Ralph Stanley Gone At 89

[Ah Pook]

R.I.P.

http://www.roanoke.com/news/music-le....html?mode=jqm

[QUOTE]
Ralph Stanley, the legendary banjo player who helped establish the bluegrass music genre, died Thursday night. He was 89.
Family members said that Stanley, who began playing music with his late brother Carter in 1946 as leaders of the Clinch Mountain Boys, had been battling cancer.
His grandson Nathan Stanley posted this on his Facebook page: “My heart is broken into pieces. My papaw, my dad, and the greatest man in the world, Dr. Ralph Stanley has went home to be with Jesus just a few minutes ago. He went peacefully in his sleep due to a long, horrible battle with skin cancer. I feel so lost and so alone right now. He was my world, and he was my everything. He was always there for me no matter what. I just cannot get a grip on this. My Papaw was loved by millions of fans from all around the world, and he loved all of you.”
The Stanley Brothers, along with Bill Monroe are credited with developing bluegrass music in the 1940s and 50s. Ralph Stanley embarked on a solo career and revived the Clinch Mountain Boys in the 1960s after his brother died.
More recently Stanley helped lead a revival of roots music through the soundtrack of the 2000 film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Stanley was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 1992 and was the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry.
“It’s a sad day for our region,” said Leah Ross, executive director of the Bristol-based Birthplace of Country Music. “We’re here at the museum tonight with our Farm & Fun Time show and Dr. Stanley was so instrumental in the success of that show many years ago. He was such an amazing artist and a great promoter of our region.”
He was a native of Dickenson County, Va., and the Ralph Stanley Museum operates in Clintwood in that county.
[QUOTE]

[cstone]

This is very sad news. Dr. Stanley has given me many hours of listening pleasure. I am greatful for his life and music. I am so happy he left us so many recordings to enjoy in years to come.

Gone home when called by his Maker. God Bless.

[Martinjmpr]

A shame but at 89 he lived a good long life. He'll be remembered for a long time.

I developed a taste for bluegrass when I lived in NC. My job often had me driving a security patrol car for hours at a time and with no cassette deck I'd listen to the radio - the C&W stations often had a 3 - hour long blugrass show on Sunday nights.