Ralph Stanley

Born: 2/25/1927    Died: 6/23/2016

As a Blue Grass Boy: Ralph Stanley only filled in briefly as a Blue Grass Boy in August of 1951, after Rudy Lyle entered the military. Bill Monroe offered him a full time job, but he declined, not wanting to travel so much.

Before and After: Ralph Stanley, together with his brother Carter, formed the Stanley Brothers and first recorded together in 1947. Following Carter's death in 1966, Stanley reformed the Clinch Mountain Boys and has toured and recorded with them ever since.

Honors: Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Hall of Fame (1984); National Heritage Award (1984); SPBGMA Preservation Hall of Greats (1985); IBMA Hall of Fame (1992); Grand Ole Opry (2000)

Further Reading: John Wright's Traveling the High Way Home profiles Ralph Stanley, with extensive interviews of many former Clinch Mountain Boys.