The Stanley Brothers Legacy w/ Ralph Stanley II & the Clinch Mountain Boys, Ricky Skaggs, Larry Sparks - Country Cabin II
June 12, 2017
7:30 PM
Doors Open: 7:00 PM
Doors Open: 7:00 PM
At Country Cabin in Norton. Three leading bluegrass musicians—Ricky Skaggs, Larry Sparks, and Ralph Stanley II—celebrate the legacy of The Stanley Brothers (Carter and Ralph Stanley), natives of Clintwood, Virginia, and widely deemed among most important bluegrass groups since the genre's emergence in the mid-1940s. At this tribute concert the three musicians will perform songs associated with both Stanleys.
A child prodigy on the mandolin, Skaggs joined the Clinch Mountain Boys in 1971 and backed up Dr. Ralph on numerous classic traditional bluegrass recordings. Skaggs left the band and began playing and recording progressive bluegrass and mainstream country music. By the mid-1990s he came back to his first love—bluegrass music—and fronted his own band Kentucky Thunder, releasing a series of acclaimed albums. The recipient of numerous Grammy and IBMA Awards, Skaggs has consistently praised the founders of bluegrass, especially Bill Monroe and, of course, Dr. Ralph.
Larry Sparks began his music career playing country, rock and bluegrass before joining the The Stanley Brothers. As a vocalist and guitarist for the Clinch Mountain Boys, Sparks recorded classic bluegrass songs, including “Sharecropper’s Son” and “I Only Exist.” In 1969, Sparks formed his own group, the Lonesome Ramblers. Sparks—nicknamed “the King of Country Soul”— was named Male Vocalist of the Year by the IBMA in 2004 & 2005, and was inducted in the IBMA Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2015.
Unlike his famous banjo-playing father, Ralph Stanley II, a lifelong resident of SWVA, embraced the guitar, inspired by the legacy of his guitar-playing uncle, Carter Stanley. Joining his father’s band in 1995 as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Ralph II subsequently won many fans through his sincere commitment to traditional bluegrass. Ralph II has received several Grammy Award nominations, ultimately winning one in 2002 for a recording made with Dr. Ralph and singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale. A talented songwriter and quietly charismatic performer, Ralph II has recorded 6 solo albums. In 2016, his father bestowed upon him the honor of continuing to use the family band-name, and he now tours as Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain Boys. Children ticket is for 12 & Under.
PANEL DISCUSSION: CLINCH MOUNTAIN BOYS REUNION with Gary Reid, moderator, Monday, 6/12/2017 from 5:00 – 6:00 PM. Admission to panel discussion is free.
The Crooked Road’s Mountains of Music Homecoming is made possible by the support of the Appalachian Regional Commission, Food City, National Endowment for the Arts, Virginia Department of Housing & Economic Development, Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission, Virginia Tourism Corporation, Blue Ridge Beverage, Bluegrass Today, Oxford American, Virginia Commission for the Arts, Davenport & Co, Market Connections, SWVA, Virginia Living, Union Bank & Trust, Virginia State Parks, CGI, David & Judie Reemsnyder, Dominion, New Peoples Bank, The Loafer, Bank of Marion, FocusOne Integrated Financial Planning, Hicok, Fern & Company, Walt & Janet Crickmer, Abingdon Rotary Club, Bolling Wilson Hotel, Chantilly Farm, Electric Hardwoods, Forestland Group LLC, iGo Technology, Mountain Lake Lodge, SWCC Educational Foundation. For the deaf and hard of hearing community, signing interpretation services can be made available if requested at least 21 days in advance of the concert. For requests received less than 21 days prior to the concert, every effort will be made for accommodations, but interpretation services are not guaranteed. To request services or for more information contact The Crooked Road office at admin@thecrookedroad.org or by calling 276-492-2409.
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