (Over There) by Don Reno/Red Smiley was recorded by them for King in 1958. [3]

Overall, this probably isn't Ralph's best Gospel release, but is does have some fairly decent material, and it was the last of Ralph's studio LPs to feature Roy Lee Centers.

All the tracks from the album are featured on the excellent Rebel 4xCD set 1971-1973, but presented in the order in which they were recorded, rather than the original LP running order.

  • Ralph Stanley: banjo, vocals
  • Roy Lee Centers: guitar, vocals
  • Curly Ray Cline: fiddle
  • Jack Cooke: bass
  • Ricky Lee: lead guitar

 

Track:
Title:
Time:
Date:
Original Release:
A-1
I Want To Preach The Gospel
02:00
23 Mar 1971
I Want To Preach The Gospel

R. Stanley
  Ld Vcl Bt Vcl - Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Tn Vcl - Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Roy Lee Centers
Curly Ray Cline
Ricky Lee
Jack Cooke
 
 
A-2
Going Up Home To Live In Green Pastures
02:34
23 Mar 1971
I Want To Preach The Gospel

Van Hoos
  Tn Vcl - Bjo Ld Vcl - Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Bt Vcl - Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Roy Lee Centers
Curly Ray Cline
Ricky Lee
Jack Cooke
 
 
A-3
The Fields Have Turned Brown
02:49
22 Mar 1971
I Want To Preach The Gospel

C. Stanley
  Tn Vcl - Bjo Ld Vcl - Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Bt Vcl - Bs H Bt Vcl - Mnd  
  Ralph Stanley
Roy Lee Centers
Curly Ray Cline
Ricky Lee
Jack Cooke
John Duffey
 
A-4
Rank Stranger
02:41
23 Mar 1971
I Want To Preach The Gospel

Albert E. Brumley
  Tn Vcl - Bjo Ld Vcl - Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Bt Vcl - Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Roy Lee Centers
Curly Ray Cline
Ricky Lee
Jack Cooke
 
 
A-5
Dark And Stormy Is The Desert
02:47
23 Mar 1971
I Want To Preach The Gospel

P.D.
  Ld Vcl - Bjo Bt Vcl - Gtr Fid Bs Vcl - Ld Gtr Tn Vcl - Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Roy Lee Centers
Curly Ray Cline
Ricky Lee
Jack Cooke
 
 
A-6
Angel Band
01:53
23 Mar 1971
I Want To Preach The Gospel

Jefferson Hascall / William B. Bradbury
  Tn Vcl - Bjo Ld Vcl - Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Bt Vcl - Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Roy Lee Centers
Curly Ray Cline
Ricky Lee
Jack Cooke
 
 
B-1
Brighter Mansion
01:40
23 Mar 1971
I Want To Preach The Gospel

Don Reno / Red Smiley
  Tn Vcl - Bjo Ld Vcl - Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Bt Vcl - Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Roy Lee Centers
Curly Ray Cline
Ricky Lee
Jack Cooke
 
 
B-2
I'm Going That Way
03:31
23 Mar 1971
I Want To Preach The Gospel

James Rowe / L.B. Register
  Ld Vcl - Bjo Bt Vcl - Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Tn Vcl - Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Roy Lee Centers
Curly Ray Cline
Ricky Lee
Jack Cooke
 
 
B-3
Who Is That?
01:56
23 Mar 1971
I Want To Preach The Gospel

E.M. Bartlett
  Tn Vcl - Bjo Ld Vcl - Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Bt Vcl - Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Roy Lee Centers
Curly Ray Cline
Ricky Lee
Jack Cooke
 
 
B-4
I Wanna Make Heaven My Home
01:40
23 Mar 1971
I Want To Preach The Gospel

E.M. Bartlett
  Tn Vcl - Bjo Ld Vcl - Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Bt Vcl - Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Roy Lee Centers
Curly Ray Cline
Ricky Lee
Jack Cooke
 
 
B-5
Great High Mountain
03:23
23 Mar 1971
I Want To Preach The Gospel

P.D. arr. R. Stanley
  Ld Vcl Bt Vcl - Gtr Bs Vcl Tn Vcl      
  Ralph Stanley
Roy Lee Centers
Ricky Lee
Jack Cooke
 
 
 
B-6
A Rose Among The Thorns
02:33
23 Mar 1971
I Want To Preach The Gospel

Ernest C. Martin
  Tn Vcl - Bjo Ld Vcl - Gtr Fid Ld Gtr Bs    
  Ralph Stanley
Roy Lee Centers
Curly Ray Cline
Ricky Lee
Jack Cooke
 
 
Other artwork / related images:
Rear Cover Side One Side One

[1] Ralph Stanley and Eddie Dean's 'Man Of Constant Sorrow' book (p.182-183).
[2] Liner notes to Bill Monroe - 'Blue Moon Of Kentucky 1936-1949' (Bear BCD 16399 FL) 2002.
[3] Liner notes to Reno & Smiley - 'Early Years 1951-59' (Gusto GT7-0959-2) 2009.

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

Ralph II ralph2.com

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(Old Homestead OHS-90121)


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