Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley
Ralph Edmund Stanley, also known as Dr. Ralph Stanley, was an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing. Stanley began playing music in 1946, originally with his brother Carter as part of The Stanley Brothers, and most often as the leader of his band, The Clinch Mountain Boys...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionFolk Singer
Date of Birth25 February 1927
CityMcclure, VA
CountryUnited States of America
I'm thankful that I have lived long enough to become a legend, and I hope I deserve it.
My mother played a little bit of the old time clawhammer. She tuned the banjo up and picked one tune for me, and it just become natural to me. When she picked it, I just started and picked it, too.
I am a man of constant sorrow. I've seen trouble all my days.
I think - I really think my voice has gotten better in the last two or three years. I don't know why. I've been doing a lot of - a lot more lead singing, and everybody tells me that my voice was better than ever and I agree with them. Maybe I've learned to do more with it. I don't know what.
It's one of the best things that ever happened to me, even if it was late.