The day that Stanley Brothers fans have awaited for years is finally upon us. This Sunday, Ralph and Carter Stanley will officially be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.
It’s a celebration day for the Stanley family, who will be present for the Medallion Ceremony, October 18 in the CMA Theater, located within the Hall of Fame & Museum. This is an invitation-only event, but we hope to have photos to share from the induction next week.
Ralph Stanley II, who now continues the family tradition leading The Clinch Mountain Boys, is set to perform tomorrow on The Grand Ole Opry, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the very first time the Stanley Brothers played together in 1946.
According to Gary Reid, historian of The Stanley Brothers…
“Ralph was discharged from the Army on Oct 16, 1946. He reportedly traveled home by bus, and was met either in Bristol or St Paul. That same day, he reportedly sang on the radio with Carter as part of Roy Sykes & the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys. He also reportedly played a show with the group later that night.”
Ralph II tells us that it is a matter of great pride for him to carry on the Stanley name, and the musical style they created in the early days of bluegrass music.
“The Clinch Mountain Boys were 20 years with The Stanley Brothers, then my dad led the band for 50 years. Now I’ve had it for 10 years. My dad used to love to say in his later years that ‘there will be a Ralph Stanley leading the Clinch Mountain Boys when I’m gone.'”
Ralph II kicks off his Nashville visit with a special Stanley Brothers Hall of Fame induction celebration show at The Station Inn tonight (October 15). He will perform with The Clinch Mountain Boys, and a number of special guests who will join him on stage. That show starts at 9:00 p.m.
Regarding the Hall of Fame induction, Ralph was succinct.
“The Stanley Brothers, they just deserve it as much as anybody ever. They paved the way for all the artists out here doing it. They created those lonesome harmonies and the true mountain sound that nobody else had. Bill, and Lester & Earl, went in a long time ago, and the Stanley Brother should have gone in with them.
But I’m just so glad that they are finally going in to the Hall of Fame.”
He’ll be there Sunday with his wife, Christy, their children, Ralph III and Taylor, his older sister, Lisa, and Carter’s daughter, Jeanie.
Also being inducted on Sunday are Tim McGraw and Paul Overstreet.
Many congratulations to The Stanley Brothers and the whole Stanley family. It is, indeed, long overdue.
